I sat across from a filmmaker who was trying to get their project funded.

"I don't get it," they said, frustration etching lines around their eyes. "Everyone says it's great. The pitch deck is solid. Why isn't it happening?"

I asked a simple question: "How long have you been actively pitching?"

Their answer: "Three months. Isn't that enough time?"

And there it was—the fundamental misunderstanding that kills more creative projects than bad ideas ever will.

Fundraising, writing, thinking, filmmaking— it all takes time.

You need time to think, time to test, time to observe, time to optimize.

If you want something to go faster, you do more cycles or reps in the same amount of time, but you can't make time go faster, and you can't skip steps.

Take fundraising. No one will call offering money out of the blue. The process is maddeningly consistent: talk about your project (repeatedly), create tension (over time), identify the right people (through trial and error), reach out (again and again), pitch them (with improvements each time), send materials (refined by feedback), follow up (until they tell you to stop).

This is the flywheel effect in action. The first turn requires immense effort and yields almost nothing. The second turn is just as hard, with marginally better results. By the tenth turn, you've built relationships. By the twentieth, you have advocates. By the fiftieth, opportunities start finding you.

Most creators abandon the flywheel after three or four painful turns, jumping to a "faster" approach—usually something that promises quick results but delivers shallow connections. They choose the straight line over the J-curve, never realizing that while straight lines begin with less resistance, they never build momentum.

The filmmaker I mentioned? Six months later, they were still pitching—but with growing confidence. "It's still taking time," they told me, "but I'm starting to see patterns. Investors who said 'not now' in October are asking for updates. The rejections hurt less, and the conversations are getting deeper."

A year after our initial conversation, they secured 80% of their budget.

What looks hardest at the beginning becomes unstoppable over time.

Time isn't just something you need—it's a gift you have to give yourself, because no one else will. The market won't wait, deadlines won't stretch, but you must carve out the space anyway. Give yourself the time that your vision deserves, be patient with the process, and keep going.