An idea comes to you. Most people would stop here and let it go, but you know ideas are elusive; they depart once they think they’re not needed, and they’ll find someone else to breathe life into them. So you start looking into making it happen.
You quickly realize it’s uncomfortably expensive to make the idea happen. The material is expensive, the expertise is even pricier. You could try to learn how to do it yourself, but that’ll take a fair amount of time as well.
You think smaller. Cheaper. Faster. Common formats that are right in front of you. You look for tricks that help you achieve just the essential effect, and nothing more.
Tyler, the Creator, discusses this idea:
Even when I was a kid, I couldn’t screen print t shirts, so I went to OfficeMax and bought the iron on stuff. Saved money up to buy the good ink. Printed those designs, ironed it all on a few t shirts, sold those, would do that to garner up enough money to actually get the first one screen printed. Everything is figureoutable. It just depends on if you have the energy to do that.
Make a list of the smallest ways you could make it happen. Make a list of the people you know, or know of, who could contribute in a small way to make it happen.
You get the first version out as soon as you can. Within the month, or even the week.
“Think big, start small,” was one of Robleh Jama’s mantras. See also, big things start small.