Barriers, Hurdles & Gaps
Creative Block → 037
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Running a business as a creative entrepreneur often feels like you're running a marathon—complete with unexpected hurdles, detours, and moments where you question if you can keep going. Earlier this year, I took a step to invest in myself by working with a leadership coach, Russell Cravens, to sharpen my leadership skills, be an effective leader, and get a better handle on running both my creative studio and The TX Studio, a photography rental space, with more clarity. The experience has been transformative.
During one of our recent sessions, I found myself venting about the overwhelming pressure of juggling two businesses, managing creative projects, being a new dad and trying to keep up with the industry’s ever-changing landscape. I felt like I was constantly running into barriers that were holding me back. But Russell gave me a piece of advice that completely shifted my perspective. He explained that this resistance I’m feeling could be a Barrier, Hurdle or a Gap and that a lot of what I was seeing as barriers were actually just hurdles.
You see, I’d been treating these challenges as if they were immovable roadblocks, when really, they were just temporary obstacles that I could overcome. His insight was simple yet powerful: not everything in front of us is a barrier—sometimes, it’s just a hurdle.
As creatives, we all hit obstacles along the way, but not all obstacles are the same. Barriers are those external forces that block your path, the big, immovable challenges that often feel out of your control. Hurdles, on the other hand, are challenges that require some extra effort to get over, but they don’t stop you from progressing. With the right mindset and tools, you can leap over them.
For instance, take the current layoffs happening in the creative industry right now. It’s affecting everyone. Freelancers, agencies etc. There are big budget cuts happening and less hiring. It’s easy to see this as a barrier—a force stopping my growth and momentum as a freelance designer who primarily work with big companies & agencies. But through my conversations with Russell, I’ve started to see it more as a hurdle. While I can’t change the industry’s pace, I can reframe my thinking and find creative ways to adapt and push through.
There’s another piece to this puzzle: Gaps. A gap represents something that’s missing—whether it’s knowledge, skills, or resources—that you need to fill in before you can move forward. Unlike barriers and hurdles, which are external challenges, gaps are internal. They’re the things we need to level up before we can truly make progress. For example, if I want to grow my creative business, I might identify gaps in my knowledge of business strategy, marketing or financial literacy. These gaps can feel like barriers, but they’re really just areas where I need to gain new skills or knowledge. Once I fill those gaps, I can move forward with more confidence.
This whole process of reframing challenges has been eye-opening for me. Now, when I face an obstacle, I try to determine if it’s a hurdle, a barrier, or a gap. If it’s a hurdle, I know it’s something I can overcome with the right strategy (even if it means pivoting). If it’s a gap, I figure out what I need to learn or acquire to fill it. And if it’s a barrier—well, sometimes you just have to adjust your path. The creative industry is full of hurdles, barriers, and gaps, just like any other field. But recognizing which is which can help you navigate your way through. What feels like a roadblock today might just be a hurdle waiting to be cleared or a gap waiting to be filled.
Next time you face an obstacle, ask yourself: Is this a barrier, a hurdle, or a gap? With the right mindset and tools, you can clear the hurdles, fill the gaps, and navigate around the barriers.
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"Running a business as a creative entrepreneur often feels like you're running a marathon—complete with unexpected hurdles, detours, and moments where you question if you can keep going"
Damn, I needed this one, it reflects exactly what I feel when I get burnt out or what I feel when I cannot overcome a struggle in my career.
Proud of you leader! Keep pressing in. You have a lot to offer that will make this world a better place.