As we step into 2021, the uneasiness of the past year has, unsurprisingly, followed us into the depths of January. The impact and uncertainty of the pandemic are still very much here, so to help everyone face the world with a little more confidence, we’ve created a How to Survive 2021 guide.

Through a series of articles, we’ll be taking on the clichéd platitudes that often hang out in advice pieces and unpacking them to understand how to turn them into real, concrete action. To help us, we’ve asked a handful of creatives and experts for their pearls of wisdom as well as some insights into their own experiences.

Getting started can be the hardest part of being creative. The blank page, and the pressure of actually putting something on it, has a way of instantly killing ideas. And sometimes, even if you’ve already had that big idea, the prospect of starting work on it can feel overwhelming. All of these things are particularly true in the current climate, when fears about politics, pandemics, and just getting through each day can leave people feeling paralysed.

To get to the bottom of what it takes to stop procrastinating and make your big idea a reality, CR spoke with people from across the creative industry about everything from the small tasks creatives can set themselves to ease into a new project to the importance of being kind when things aren’t going to plan.