#jgisj

Hey everyone! July has finally rolled around again, and you know what that means? That’s right, it’s time for “JUST GET IT STARTED” JULY to return!

Last year I started “Just Get It Started” July (or JGISJ) because I had all these projects I wanted to work on, that I was either too scared to start because I was afraid of ruining it, or was otherwise putting off for some other dumb reason.

So, JGISJ is my own personal mini-version of an event like NaNoWriMo, except instead of finishing a project, all you have to do is start it. That’s it! And you have all of July to do so!

Last year I finally got started writing a few fanfics I’d wanted to write for quite some time, and while I haven’t yet finished them I can at least say I started them- and sometimes that’s all that matters!

Now I’m sure many of you have projects and art and fics and fanvids and whatnot that you reeeaaaaally want to make, but you just haven’t quite gotten around to it it. Or, if you’re like me, you’ve planned it out and it’s SO COOL but you don’t know where to begin, or are nervous about starting it since it seems like a huge project.

Well, then JGISJ is for you! This is my official invitation to all you other creatives out there who have giant scary projects you want to work on but are nervous about, or are putting them off for whatever reason- let’s take July and JUST GET IT STARTED!!

So far, I think “Just Get it Started July” has been really beneficial for me! When I first thought it up, I had a couple of big fics I wanted to start writing, and of the three initial fics I’ve started making extensive notes and research on one, started outlining another, and the third one actually has some writing done for it, I’m super excited!

Plus, I got really into Voltron: Legendary Defender this month and not only started but completed a digital illustration for that, which is pretty cool for me since digital art is much less comfortable for me than traditional is. And, the Voltron picture was actually to help motivate me for the series of Voltron mini-fics I’ve also started this month!

So, to sum up, during the span of this July I have:

Started research for one Hunter x Hunter/X-Files fic

Started outlining and mapping (quite literally) a different Hunter x Hunter crossover fic

Did a smidgeon of ACTUAL WRITING (!!!!) for a HxH self insert fic, because those are fun and I think being able to play with the worlds you enjoy is important

Completed a digital illustration for an art trade that ended up being a lot of work but was super rewarding, and doing that gave me the confidence to:

Believe enough in my burgeoning digital art skills to complete another digital illustration (much less detailed), and also create a gif out of it for:

The Voltron: Legendary Defender fanfic series that almost has part one (of several!!) completed!!

So, altogether I think this “Just Get it Started” July has been very successful for me! I started a lot of projects I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and I’ve actually managed to start AND complete (which isn’t even part of the JGISJ mission!) TWO new projects that cropped up over the course of the month! All in all, I think I’ve managed a lot to be proud of, especially since starting a lot of these projects can be scary.

For anyone else participating in JGISJ, I hope you’ve been having as much fun as I have! If you’d like to share, I’d love to hear what projects you’ve started!

I'm working on the next chapter on a Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V/RWBY fanfic, as well as a fic I need to pick up again for Gravity Falls!

I have three pages written of a Voltron Legendary Defender fic that came about because my friend and I meme at each other too much, so expect the first one shot of that ridiculously beautiful series to be up in oh, maybe a week?

Secondly, I started watching the X-Files and taking notes for a HxH/X-Files AU, so I should be able to start that after I watch all of season one of the X-Files, at least!

So, not actually too bad! This is going better than expected!! :D

Has anyone else started yet? I want to know what you’re working on, or thinking about starting! :D

Alright, my fellow artists, fic writers, fanvidders, and creatives of all other mediums, listen up! I have a proposal for you!

Now I’m sure many of you have projects and art and fics and fanvids and whatnot that you reeeaaaaally want to make, but you just haven’t quite gotten around to it it. Or, if you’re like me, you planned it out and it’s SO COOL but you don’t know where to begin, and/or are nervous about starting it since it seems like a huge endeavor.

WELL HERE IS THE SIGN TO GET CRACKIN’! “Just Get it Started” July is my own personal mini-version of an event like NaNoWriMo, except instead of finishing a project all you have to do is start it. That’s it! And you have all of July to do so.

For me, that means that of the three massive fic ideas I have, I’m going to write the entire first chapter of at least one of them. If that first chapter is only a few paragraphs long, that’s great! If that first chapter ends up being many pages long, that’s also great!! Because at least I started it.

For those of us who do fanart, or comics/webcomics, or illustrations, this means you can take this opportunity to outline the new illustration you’ve been putting off, or to lay out the first page or two of your comic. It seems like a big project I know, but unlike NaNoWriMo you don’t actually have to finish it by the end of July! All you have to do is start it, and if by the end of July all you have to show is a few WIPs or the barebones outlines of a story or comic, that’s still an excellent step towards finishing it someday!

So here is my invitation to all you other creatives out there who have giant scary projects you want to work on but are nervous about, or are putting them off for whatever reason- let’s take July and JUST GET IT STARTED!!