How to produce great work

The Gap by Ira Glass. This video was created by Frohlocke and was the inspiration for this post.

It comes down to closing The Gap.

There is a famous passage by Ira Glass where he talks about The Gap that all creatives face.

He points out that all creatives get into their craft because 'they have good taste'. Yet for the first few years, their work just isn't that good.

There is The Gap that separates their output from their taste.

They get frustrated because they know what good work is, yet no matter how hard they try they can't seem to produce on that level.

My goal with this post is to share my struggles with The Gap and teach some tactics that you can use to get over it.

My Battle with The Gap

For years, I have found myself thinking about The Gap in my writing, creative work, and my entrepreneurial endeavors.

Right now, even as I write this blog, I struggle with The Gap.

I struggle because I read the blogs and books of others who’s writing and ideas are so much greater than my own.

All these writers have such amazing content, and yet at times I struggle to get out even a mediocre blog post.

I am in The Gap.

I am stuck between what I know is great creative work, and the reality of my output.

At times, it makes me want to give up. It makes me doubt myself and wonder if I will ever be at their level.

Yet I know that it takes time.
It takes volume.
It takes years of practice to accomplish the feats that great writers, artists and entrepreneurs achieve.

How to close The Gap

Great work doesn’t result in one great epiphany or moment of clarity.

Great work is a result of slow, steady progress, toward a clearly defined goal.

My goal as a writer is to publish a book that hits the Amazon Best Seller list and inspires the thoughts of millions.

I won’t achieve this goal today, tomorrow, or anytime soon.

Yet with every blog post I publish, I am one step closer toward that achieving that goal.

Set a goal for yourself. Make it ambitious and work toward that goal every single day.

Make Commitment and Set Deadlines

Make a commitment to constantly improving your work and set deadlines to keep yourself accountable.

There is an digital artist by the name of Beeple who has been publishing piece of art work online every single day for the past 2469 days!

His commitment to his craft shows in the amazing quality and originality of his work.

Daily may be a bit difficult for some, although weekly is feasible for anyone.

My commitment

9 weeks ago I committed myself to publishing a new blog post every single week.

Rain or shine, sickness or health, I will publish a blog post every week.

This commitment to publish forces growth.
This commitment forces me to create something that I am proud of every single week.
This commitment forces me to close the gap.

Have others hold you accountable

Don’t try to walk this alone.

Find yourself friends who are going through the same battle. Find others who are trying to close their gap.

A few months ago, I made a commitment with my good friend Dan Beerman.

We created a Facebook group called The Inspired Creator where we would hold each other accountable for publishing at least one new piece of creative work every week.

It started with the two of us and has slowly grown over time.

If you are willing to make the commitment to producing at least one piece of work every single week, then I invite you to join this group.

It doesn't matter if you are an artist, writer, musician, entrepreneur or anything else.

All that matters, is that you are ready to commit to closing the Gap and perfecting your craft.

Don’t keep putting off your creative pursuits. Join us at The Inspired Creator and take your first step toward closing The Gap.

What will you commit to doing on a weekly base to close your gap and accomplish your goals? Answer in the comments below