To be a better artist, spend time developing the form of your work.  

With a piece of paper and a pencil, do the following:

• Write out your idea.

• Write out the form your idea will take.

• Describe the idiom you'll use to reach those you seek to serve.

• Now describe the structure of your work.

What's the structure?

• What do I include?

• What do I leave out?

• How do I arrange my ideas?

• How will I build this product/service/piece?

What if this is a song?

• What do I include? A hook, one bridge, a breakdown.

• What do I leave out? Solos, extended sections, the verse about my car.

• How do I arrange my ideas? Write out the song structure, "the form."

• How will I build this piece? I'll spend time each day working on one section. Then I'll ask a trusted friend/advisor to review my work.

Organizing your idea, your process, and your talent into a meaningful way that produces something better is structure. The mistake that many of us make is, we start with "structure" and then go to the other steps.  

Bit by bit, part by part, and (not "side-by-side" for my theater fans) with purpose, you'll start creating better art, in all its forms.