Most Creatives Are Solving the Wrong Problem
Most creatives spend years improving the wrong skill.
They think they have a creativity problem. A consistency problem. A motivation problem. A discipline problem.
Sometimes they think they need a better camera, another plugin, a new notebook, a different DAW, another framework, another course, another productivity system.
Most of the time, none of those things are the real issue.
The problem sits underneath the surface.
And because they misdiagnose the problem, they spend years treating symptoms rather than causes.
Programmers are trained differently.
One of the strongest ideas from “Think Like a Programmer” is simple:
Before solving a problem, restate the problem in plain language.
Not after.
Before.
Because clarity determines whether your effort moves you forward or traps you in circles.
Creative people rarely do this. They rush into action while confused. Then wonder why they feel stuck.
The Surface Problem Is Rarely the Real Problem
A writer says they have writer’s block.
But after sitting with the problem honestly, the issue often becomes obvious.
They are not blocked.
They are avoiding honesty.
Or they have no clear emotional center for the piece. Or they are consuming twenty opinions a day and drowning their own voice in noise.
The surface problem sounds like:
“I can’t write.”
The real problem sounds like:
“I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
Those are completely different problems.
And different problems require different solutions.
Musicians do this too.
A producer spends months obsessing over mixing tutorials, expensive plugins, vocal chains, analog emulations, stereo imaging, loudness targets, and mastering tricks.
Meanwhile, the actual song has no emotional identity.
Weak melody. Weak perspective. Weak writing.
No amount of polish fixes weak material. Technology magnifies what already exists. If the foundation is weak, better tools expose the weakness faster.
Developers fall into the same trap.
Many new programmers spend years hopping between frameworks. React this month. Next.js next month. A new backend framework six weeks later. Another tutorial after that.
But the real issue is not framework knowledge.
The real issue is weak fundamentals.
Weak problem-solving. Weak systems thinking. Weak understanding of how software works underneath abstractions. The framework becomes emotional comfort.
Progress theater.
Movement without direction.
Confusion Scales Confusion
Creative entrepreneurs do this constantly.
They think they need:
more consistency
more content
better marketing
more followers
Sometimes they need none of those things. Sometimes the real issue is simpler and harder to admit. The offer is unclear. The positioning is weak. The audience problem is vague.
Or the creator themselves lacks clarity about who they are speaking to.
More output does not solve confusion.
Confusion scales confusion. This is why so much creative advice fails. People prescribe solutions before identifying the real problem.
“Be more consistent.”
That advice fails if the person lacks direction.
“Post more content.”
That advice fails if the message itself lacks clarity.
“Upgrade your gear.”
That advice fails if the fundamentals are weak.
“Learn marketing.”
That advice fails if the product itself is weak.
A better tool does not fix a confused creator. Many creatives are optimizing systems that should not exist in the first place.
The Programmer’s Advantage
This is where programmers think differently.
Good programmers understand something most creatives ignore:
A poorly defined problem leads to wasted effort.
So before they solve anything, they simplify the situation. What is happening? What outcome are we trying to create? What is the actual bottleneck? What assumptions are creating confusion?
Then they reduce the problem into smaller, solvable parts.
Creative work improves in the same way.
“I need to become a successful writer” is too vague for meaningful action.
But reduced properly, the path becomes visible:
Write consistently
Improve observation
Study narrative structure
Publish regularly
Tighten feedback loops
Learn emotional clarity
Now the problem is actionable. Specificity reduces overwhelm. Most overwhelm is not caused by too much work. It comes from undefined work.
Your Creative Work Reflects Your Perception
This is why clarity matters so much for creatives.
Because creative work is emotional work. And emotional confusion spreads everywhere. Your fears leak into your characters. Your insecurity shapes your pacing. Your lack of standards affects your music.
Things we spoke about in the last newsletter.
Your inability to communicate clearly weakens your marketing. Your worldview enters everything you create, whether you notice or not.
Which means creative growth is not only skill growth. It is perception growth. This is why two people with equal technical skill produce wildly different work.
One sees clearly.
The other does not.
One identifies the real problem. The other keeps fighting symptoms. That difference compounds over the years.
A musician spends three years polishing weak songs. Another spends three years strengthening songwriting fundamentals. One becomes dependent on production tricks. The other develops artistic identity.
A writer spends years trying to sound intelligent. Another spends years learning precision and emotional honesty. One creates decorative language. The other creates resonance.
A developer memorizes frameworks. Another learns systems thinking and debugging. One struggles every time the industry changes. The other adapts because the foundation remains stable.
The same principle appears everywhere:
People who improve fastest usually diagnose problems more accurately.
Not perfectly.
More accurately.
That distinction matters. Because accurate diagnosis creates leverage. And leverage changes the speed of growth.
The Clarity Audit
So here is a practical exercise worth doing this week.
Pick one area where you feel stuck. Then stop describing the symptom. Describe the root problem instead.
Not:
“I’m inconsistent.”
Instead:
“I have no clear creative direction.”
Not:
“I need better marketing.”
Instead:
“My message lacks specificity.”
Not:
“I can’t finish projects.”
Instead:
“I avoid finishing because completion exposes my current skill level.”
That last sentence scares many creatives. It scared me when I wrote it. Which is a good thing. Accurate language often does.
Because clarity removes hiding places.
But clarity also creates momentum.
Once you identify the real problem, your decisions improve faster. Your effort becomes cleaner. Your learning becomes targeted.
Your output becomes more honest.
The Real Skill
Most people try to escape confusion through more action.
But random action inside confusion usually creates exhaustion. Not progress. The paradox is that slowing down long enough to define the problem correctly often accelerates everything afterward.
Programmers understand this.
Creatives need to understand it too.
Because your future work improves the moment you stop solving imaginary problems.
I went through a stretch recently where I kept downloading new plugins and watching mixing breakdowns thinking that was the missing piece. Then I listened back to some unfinished songs and realized the real issue wasn’t the mix at all. It was that the songs themselves weren’t strong enough yet. Weak hooks, no clear emotional identity. Hard realization honestly, but also freeing because now I know what actually needs work. Thank you Idris Elijah for the nudge in the right direction and enjoy your weekend!
I’ve spent so much time thinking I needed more information, more preparation and better structure when a lot of the time the real issue was just lack of clarity. The line about “I don’t know what I’m trying to say” stood out to me. I think sometimes I hide inside research and planning because defining the actual problem forces you to confront yourself a bit. But I think it’s that confrontation where the real growth will happen. Thank you Idris for really making me think about clear messaging and Happy Friday!