Success is Boring
The Hardest Part Isn’t Creating—It’s Repeating.
Nobody wants to hear this, but here it is:
Success isn’t exciting. It’s not a montage. It’s not an endless stream of breakthroughs.
It’s doing the same thing over and over until you’re better than everyone else who gave up.
(Is this too gym-bro?)
People chase inspiration, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But the real ones? They just show up.
They write the next page when no one is reading. They shoot the next take when the last one sucked. They design the next thing when all they want to do is quit.
They don’t wait to feel ready. They don’t ask for permission.
They repeat.
Anyone can start. That part’s easy.
Starting is intoxicating—it’s the rush of new ideas, the fantasy of where it might lead. But success doesn’t come from starting. It comes from staying.
From making when no one cares. From posting when no one responds. From pushing through the point where most people stop.
The truth is, the work that changes your life looks a lot like the work that doesn’t.
And that’s why most people never get there.
They crave the dopamine hit of something new. They expect every project to be a breakthrough. And when the grind sets in—when the work turns slow, quiet, unglamorous—they leave.
That’s the part that separates pros from amateurs.
Think about it—why do all sports movies have a training montage?
Because no one wants to watch an athlete wake up at 5 AM every day, lace up their shoes, and run the same streets over and over for months.
Imagine if Rocky didn’t cut to the epic music and triumphant stair run, but instead made you sit through every slow, grueling workout, every failed attempt at a one-arm push-up, every night he collapsed in exhaustion.
The movie wouldn’t be two hours. It’d be seven seasons of the most boring show ever.
And yet—that’s what real success looks like.
Nobody talks about this part.
They show you the milestones, not the mundane. The wins, not the waiting.
The ones that last embrace the boredom. They show up when it’s dull. They repeat when it’s tedious. They don’t just survive the grind—they surrender to it.
Because if you can do that? If you can keep going long after the excitement fades…
Then one day, the thing you were forcing yourself to do will be the thing you’re known for. Not because you got lucky. Not because you were chosen. But because you didn’t stop.
Fall in love with the boredom.
Keep creating and repeating,
— Zack
Links keeping us creative:
🛠️ DIA Tools: A collection of interactive design tools for creatives exploring form, color, and motion.
🌏 Fuse Kiwi: A platform connecting creatives with innovative projects and collaborators worldwide.
📖 Forward-Thinking Creative Survival Guide: Insights from industry experts on navigating the evolving creative landscape.
🔍 8 Cultural Narratives Your Brand Should Know: A deep dive into the stories shaping consumer behavior and brand identity.
We launched Take It or Leave It, a weekend newsletter exclusively for paid subscribers. It’s part advice column, part mood board, and part behind-the-scenes look at Create.Repeat—a more personal dive into what it really takes to keep creating.
Each week, we answer questions from our community, submitted through Substack Chat, offering our thoughts on the creative process, career struggles, and everything in between.
Here’s a snippet from last week’s edition. If you like what you read, consider subscribing. You can check out the full post for free if you haven’t used your free trial yet.
Hey Emily! First off, I love the phrase mid-inspired. I’m stealing that.
Honestly, this happens to me every month… week… day… hour?
Creative stagnation is part of the process, but the good news is, there are ways to shake it up. Here’s what’s worked for me:
1. Switch It Up—Drastically
Sometimes, the best way to wake up your creativity is to violently disrupt your routine.
Wake up at 5 AM for a week. Drive a different route to work. Change your hair color. Take a boxing class. Do something random.
When I make a drastic change in my daily life, I change, and that shift bleeds into my creativity.
Have you ever gone on vacation and suddenly felt like a different person? You romanticize everything. You daydream about moving there. You start dressing differently.
Last year, we went to Hawaii for four days. And let me tell you—island Zack is a much different Zack. I came home with a creative energy that fueled six months of work.
Now, I’m not saying you need to jet off to Hawaii every time you feel stuck (though, I highly recommend it—Hawaii is somehow still underrated?). But you should find your tiny version of Hawaii.
Because when you see yourself in a different light—whether through location, appearance, or routine—your creativity shifts, and a new spark can happen.
