Think like a Kid
I bought a camera. It's my version of a mid-life crisis, but it's still better than getting a motorcycle or Botox. I bought the camera because I wanted to document my tennis journey and because I wanted to immerse myself in a new creative realm. I love writing and get paid primarily as a designer, but the truth is that short-form video is the new cool kid on the block. It's easy to digest and share, and all the major social platforms are built around it. So, after months of having the idea, I finally swiped my credit card and had a new camera.
From there, I had two options: I could have learned everything I could about making videos until I had enough confidence to actually make one, or I could have made a video. I took the latter option, and in doing so, I learned a tiny bit about editing.
I am not a pro, but I did produce a short video. And then another.
There is a similarity here with tennis, which I call objective learning vs technical learning.
Pretend you want to work on a slice serve out wide. You could either dissect the exact angle of your elbow and the angle of the toss, or you could set up a target out wide and try to hit a slice serve out wide.
This sounds simple, but your body and mind are impressive concepts. They know how to do things, and sometimes, your job as the conscious captain of the two is simply giving it direction. Set a clear objective and let your natural instincts take over, like a pilot entering the coordinates in a giant airliner and placing it on cruise control for the rest of the flight.
This is not to say that technical learning is wrong, but it works much better when combined with objective learning. If I were to teach a marketing class today, I would have every kid create an Instagram account and grow it to 1000 followers. Then, every week, there would be a technical lesson that could be applied to their objective.
My tennis and creative process are in the same realm right now. I want to grow my skillset in both areas, and I have specific goals for each, but it's important not to overthink either.
My body knows how to hit a tennis ball, and my mind knows how to create things, so now it's my conscious job to guide them without micromanaging the whole process with worries, thoughts, and fears.
When in doubt, think like a kid because a kid doesn't think about all the reasons why not. A kid just does, falls on his face, and gets back up with a little more balance.