I Have 100 Ideas, 47 Open Tabs, and Absolutely No Idea Where to Start!

The Beautiful Chaos of Being a Creative Person

By TJ Mitchell | Yup! It's TJ Mitchell — The Blog

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Y'ALL…

Can somebody PLEASE explain why my brain thinks 2:00 in the morning is the PERFECT time to come up with a brand-new business idea?! 😭😂

Because I'm trying to GO TO SLEEP!

But apparently, my brain has other plans.

One minute, I'm lying in bed, minding my business.

The next minute, I'm thinking about starting a new business, producing a stage show, creating a YouTube series, planning an event, redesigning something, writing a book, or coming up with an idea that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I was originally working on.

And the worst part?

Every single idea sounds AMAZING at the time.

So naturally, I grab my phone and start typing.

Because what if I forget it?!

Now I've got another note saved, another project added to my imaginary production schedule, and approximately 47 tabs open in my brain.

WELCOME TO THE BEAUTIFUL CHAOS OF BEING A CREATIVE PERSON! 😂

My Brain Does Not Believe in Business Hours

One thing about me is that I've always loved creating things.

And I don't mean just one type of thing.

I love photography.

Graphic design.

Marketing.

Writing.

Event planning.

Entertainment.

Content creation.

Cooking.

And apparently, I also enjoy randomly deciding that I should develop an entire theatrical production.

Because WHY NOT?! 😂

I can be watching a movie and suddenly start thinking about how I would design the stage.

I can attend an event and immediately notice the lighting, decorations, guest experience, music, and how everything could be organized differently.

I can hear a song and start imagining an entire music video.

And don't even get me started on social media.

I'll see something interesting and suddenly have an idea for five different pieces of content.

Sometimes I wish my brain had an actual closing time.

Like, sir, the creative department is CLOSED. Please return during normal business hours.

But no.

We're apparently operating 24/7.

The Notes App Is Basically My Second Home

If somebody ever opened the Notes app on my phone, they would probably be very confused.

Because there's a little bit of EVERYTHING in there.

Business ideas.

Blog topics.

Recipes.

Event concepts.

Social media captions.

Random thoughts.

Names for projects I haven't even started yet.

And occasionally something that made perfect sense when I typed it but now looks like a secret message.

I'll read an old note and think:

"WHAT was I planning to do with this?!" 😭

But I can't delete it.

Because what if it's actually a GREAT idea?

What if six months from now I suddenly remember exactly what I meant?

So it stays.

Along with the other 300 ideas waiting for their moment.

And honestly, I kind of love that.

Because even though it can be chaotic, those notes represent something important to me.

I'm still curious. I'm still imagining. And I'm still excited about creating things that don't exist yet.

Having Ideas Is Fun. Actually Finishing Them? BABY…

Now here's where things get interesting.

Coming up with ideas?

LOVE IT.

Brainstorming?

ABSOLUTELY.

Planning?

Oh, we're going to have a whole document, a color palette, a timeline, and probably a logo before lunch.

But then comes the part where you actually have to sit down and finish everything.

And suddenly another idea walks into the room.

"Hey TJ, what if we did THIS instead?"

EXCUSE ME?!

WE WERE WORKING ON SOMETHING! 😂

I think this is something a lot of creative people experience.

The beginning of a project is exciting.

Everything feels possible.

You're imagining what it could become.

But the middle?

The middle is where you have to do the less glamorous work.

Revisions.

Research.

Budgets.

Scheduling.

Editing.

Fixing mistakes.

Making decisions.

And sometimes realizing that the brilliant idea you had at 2:00 a.m. is going to require actual money, time, and other human beings.

RUDE. 😂

But I've learned that creativity isn't just about having ideas.

It's also about being willing to work through the messy parts to bring those ideas to life.

Building TJM Studios Taught Me Something

When I think about TJM Studios, I realize how many different interests have helped shape the business.

Photography.

Content creation.

Marketing.

Graphic design.

Website creation.

Event planning and production.

These aren't just random services I decided to put together.

They're different ways I enjoy helping people bring their ideas to life.

And the funny thing is, I don't always think of them as separate things.

To me, they connect.

A photograph can tell a story.

A graphic can communicate a message.

An event can create a memory.

A website can introduce someone to a business.

A well-written caption can make somebody stop scrolling.

And an entire production can bring people together for an experience they'll remember.

That's what I love about creative work.

You can take something that started as a simple thought and turn it into something real.

But building something also means learning that every idea doesn't need to happen immediately.

And THAT is a lesson I'm still working on.

