“Let me list for you some of the many ways in which you might be afraid to live a more creative life: You’re afraid you have no talent. You’re afraid you’ll be rejected or criticized or ridiculed or misunderstood or—worst of all—ignored.
You’re afraid there’s no market for your creativity, and therefore no point in pursuing it. You’re afraid somebody else already did it better. You’re afraid everybody else already did it better.
You’re afraid somebody will steal your ideas, so it’s safer to keep them hidden forever in the dark. You’re afraid you won’t be taken seriously.
You’re afraid your work isn’t politically, emotionally, or artistically important enough to change anyone’s life. You’re afraid your dreams are embarrassing.
You’re afraid that someday you’ll look back on your creative endeavors as having been a giant waste of time, effort, and money. You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of discipline. You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of work space, or financial freedom, or empty hours in which to focus on invention or exploration.
You’re afraid you don’t have the right kind of training or degree.
You’re afraid you’re too fat. (I don’t know what this has to do with creativity, exactly, but experience has taught me that most of us are afraid we’re too fat, so let’s just put that on the anxiety list, for good measure.)
You’re afraid of being exposed as a hack, or a fool, or a dilettante, or a narcissist.
You’re afraid of upsetting your family with what you may reveal.
You’re afraid of what your peers and coworkers will say if you express your personal truth aloud. You’re afraid of unleashing your innermost demons, and you really don’t want to encounter your innermost demons.
You’re afraid your best work is behind you. You’re afraid you never had any best work to begin with. You’re afraid you neglected your creativity for so long that now you can never get it back.
You’re afraid you’re too old to start. You’re afraid you’re too young to start. You’re afraid because something went well in your life once, so obviously nothing can ever go well again.
You’re afraid because nothing has ever gone well in your life, so why bother trying? You’re afraid of being a one-hit wonder.
You’re afraid of being a no-hit wonder”
Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic
Did that passage make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? Did it make you feel violated because how can one person be so inside your head? Did it make you angry because how dare someone actually write those fears, revealing them for the world to see. We’re supposed to keep those hush hush, hidden, until they eat us alive and stop us from being creative all together. And then finally, did it make you want to collapse into a puddle of tears on to the floor from the relief of the weight sitting on your shoulders?
It did? Okay, good. Because that’s exactly how I felt when I heard that passage. I just finished listening to Big Magic last week. I tend to steer clear of the overly hyped up books for so long that by time I read them, they’re irrelevant or the entire world has moved on to something else. But something forced me to get it with my Audible credit.
There’s something in here for you, Joey.
You need this.
I don’t want to admit it because no one does. But I’m scared almost all of the time. These projects I’m working on feel like a slow strip down, exposing everything. They’re projects that have been sitting on my heart for a really, really long time, but I ignored them. I told myself I wouldn’t, no, couldn’t because they felt too personal.
But isn’t that kind of the point of our work? To put out what people will relate to? And what can people relate to more than the truth? Than to what’s real? If it’s real for you, then it’s real for someone else, too.
The fear is always going to be there. At least for me it’s going to be. I’m just a scared person. But life will be a lot more fun and exciting if I just push it down, ignore it instead of my ideas. Because the fear isn’t real. The fear is a trick our brain plays on us telling us we aren’t good enough.
Who’s to say?
Exactly.
I don’t like the expression do something every day that scares you. I have anxiety and that sounds like an exhausting way to live. But if what you love doing scares you just a little bit? I think that’s just a gentle reminder that what you’re doing is important.
So do it.
That doesn’t mean you need to quit your job. It doesn’t mean you need to up and move. It doesn’t mean a whole lot of anything except that you should just find a way to incorporate what you love into your life. And if something comes of it, that’s amazing. But don’t put that kind of pressure on your creativity. Take care of yourself. Take care of your creativity. And amazing things will happen.
I’m sure of it.
All the tears. So thankful for you and your blog and your constant cheerleading. You are wonderful.
WOWWWWWW… I read that feeling like someone has been looking into my life & into my head… I need to check out Big Magic now.
This was just what I needed to read today – it's inspiring, even if it's a little scary that it was taken right out of my mind…
I was reading through the first part of this post, and I was like, "Why does this sound SO familiar? Has she written this post before?"
Then I got to the part about being too fat, and I was like "I recognize this because I READ IT TWO DAYS AGO!!"
I got this book as part of an anonymous book exchange (long story), and whomever sent this to me knew what I needed in my life. Can't wait to finish it!
Oh man, I feel like Elizabeth Gilbert has read my mind! I need to read that book!
LOVE this post. I agree, doing something that scares yourself everyday would be way too overwhelming for me and like you said, exhausting. Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone a bit, though, can be very rewarding.
LOVE this! Oh, I'm so with you. I could never do something every day that scares me. I feel like once a year is my quota, and even that feels like too much. So excited for all of the things you're working on, lady!
xoxo
Kat
I needed this today. Today was a struggle day- where I second guess every aspect of blogging and vulnerability and self confidence. And doing something every day that scares me gives me anxiety too! I'm good with a few risks here and there:)
Emily
That passage!!!! Get out of my head! Clearly need to download that book after I finish my current one!!!
I think I always kind of skimming over seeing what this book was about because Eat, Pray, Love never appealed to me, but just added this to my list because yes to so many of those things. I love when something you read can speak to you in a way that it reminds you to knock down the fear blocking us from what we can achieve!