2. Start Something Completely Different
Sometimes, a creative block isn’t telling you to push harder—it’s telling you to pivot.
If you’re a writer, try a genre you’ve never touched. Romance writer? Try sci-fi.
If you’re a folk singer, mess around with autotune and see what happens.
If you’re a canvas painter, go graffiti something in the middle of the night.
(Disclaimer: This is illegal and you definitely shouldn’t do illegal things. This is not an endorsement of illegal activity. But also… do what you have to do.)
I’ve been working on a script idea for 10 years. I’m still not done. But in that time, I’ve started and finished so many other projects—including Create.Repeat.
Sometimes, stagnation is the universe telling you it’s time to move on.
And here’s the thing: if a project is truly meant for you, it will come back.
But if it’s starting to feel like a slog? Maybe it’s time to let go and make something new—without the pressure.
3. Revisit the Past
“History Repeats. Create the Future.” That’s been the motto at Create.Repeat since day one.
Revisiting the things that first inspired me is literally what led to me starting this platform. I love the ’80s and ’90s aesthetic—maybe because it’s a fun nostalgic dopamine rush, or maybe because I miss the analog world I grew up in. Either way, revisiting the past re-lit my creative fire.
I’m gonna get deeply personal for a second…
In 2021, I was battling the worst depression I’ve ever experienced. Gaining weight. Losing hair. Constant headaches. I was in a bad place.
One day, I took a mental health day and decided to rewatch my favorite childhood movie—Back to the Future.
But this time, I challenged myself: Watch it with fresh eyes. Pretend you’re seeing it for the first time. Will you still love it?
I loved it even more.
I fell back in love with the entire trilogy. Watched documentaries. Looked up filming locations. Found out Marty McFly’s house was 10 minutes from me and drove there by myself.
That one decision—to take a break and revisit something I loved—led me down a creative rabbit hole. I even bought a fan-made Nike poster of the shoes from Back to the Future Part II and hung it in my office.
And that poster directly inspired the graphics I now make for Create.Repeat.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that one movie night set off a chain reaction that led to me creating my own platform and helping other creatives get unstuck.
There is real power in rediscovering your past loves. Highly recommend.
Feeling mid-inspired is normal. It’s part of the creative process.
But you don’t have to stay stuck.
Switch it up—shake your routine violently.
Start something new—try a completely different medium.
Revisit the past—rediscover what first made you fall in love with creating.
Hope this helps, Emily. Appreciate the question!
This Week, We’re Happy to Spotlight Kaden Jones—a filmmaker, visual poet, and multidisciplinary artist pushing the boundaries of storytelling.
Embracing the Uncertainty
For Kaden, art isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about leaning into the unknown. Born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, Kaden sees creativity as a way to navigate life’s uncertainties, discovering truth through the process.
“Treat your art like life—embrace the uncertainty of what comes next,” he says. “Through the process, you’ll discover who you are and what you want to express.”
Bringing Stories to Life
Kaden recently wrapped his short film, Lucy’s Veil, a deeply personal exploration of what it means to be seen, heard, and understood. But he’s nowhere near finished. His next project, Fragments of Us, is a monologue series that lays bare the raw edges of his reality.
Beyond his own work, Kaden is constantly supporting other artists, stretching himself across multiple creative roles:
🎥 Producing Pulse of Time: Revelations Within
🎭 Serving as Creative Director for Cassandro
🎬 Stepping in front of the camera for Eyes Without a Face
For him, art isn’t a solo pursuit—it’s a way to uplift others and build something bigger than himself.
The Takeaway
Kaden lives by his own words:
“Excuses are stepping stones to failure and a safe passage to complacency.”
In other words? No shortcuts. No waiting for the perfect moment. Just locking in and doing the work.
Create.Repeat is a community for creatives.
The Create.Repeat Substack is a project designed to be a weekly diary on creativity. Sharing inspiration for artists to keep creating and repeating.
Written and curated by Zack Evans & James Warren Taylor
Each week we will be sharing recent thoughts on creativity, some links helping us stay creative, and a talent show featuring an artist from the community. Thank you for engaging with us.
History repeats. Create the future.
