The Things I Would Tell My Younger Self as a Creative

When I was younger and new to this creative journey, I spent a lot of time building and working hard to develop my craft as a filmmaker. However, with time and reflection, you learn and grow, and you begin to realize what you could have done better. You start to understand things that you simply could not have understood when you were in the middle of the journey.

That is what I want to share with you.

These are some of the things I would tell my younger self if I could go back and have a conversation with him today.

“You do not have to rush what you are building. Give yourself the time to become the person capable of creating what you see in your mind.”

The first aspect is patience.

I cannot tell you enough how necessary it is to be patient with not only yourself, but your work as well as a creative. Anything worth building takes time, and the best things rarely happen overnight.

I remember many times in my past when I would always want to change and excel at an exponential rate. I wanted to become better immediately. I wanted to see the results immediately. However, I quickly found out that it does not work that way. It takes real time and repetition in the craft to develop proficiency.

I would also rush many of my projects and try to post as fast as I could just to say I got something done or to be seen. I thought that putting more work out there automatically meant I was moving forward.

The best thing I learned is to go at my own pace and make sure that everything I create is done with precision and feels complete from start to finish.

We live in this fast changing world where it is easy to focus on quantity over quality. I sure did for many years when I was trying to become better and grow. What I really came to understand is that people love authenticity, and they can tell when someone created something with passion and care.

It is easy to think, just post more. Put more pieces of work online for people to see.

But it is really not about that whatsoever.

It is about being true to who you are and being patient with your own process.

I am very careful these days with my work in terms of not rushing anything anymore. If I need another day to finish it, that is what I will do. If I need extra time or need to capture more footage, I will do just that. I no longer feel the need to rush and do things that I know will turn out to be incomplete.

Patience has also helped me think deeper in terms of ideas.

When I give myself time to sleep on a project or spend just a few extra days on some creative task, I notice that my original ideas were not always the best ones. By being patient enough, I am able to find better ideas as a result.

I cannot tell you how many times I have worked on something, then just given myself a little bit more time, and ended up finding better solutions and plans for that project simply because I had given myself more time to pay attention.

I think it is easy to believe that more is better, but truthfully, the opposite can be true.

The more time you spend carefully crafting your work, the more people actually care and want to engage with what you are making. People can tell when someone is not only talented, but creates with real intention and precision.

People can also tell when someone creates merely from trends and what gets clicks.

There is a big difference.

One lasts, and something real can be built. The other is short lived and cannot be sustained.

I have ADHD, and my mind is always going a mile a minute. This can make me very anxious about wanting to get a million things done at once and sometimes even rush certain things that I am doing just because I feel like I have to.

However, I have learned to really be patient in the midst of this and spend more time on what it is that I am building and creating.

Our first ideas are not always our best ideas, and this is important to understand. When you give yourself time in that process to think in more ways, you can really develop your craft in ways that you did not see before.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do for an idea is simply give it more time.”

The next aspect is working hard but staying present.

In other words, learning to enjoy the journey and appreciate what you are actually building because time moves faster than you realize.

There were so many times early on in my filmmaking journey where I was so focused on the goals I was trying to achieve that I found myself not even being present and enjoying the part of the journey where I was actually building everything.

I learned over time that this is the most fun part of it all.

Being able to work really hard but enjoy every bit of that process. To really get lost in it where it almost becomes very meditative.

There is something beautiful about being completely immersed in what you are creating. You are not thinking about the next milestone. You are not thinking about what someone else is doing. You are simply there, building something with your own hands and your own mind.

I have come to realize that time is literally the most important and precious thing that we have in life, and it moves so fast. You want to make sure that you are always present and do not regret any moments that you could have missed.

Even with people, this is very important to understand.

For instance, conversations and people that you meet. It is very important to really be present and listen to them, and not let your mind be totally somewhere else when you have an interaction with someone.

There were so many times where I was around people and missed certain opportunities and connections that could have led me further in my career simply because I had not been present and in tune with an important conversation.

You never really know who you are talking to, what they are going through, or where one conversation might lead.

Always enjoy the journey and what you are building because life is so short. Build and dream all of the creative things that you want to do.

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in comparing your life to others on social media and to feel like you are far behind because of someone else’s success.

But this is one of the worst things you can do as a creative.

Their life is not yours, and what you are building is completely different from what they have built.

Too many times I would see someone that was further ahead of me in what I was doing and I would let it get to me. I would look at their success and wonder why I was not there yet.

But let me remind you.

There is always going to be another person who is a little more skilled or talented in some way, and that is okay.

We are all unique and work at different paces in life.

I think it is good to be inspired and to take inspiration from those around us who are at a higher level. Be happy for them. Learn from them. Let their work remind you of what is possible.

But stay present in what you are building.

“You are not behind. You are simply building something that has your name on it.”

Embracing your solitude will take you further than you ever dreamed.

Some of your best ideas, your clearest thoughts, and your most meaningful creative breakthroughs will come when you are alone.

When I was younger, I did not fully understand this.

