Do you know this feeling of sudden happiness mixed with a touch of confusion and futility? It's like the moment you empty a glass of wine and grab the last chip in the bowl but you don't quite feel satisfied, so you start considering if you should go get the whole bottle and bag. Well, that exact sensation is what we are gonna be talking about today, the 'And now what?' which we have all asked ourselves before. We seem to never be satisfied by anyone and anything, but why is that and how can we recycle this emotion to our own benefit.
I just released my first single that I've been working on for quite a while and I have to say, letting go of it and putting it out there into the hands of Others felt amazing. It was like finishing up a project that had long been overdue. If I was to publish my book, I'd probably be left with the same melancholy, a feeling of newly aquired freedom. But it is a freedom that comes with a cost. Working on a project gives you purpose, it structures your thought process as well as your daily routine. You are never purposeless, due to the expectations towards yourself and the results you want to achieve. Especially when you are an independent self employed artist or self starter of a company, projects come in quite handy. Basically it feels like you're employed and then once the project is finished it's as if you just lost your job. In most cases you don't even know yet if the project has been worth it and will make up for the time you put into it.
So let's summarise that thought real quick. You're working on a project, put all your focus on it, invest most of your time and have it structure your life for a few months and then you finish with it, you put it out. Well great, you successfully did what you were working towards for the past weeks but... now what?
Give yourself a week of rest, let yourself reflect on the finished work. Have a moment with yourself where you appreciate the results and feel free to be proud of yourself, you did that! Celebrate with the team you shared this project with and enjoy the fulfilling warmth of accomplishment. After you have had that time to breathe, it's important that you don't loose sight of your artwork or your product. It might be finished, but it's out in the open now and you need to stay on top of it, in a way guide it to towards the right audience and keep track of its results. That way you will also know who it addresses the most and to what audience your future projects should be directed to as well.
What matters is that you recycle that feeling of newly accomplished fulfilment into what comes next.
This will also make up for the feeling of being lost and not quite knowing what to follow up with. It's very important that you keep an eye on the future and try to start thinking of what will be your next move. Take your accomplishment as a motivation for your next one. That way you can take all the positive energy that you received from finishing your last project and reuse it for the process of coming up with a new idea. It might be a new song, a new book, a follow up product or the taking of new steps in your newly established business or website, it really doesn't matter. What matters is that that you recycle that feeling of newly accomplished fulfilment into what comes next. Because by doing so you will not have to dive into that wave of lostness, confusion and futility that you can feel after the end of your project but you will be able to enjoy your success and move on to your next big thing. You are keeping yourself busy and this will also benefit your final goal. Put yourself out there and more importantly keep putting yourself out there so you and your product don't end up getting lost.
Don't forget though to celebrate and have a second to enjoy yourself, like a little vacation, because you deserve that. It also gives you the chance to tank some energy and refill your resources. Because your next project is gonna be even bigger than your recent one. Use that attitude and make great things happen! Don't keep yourself caught up in the question of 'And what now?'.
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