“What do I have to say?”
Does this damn question nag you, too?
It slams the brakes and kills the buzz when I’m working with a new client, starting a personal project or sitting down to write. It's always the same, “What do I have to say?”
It's completely deflating. Please tell me it’s not just me.
The question assumes a poverty of thought—that you have no ideas and have to start from scratch.
It’s the voice of fear and of coming up empty handed.
But the truth is that you and I are gushing fountains of creativity, full of crazy ideas, original thoughts, imagination and curiosity.
What we have to say is easier to access than our fear leads us to believe.
We always have something to say. The only real question is “Will you trust it?”
Where your answers come from is your history, experience, your love and fear, your sense of humor or color or the absurd…all of these are relevant and valid starting points—because they come from your opinion and your truth. That’s why any compelling story begins, “When I was a kid…” because it’s instantly relatable. You are pulling from your own life and talking directly to your audience by creating a connection through our shared humanity.
Using your opinion in your work means you always have an answer; you don’t have to guess what anyone outside of you wants or needs or thinks.
And that’s the challenging part of being creative—it’s not math. There is not one answer waiting to be found. The answer is always US—and what we have to say.
You don’t have to make anything up or rely on the cliche or trends because you have an opinion and you tell it from the heart. That’s the story that moves people, that’s the story that changes the world.
Trusting what you have to say and knowing that other people will be touched is a major point we cover in our digital masterclass, ‘Born Creative.’
Next time the question of what to say confronts you, relax, take a deep breath and repeat the question—with confidence this time—“What do I have to say?”
The answer that should ring out is, “This is my opinion, this is what I have to say...and it’s damn good.”