So I have big ideas and projects that I want to do! But the thought of spending my time on something just for it to not turn out well…. Or just commuting to one thing on something is just so nerve wracking for some reason!
Is there any way to make me not feel like this?
Jun '21
Jun '21
There's a simple saying...You never know until you try! If it doesn't go to plan, at least you had fun doing it and you have something to show for your time.
Not doing something is worse than never trying. If you never start then you've already %100 failed : )
I know for me looking at one idea scares that crap out of me, pardon my french. It is because there are SO many ideas, and you love ALL of them. I can't speak for you, but for me, I felt like if I missed one idea that I would simply feel ashamed. That's why I want to work on them all, so I can't miss any, annnnnnnd that's why I struggle to finish projects. LOL.
"The worst thing that will happen is you'll learn something."
This was the best piece of advice my dad ever gave me, and as someone with anxiety I try to remind myself of it often! If you pick an idea and try to make something, worst case scenario you'll learn from the experience. That story isn't dead if things don't go well. You can always recycle what worked and start again. Or move on to the next idea with what you've learned.
There's also nothing wrong with waiting until you're ready to make the commitment, but if thats so, you should think about what you can do to lead up to that. I made a little comic in college, quit when I was ready to quit, messed around for a while, and eventually started making practice comics until I was ready to make something for publish. And it's still not perfect, but it's worlds better than that first attempt. And there's more to come, because I have other ideas I'm excited to move on to eventually. =)
Pick something to try and make, and make it. Thats the best way to address this feeling. I always think starting with something small is a good idea, but you have to do whatever will get your inspiration going. Personally I can never get myself to jump into a short story, so my practice comics were single scenes from larger stories, and my current comic I committed to just the first chapter (30 pages) before making anything public. So you can tailor your "start" to whatever suits you, but starting is the solution.
Personally, these days I tend to lean into that feeling and use it to help guide my decisions rather than try to fight against it. I've already been through the ringer, so to speak, where I spent 10 years chipping away at a story I conceived in middle school only for it not to go anywhere or amount to anything. Now when considering new projects or story ideas, i try to listen to my gut. If it says "hey, whoa whoa whoa! That's really long, do you think you'll actually be able to finish that?" I take a moment to think about it and if the answer is realistically "no" I put it back on the mental shelf and search for something else. It doesn't mean that the idea will never be worth it, but I'm just not in a position to take on any like 5 year+ projects right now lol.
Big agree with the above comment though. I definitely believe in a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" approach to creating~ Part of how I know to trust my gut in the present is because of the projects that I've done in the past- both the ones that worked out and I finished, as well as those I didn't.
For example, I'll talk briefly about my most recent project which I just finally abandoned a few weeks ago 
I had been working on it for a year, since last June, and had just slowly been losing the drive to work on it over time. I limped it along for several months past its "prime" before finally throwing in the towel. But I got so so so much out of the experience of making it too! It was my first time experimenting with vertical scroll, and I practiced anatomy, perspective, and paneling a lot, and I tried a new type of upload schedule, and a slightly different genre than I had ever worked with before, and it served as my introduction to art streaming, and the specific reasons why it didn't work out in the end now have been added to my gut sense for "think twice about doing something like this again". So even though it was a "failed project", I still had a blast creating it and now when looking for whatever comes next, I have more points of data for "do"s and "do not"s~
The thing is, when you start of something, it isn't a requirement for you to be already good at it or to be your best version, or your best skills; To start means to learn how to be good at it -- and through that you learn how to commit on something and accept no matter what the result is --- that's how you earn experience.
"The best time to jump on a project is when you're terrified, otherwise you'll only remain in the same place and never get started at all."--- Imagine working on your ideas, your concept for a long time only for you to back out because you're afraid of the result so you go back and polishing it more ---How will you know the result if you won't start? doesn't that look like you're wasting your time contemplating yourself rather than putting that time to actually start? starting on something is an experience itself, it doesn't always mean that it will end well, it also doesn't mean that it won't end well either. At the end of the day, the result of it will rely on you. it's better to take a chance and see the the results at least you tried and do it rather than not doing it at all.
Just know to yourself that at the end of the day, you are doing that project for you. Not for anyone else (unless you only have readers or other people or money in mind). I originally write because I wanted to create MY perfect story. It's hard to remember that all these readers and likes and views don't matter, YOU like what you do on your off-time and you don't need a deadline to meet for other people!
A big part of commitment fear is the illusion that, by choosing to do one thing, other options are then closed off. But that's not the case! You could commit to working on a big project, then decide that it's not going anywhere after half a year, and change direction. You'll learn a lot in the experience, too.
My advice is to choose a project that's a nice medium size, and that you're okay using as a 'learning project'. You can allow yourself to make mistakes with your 'learning project'! That's what it's for. And after having got the experience working on it, you'll feel more ready to take on bigger, more serious projects.
I think a few people have said this already, but no matter what project/s you’re working on you’ll be learning and improving your skills (and hopefully having fun) - so I say just go for it! 
LeBeouf to make you smile.
I agree with some of the other replies; start with one of the smaller projects, or break a big project into smaller ones (e.g., instead of a full novel, write it as a series of short stories that later may add up to a novel). Getting into the habit of working & getting some early feedback can help you to have more confidence in biting into your larger projects. Good luck & get going! 
