Just Start

Just start. Take the leap. Begin anywhere. This is the advice that I've heard again and again about creative work. About any creative pursuit. Of course, it applies to anything you want to do for the first time.

Every time I've followed the advice, it has felt like the best thing I could have done. In fact it feels like the only reasonable approach to take. If you just go for it and do the thing – whether that's quitting the job that you hate, signing up for a pottery class, taking up stand-up paddle boarding or getting into competitive pigeon racing – you're always going to learn things about this new pursuit and yourself that you could never have learned any other way. Sure, you can research the thing and maybe you can even prepare for it but that will only take you so far.

Starting something new is an act of vulnerability. I know I tend to tell myself that it's silly to be scared and nervous when all I'm doing is, say, trying origami. But every time you try something you haven't done before, you're opening yourself up to chance.

You could fail. You could make the weirdest little twisted paper creature when everyone else is turning out a swan. If you have an active imagination, the possibilities are endless. But you could also discover something that makes you happy. You could discover that you have raw, untapped talent to explore. You could make lifelong friends. The potential positive outcomes are endless too.

When you open yourself up to chance in this way, that is usually when magical things happen.