How To Measure The Impact Of Your Creative Challenge
I have recently finished my second 30-days Creative Challenge: 1 minute of music per day shot on video and shared on Facebook.
As a Consultant in Guest Experience, I am always excited to measure the impact of things and I was wondering how to measure the impact of the 30 days of effort I have sustained to complete my Creative Challenge?
After reflecting with people I trust and love, I found an unusual and exciting way for everybody to measure the impact of new initiatives involving a sustained effort — in my case to create and share for 30 days: the number of Gifts you got from your challenge.
To give you an idea on what you could get from jumping into a Creative Challenge, here are some of the gifts I would not have received without my #1minofmusic 30 days experience.
GIFT #1 — Self-confidence boost: committing and keeping my commitment
I had already taken a Creative Challenge in September 2016 and I did not fail a single day. But despite the success of this first jump in the void, I thought I would not be capable to do it another time.
This second Creative Challenge proved me I could do it twice and it strengthened my self-confidence.
GIFT #2 — Reflecting with others
I have been an amateur musician for over 2 decades. Right after I finished the #1minofmusic challenge, my sense of accomplishment was not that strong and I decided to discuss it with a few people.
I rapidly realised that I had accomplished much more than I thought and the way I was looking at the past 30 days of my life changed.
Reflecting with others after an effort, a commitment, a finished task or a painful event is the key to see things that were hidden and move forward more powerfully.
GIFT #3 — Doing things for the first time
I played music with my two sons (7 and 5) for the very first time. It was an emotional moment. Louis was at the drums and Oscar played piano bravely next to me.
GIFT #4 — Re-activating relationships and generating new interactions
During the 30 days of my challenge, I have received comments from old friends I had not interacted with for a long time and discovered new people who gave me energy along the way.
GIFT #5 — Inspiring others to take action
On February 4, a gentleman who I had seen a few times at friends’ places and who connected with me recently sent a private message where he recorded himself playing piano to mirror the opposite of the weather outside: it was raining and he played Summertime.
I had not anticipated that my challenge would be a gentle push for someone to sit at his piano and share his musical mood of the day. What a gift.
I also have my sister Nathalie who, right after I published my first video, decided to jump into a 30 days Creative Challenge because she felt inspired by mine. Not only inspiring her was a source of pride and joy (she is usually pushing me to dare doing things in my life) but we also did our challenges in parallel and that was an awesome feeling.
Check Nathalie’s full challenge here
GIFT #6 — Breaking barriers of the past
Despite my efforts, I am still very concerned with what people think of me and only tend to publish content that makes me shine and serve my image.
The challenge I took meant that some exercises or songs I would choose would not be perfect unless I spent hours each day doing several takes. It was no possible and I rapidly had to make a choice: do I publish non-perfect content or do I drop my Creative Challenge?
I chose the first option. It was liberating and it has allowed me to break a barrier of the past: being ok to share things that are not perfect and drop my focus on giving a beautiful and clean image of myself to others.
GIFT #7 — Sharing melodies that I composed
I have never considered myself as a musician because I have not really composed anything ‘serious’.
This Creative Challenge made me realise that I had done a few things in my past and that I could create melodies that were, in fact, pretty pleasant to hear.
After sharing some of my creations, I now feel excited to create more.
Funnily enough, the first and the last #1minofmusic were creations :). Here they are:
GIFT #8 — Acknowledging my musical capabilities
After 30 days, looking back at the videos, I saw something I never really did before: I play a good amount of instruments!
This Creative Challenge changed the way I see my musical capabilities and I authorised myself to be content with my talent: piano, guitar, ukulele, bass, voice.
Check this Ukulele video:
GIFT #9 — Playing in 7 places in the world
When I took my Creative Challenge on January 2, I did not anticipate that the month of January was packed with trips.
Fortunately I had my new travel bass with me and played in Beirut (Lebanon), Dubai (UAE), Fujairah (UAE), Marrakesh (Morroco), Paris (France), Lille (France) and Geneva (Switzerland).
Here is one from Geneva!
There are 2 things that come to my mind at the end of this article:
1- It is possible to measure new initiatives in your life with the number of gifts you got from them.
2- Keeping your promise to create during any other period of time (7 days, 30 days or more) will disrupt your daily life and make you explore dimensions you did not expect.
9 Gifts for 30 days of commitment. Pretty awesome. I am already thinking of my next Creative Challenge…
Check here how to choose a Creative Challenge that works for you.
—
Joe Sejean is a co-founder of Activate Creativity, a platform that helps people reconnect, stretch and nurture their creativity.
10.28 Detox™ is a CREATIVE Detox that takes 10 minutes per day, for 28 days. It starts every Monday.
