So, you have a brilliant idea for a creative project that you want to see become a reality, but you are not sure where to start or how to get yourself all the way to the finish line? No matter what your creative impulse is, there are certain steps that need to be taken in order to see your dream become a reality.

Step 1: Clarify your intention. Start by knowing the deeper motivation behind your project. Why are you creating? What do you get out of it? In what way can it be in service to others?

Step 2: Clarify your vision. When you take aim, you need to have a clear picture of the direction in which you want to go and the destination you want to arrive at, knowing that you need to be flexible and open to the organic evolution of the vision.

Step 3: Do your research. Learn from other peoples examples. Find role models of people with similar ideas who have made their project happen and speak with them about their journey.

Step 4: Know the viability of your project, particularly if it involves financial investment. If an intention for your project is for financial gain, make sure you know your market, your point of sale & your profit margin.

Step 5: Ask for support. Make a map of the different steps involved in your creation. Know your skillset and the areas in which you could use some help. If you are missing some tools, find people in your community who hold the skills you are missing and who are excited about collaborating on your project. Notice if you are being a control freak or trying to work everything out for yourself and seek connections which contribute value to your project. Surround yourself with people who authentically believe in you and lift you up. Try not to not discuss your project with people who actively tear you down or whose belief systems do not align with yours.

Step 6: Make it a priority. Your creative project is not going to make itself. You need to dedicate time to making it happen. This means addressing your creative project as a real commitment and not constantly putting it on the sideline for paid work or social experiences. Make a timeline for your project and give yourself some deadlines to move toward.

Step 7: Keep it fun! Putting pressure on your creativity can stifle it and you need to find a balance. Treat your creative vision as if it is a new lover, rather than an obligation. Make sure that your workspace is an enjoyable place to be, play inspiring music while you work, invite friends to co-work with you. Basically, create the best environment you can to keep the vibes high while you create, it will translate into your work.

Step 8: Create accountability. When working alone on your own creative idea, it is easy to lose momentum and motivation. Meeting regularly with friends who are also working on creative ideas to share your goals and track your progress can help you stay on track. Crowdfunding through an “all or nothing” platform like #Kickstarter generates funding and presales for your project and legally binds you to fulfil your sales. It is a big energy to hold a crowdfunding campaign, but this gave me the level of accountability I needed to stay with my idea all the way to completion.

Step 9. Share your creative journey. People really love to watch the creative process. It makes them excited to see the final expression, to attend the exhibition or to buy your product. It also inspires others to make their own creative projects happen.

Step 10: Feel the fear and do it anyway. Fear of failure & rejection is natural, but you cannot let yourself hang out there for too long. Fear & Thrill carry a very similar frequency. The difference is that fear is contractive while thrill is expansive. If you feel anxious, take some deep breaths and start to move the energy by shifting your attention over onto all of the things that excite you about your work.

11: Get it out there! Sometimes the hardest part of the whole project is knowing when your project is complete. It’s important to give it your absolute best effort, but if your obsession with the finer details (that nobody except you will notice) is stopping you from birthing your creation out into the world, check your avoidance disguised as perfectionism. Too many amazing works of art sit in the corner of the creators studio or waste away on an old hard drive, never making it out of the desk drawer into the world for others to enjoy.

Often the only thing holding us back from pursuing our dreams is our own conditioned beliefs. Beliefs about what is possible and what is impossible. What is acceptable and what will be rejected by society. Beliefs about how we should make money and what constitutes a conventional career path. Beliefs about our own capacity and self-worth… In each moment we have the opportunity to release old programmes by consciously choosing to change the story. This really requires giving constant attention to the inner dialogue and emotional state. Affirmative visualisations & meditation (like that offered by Dr. Joe Dispenza) have been immensely supportive of me on my journey.

The bigger your vision is, the more important your planning is, the more deeply committed you need to be, the more time you need to dedicate, the more support you require, and the bigger the leap you need to take to see your vision manifest.

Dream big and remember, you’ve got to jump if you want to fly.