I spent a decent amount of time alone, but I did not realize how beautiful or powerful it really was. I think I used to see it more with a lonely kind of mindset and found more negative thinking than anything.

However, to this day, there is nothing more beautiful than it.

I really love working by myself in my office space at my apartment. No one really uses it, so it is a perfect time for me to be alone and work on my creative projects.

I also love to take five mile walks at the end of the day, at sunset into the night.

This practice has become so therapeutic. Nothing compares to it.

The amount of clarity and peace that I feel is unmatched, not to mention the amount of creative ideas that flow are unlike any other.

When you can really just spend time alone and think without distraction or noise, you would be amazed at what comes to you.

You would be surprised at how well you can start solving problems and figuring out answers to creative problems that you are having.

I think that is what I love most.

Giving my mind time and space to really figure things out while enjoying these walks.

A lot of the time I will have a conversation out loud with myself too and just be in gratitude. This kind of thinking really allows you to have the right ideas come to life.

I never thought something so simple could have such a strong impact on what I was doing as a creative.

I never do really great work when I am tense and uptight about things. My best work always happens when I am calm and relaxed, and that is why solitude helps me so much.

It allows me to remove myself from all of the noise and distractions about what is happening in the world and on social media.

Sometimes you need to step away from everything else just long enough to hear your own thoughts again.

“Solitude is not always loneliness. Sometimes it is where you finally get to hear yourself think.”

Pay attention to what you watch, what you listen to, and what you surround yourself with.

All of it is shaping the person and creator you are becoming.

Our minds are very powerful to suggestion.

There have been many studies on the information a person takes in and how it affects them emotionally and physically. I ignored this for quite some time when I was younger and would listen or watch whatever.

Many of the materials I consumed were doing more harm than good.

Eventually, I started studying the mind a lot more and became aware of the importance of what I consumed. I then intentionally listened to and watched things that would only help me as a filmmaker.

I began studying movies and commercials like I was in film school.

I began listening to podcasts about the mind as if my mental health depended on it.

Sure enough, I began to see my career elevate at a much faster rate.

I started to realize that everything I consumed had a direct correlation to what I created.

This is where I began to become very disciplined in my life, and I started really developing a strong will of purpose and dedication.

I would listen to meaningful podcasts any chance I had. Watching movies became my primary way of studying and learning visually. I would pay attention to how great films were shot, how scenes were constructed, how cinematography was used, how the camera moved, how the lighting felt, and how all of these things worked together to create an emotion.

I realized that being a filmmaker was not just about picking up a camera.

It was about training my eyes.

Training my mind.

Everything you put into your mind eventually has a way of coming back out through what you create.

That is why I think it is so important to be intentional about what you allow into your world.

“What you consume becomes part of what you create.”

Lastly, you want to embrace challenges.

There is something beautiful about being faced with a problem and having to put your creative mind to work to find a way through it.

The obstacles are not always slowing you down.

Sometimes they are teaching you how to become better.

When I was younger, anytime I was faced with a challenge that pushed me out of my comfort zone, I would feel like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

I always disliked the idea of what felt like the opposite of a smooth, straight-line journey.

It took me a long time to get to the point where I actually liked the idea of having to problem solve and get my way through these challenges.

But now, I see them differently.

When you can really think at a high level, your mind starts to see things hundreds of different ways when it comes to building things and navigating obstacles within your creative journey.

There is never a straight path in life when you are building, dreaming, working, and creating.

There are good moments and there are challenging moments.

That is all part of it.

It is about learning how to get through the challenges without allowing them to change who you are.

I have learned to not believe in limitations.

If I am faced with something that is challenging, I see it as a chance for my mind to think deeper and problem solve a little better.

Sometimes the obstacle is the thing that forces you to become more creative.

Sometimes the problem is what teaches you something you would have never learned if everything had gone perfectly.

And sometimes, the thing you thought was slowing you down was actually preparing you for what came next.

“The challenge is not always in your way. Sometimes the challenge is the way.”

If I could sit down with my younger self today, I would not tell him to work less.

I would tell him to work differently.

Work hard, but be patient.

Dream big, but stay present.

Spend time alone and learn to enjoy your own company.

Pay attention to what you allow into your mind because it is shaping the person you are becoming.

And when things get difficult, do not immediately assume that something has gone wrong.

Sometimes the difficult part is where the growth happens.

I think that is what I have come to understand most through this creative journey.

You are never really finished becoming a better version of yourself.

There will always be another level to reach, another idea to explore, another skill to develop, another problem to solve, and another dream to chase.

But you do not have to rush there.

Enjoy where you are.

Enjoy what you are building.

Enjoy the process of becoming.

Because one day you will look back and realize that the part you were so eager to get through was actually one of the most beautiful parts of the entire journey.

And maybe that is what I would tell my younger self more than anything.

Keep going.

Keep creating.

Keep dreaming.

But do not forget to look around every once in a while and appreciate the fact that you are actually living the life you once dreamed about.

- Noah