Not Every Idea Needs to Become a Project

Okay, this one is difficult.

Because sometimes I'll come up with something and immediately start thinking:

"WE NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!"

And by "we," I usually mean me, myself, and the imaginary staff I apparently believe I have. 😭😂

But I'm learning that just because an idea is good doesn't mean it has to become my next priority.

Some ideas are worth pursuing right now.

Some need more planning.

Some might be better six months from now.

And some are simply fun ideas that don't need to become anything more.

That's been an important realization.

Because when everything feels exciting, everything can start feeling urgent.

And when everything feels urgent, it becomes difficult to enjoy any of it.

I'm trying to get better at asking myself:

Do I actually want to do this?

Do I have the time?

Does it fit what I'm working toward?

Am I excited about the idea itself, or am I excited about the possibility of starting something new?

Because those are two very different things.

Sometimes I Just Want to Create Something for FUN

Here's another thing I've been thinking about.

Not everything I create needs to make money.

Not every idea needs to become a business.

Not every hobby needs a marketing strategy.

And not every moment needs to turn into content.

Sometimes I want to cook something new just because I'm hungry and curious.

Sometimes I want to take photographs because something looks beautiful.

Sometimes I want to write because I have something on my mind.

Sometimes I want to design something just to see if I can.

And sometimes I want to enjoy an experience without immediately thinking about how to turn it into a social media post.

As somebody who enjoys entrepreneurship and content creation, it's easy to start looking at everything as a potential opportunity.

But creativity is also supposed to be FUN.

And I never want to lose that part of it.

The Projects Nobody Sees

Social media can make it look like creative people are constantly producing finished work.

A new graphic.

A new video.

A new business announcement.

A completed project.

But what people don't always see are the ideas that never make it past the brainstorming stage.

The drafts.

The deleted captions.

The designs that didn't work.

The scripts that need rewriting.

The projects that are taking longer than expected.

And the times when you sit in front of your computer for an hour and somehow accomplish absolutely NOTHING.

Except reorganizing your desktop.

Which, to be fair, was probably overdue. 😂

I've had plenty of ideas that sounded great in my head but needed a lot more work once I started developing them.

And I've had projects that changed direction completely.

That's part of creating.

Sometimes the first version isn't the right version.

Sometimes you have to start over.

And sometimes you have to admit that something isn't working.

It doesn't mean you're not creative.

It means you're actually doing the work.

I'm Learning to Enjoy the Process

At 30, I'm trying to find a better balance between dreaming about things and actually experiencing the process of building them.

I still want the big ideas.

I still want the exciting projects.

I still want to challenge myself creatively.

And yes, I'm probably still going to come up with something completely random while I'm supposed to be sleeping.

Let's not get carried away. 😂

But I'm learning that I don't have to turn every idea into a race.

I can take my time.

I can focus on one project.

I can make mistakes.

I can change my mind.

And I can celebrate the smaller accomplishments instead of constantly thinking about what's next.

Because sometimes finishing one meaningful project is more satisfying than starting ten new ones.

Although somebody may need to remind me of that next week.

So What's Next?

That's a VERY dangerous question to ask me.

Because I could probably give you about 15 different answers right now. 😂

There are creative projects I'm excited about.

Stories I want to tell.

Experiences I want to produce.

Things I want to build through TJM Studios.

And ideas that haven't even made it out of my Notes app yet.

But I think that's one of my favorite things about this stage of life.

I'm still discovering what I enjoy.

I'm still exploring new possibilities.

And I'm still finding different ways to express myself.

I don't know which idea will become the next big thing.

I don't know which project will surprise me.

And I definitely don't know what random thought is going to wake me up at 2:00 tomorrow morning.

But I do know this.

I'd rather have a mind full of possibilities than stop being curious about what I could create.

So here's to the dreamers.

The planners.

The creators.

The people with 100 ideas and 47 unfinished drafts.

The people whose Notes apps look like organized chaos.

And the people who are still figuring out how to turn all those thoughts into something meaningful.

I SEE Y'ALL!

Now, if you'll excuse me…

I need to go finish a project before I accidentally start another one.

No promises, though. 😂💜

Until next week,

TJ

Yup! It's TJ Mitchell.

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Let's Talk!

Be honest…

Are you the type of person who finishes one project before starting another, or do you have 15 different ideas going at the same time? 😂

And for my fellow creatives, what's the most RANDOM idea you've ever had that actually turned into something?

Tell me in the comments. I want to hear it!

Whatever you choose to do… until I see y'all, ciao! 💜