You don’t have time.
You have too many ideas and find it hard to focus.
You don’t have a supportive community.
You don’t have the right space in which to create.
These are all the reasons you and I don’t create. All are true and valid. And, that’s only the partial truth.
The truth is, you don’t create because you’re scared silly. You’re afraid you don’t have anything original to say. You’re afraid that despite your creative urges, you’re not good enough. You’re afraid that if you share your work with the world, you’ll be exposed as a talent-less loser.
How do I know? Have I peeked into the deep recesses of your creative unconscious?
No. I know because these are the fears that lurk in every writer I’ve ever coached, myself included.
Creating is scary. The original impulse of an idea is fun, energizing, exciting. The actual path to executing and completing that idea is fraught with our very human fears.
I’m feeling pretty terrified these days
As I approach the publication of my novel Chasing Sylvia Beach (2012), I feel more and more fear. I’ve been working on this book for twelve years and it means a lot to me and my work.
I find myself having to fight off deep, deep fear at every step of the way. It starts in my chest, seizing my heart and rooting in my gut with an acidic and painful grip. The fear saturates my blood and rushes to my brain, convincing me to abandon the mission and go hide somewhere dark and safe.
I swear if I didn’t have coaching skills I wouldn’t be able to talk myself off the ledge of quitting. Luckily, I know how to soothe my nervous system and squelch my fears.
I also know that fear will accompany me every step of the way. If I didn’t care so much, I wouldn’t be afraid.
I believe that our creative work transforms us, and that these fears arrive to help us delve deeper, grow further, understand more about our own unique process. Sure, you can work with a therapist to help you overcome your deeply rooted psychological issues (and I recommend you do) but adopting a creative course will give you much the same insights and opportunities for growing yourself as a person.
Keep going despite the fear
Our passion and fear come in equal measure. How to keep going despite the fear? Connect to your bigger mission, surround yourself with creative allies, and trust your creative impulses to help stay on track.
Here are a handful of books that have helped me choose commitment to my art over fear:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Enrolling allies
Coaching helps me and my clients continue on when the fear is too great. Sure, I help them arrange their schedules so they can write. I guide them to choose the projects that hold the most meaning for them, and to enlist help from creative allies.
But much of our work together revolves around eradicating fear enough to get the words out. I honor the brave souls who recognize that the external barriers to writing are only part of the reason we avoid creating.
Oh, I know EXACTLY of the fear you write about here!!!
I gave my Paris sketchbooks to mi Mama to enjoy. She is one of my best fans and gives great critiques. She knows about my lack of studio…and hates that I am playing with a “spark box” and “toys” to create little silly fun still lives.
Mi Mama said that my soul was in my sketchbooks…and she could tell I LOVED Paris. That has me floating on air for a few days.
What she began to say was that I should NOT draw at work, should NOT draw from silly toys, should NOT because all that was junk. I stopped her mid sentence: I MUST CREATE. I MUST FEED MY CREATIVE SOUL. Stop giving me a critique! NOT all I create has to be gallery-worthy!
Fear is overwhelming…lucky I had a few lessons from you during Curious Paris. Thanks, Cynthia. I’m working on being more creative at work AND home, in spite of all the time challenges.
Get your book out there. I KNOW it is a WONDERFUL read! Looking forward to reading it!!!
A-M,
Good for you for knowing what’s right for you now with your art and sketchbooks. It’s so dangerous when others try to tell us what we should be doing. That’s almost always based on what they think and not what we know is right for ourselves. I try to find a balance – suggesting things that my clients and students can then try on for themselves.
Glad you are on track with your creative juju after Paris! Thanks so much for your encouragement for CSB!
For many, many years, I’ve run up to the edge of success and quickly ran the other way to hide in the dark corner. I too must create, but what really gets my soul singing is painting. This time I decided that I was going to see what was over the edge. Fear has been my constant companion over the last couple of years, but I persevered and my first art show is coming up in a few weeks. Running away is no longer an option. HOORAY!!! The other side of the edge isn’t so scary after all!
Heather,
Great news that you went all the way to the other side to see that success isn’t so scary after all! Your success story with painting makes me smile!
Keep painting, and thanks for commenting!
I also recommend the excellent book ART & FEAR: OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERILS (AND REWARDS) OF ARTMAKING by David Bayles & Ted Orland. It helped me understand better what I was feeling–and affirmed the value of uncertainty in the creative process.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jane! I read that years ago but it wouldn’t hurt to pick it up again. I definitely love anything that shows that the ups and downs in the creative process are normal.
Hi Cynthia
I kind of know what you mean, but I don’t think people actually fear creativity itself (after all, it’s just playing!) I think most people fear what other people will SAY about the thing they’re creating when it’s finished. But, of course, you can’t actually create with that hanging over you so you need to find a way of shutting that critic voice off. It’s important for that critical voice to come into play at the point of editing or refinement, but you don’t want it to come in too soon.
One of the easiest ways I think is to find something else to focus on. If you’re lucky and your play activity (writing, painting, whatever) is flowing, there will be no room in your head for any critic. But when that doesn’t happen you can distract the voice (by listening to the spoken word on the radio for example) or simply put all your attention onto something else (the feel of the clay, the visual appearance of the text on the screen, the sound of the music playing).
They’re all tricks. Whatever works for you is right!
From the Front of the Choir