The Curse of the Blank Page

There it is.  Staring back at you in gleaming white perfection.  No matter what you do, you will alter that state.  So many paths to something less than perfect.  So much criticism that can come from putting anything on that page.  Why risk that?  Why ruin something so pristine?

You know why.  You may not want to face it right now, but you know why.  It calls you.  Bringing forth something from nothing is in our nature.  When the Bible says that God created us in His image, that includes the desire to create.  It is an inherent part of being human that we want to create things.

So, how do we get so stuck at a blank page?  Doubt also comes from the same imagination that gives us our creativity.  We have the ability to think ahead and plan things out -- to see the consequences of actions not taken.  Sometimes that imagination over-emphasizes the possible negative consequences.

So, how do we move past being stuck?

Just start.

Don't commit to finishing.  Just start.

Don't worry about possible problems.  Just start.

Don't think about the end.  Just start.

Get lost in the joy of bringing life to page.  Don't worry about deadlines or shipping or anything but what is right in front of you.

You can tackle problems after you have something on the page to work with.