Why You’re Scared to Create (And How to Fix It)

Why You’re Scared to Create (And How to Fix It)

For this week’s blog post, let’s do things a bit differently and start with a little quiz: 

In your opinion, what is the biggest roadblock to being creative or making art?

A) lack of talent
B) not having the right materials or gear
C) not having mastered the skills yet

Well, this is actually a trick question because none of those is the real problem.

The biggest barrier I’ve seen in every single creative person I know, be it photographers, writers, musicians or artists, is a lack of confidence.

We tell ourselves things like:

“I’m not good enough.”
“My work sucks compared to what’s out there.”
“I’ll never be as good as [insert amazing artist here].”

And because of those limiting beliefs, we stop creating altogether (or never even start!).

We let our camera gather dust, pack away our paints, or put the guitar back in the case, having convinced ourselves that we’re just not the creative type.

But this comes with a very unpleasant aftertaste because it makes us feel quietly frustrated or bitter.

We wish we could do what we love, but fear keeps getting in the way.

I’ve seen this happen over and over in tons of creative courses I’ve taken, and of course, I’ve felt it myself…LOADS OF TIMES.

What I Look Like When I Feel Creative Block 🙂

Even after years of creating, I still worry that I may never have another good idea again, or that what I do is awful.

However, after years of reading about creativity, making things anyway, and watching other creators, I’ve learned that these thoughts are lies your brain tells you to keep you “safe.” 

They’re 100 % NOT the truth.

So, I decided to write this blog post today to tell you that these limiting thoughts and beliefs are very normal, but you mustn’t let them stop you from creating.

So here are seven tips that will help you get back into making–even when you’re scared to create or don’t feel good enough.

1. Start Before You Feel Ready

A lot of people think they need to feel confident before they can start a creative project. 

You may come up with mental excuses like “I’ll begin when I have more experience,” or “I just need to learn one more skill first.” 

But in my experience, it works the other way round: 

You have to start from a place where you don’t feel confident (yet) for true confidence to show up.

If you wait until you “feel ready”, you might have to wait your whole life.

That’s because the self-doubt you’re feeling is due to how human brains work, and I guarantee you that almost every creative person in the world will have felt it before.

Even the most celebrated artists, bestselling authors, and Nobel Prize winners are sometimes scared to create or have moments where they think, “This might be the last good thing I ever make.” 

The difference is, they are aware that this is a kind of “safety lie” their brain makes up to protect them, and they create anyway.

What This Means in Practice

So don’t wait for the fear to disappear.

You have to accept that it will probably be there forever.

For example, I have been taking artistic self-portraits for many years now, and I constantly feel scared to create:

I still struggle with so many negative emotions regarding my creative output.

I think for us humans, it’s not possible to get rid of these kinds of emotions.

Instead, just accept that they’re there and despondently create anyway. 

Reframe that fear or creating as an annoying radio channel: 

You can’t really turn it off, but you can turn the volume down and try to ignore it as best you can.

2. Focus on Process, Not Performance

First of all:

It’s absolutely normal that we want our work to be good or even excellent. 

However, it can be a very risky pursuit if excellence is your only goal.

If all you’re creating for is likes, praise, sales and applause, you’ll probably find that the process becomes extremely joyless because you’re leaving out the best part:

That creating is meant to be fun!

Children Are Not Scared to Create

Think about how children make art:

They are not scared to create at all.

They’ll scribble until the paper tears, or they’ll glue scraps of paper, glitter, and string into random shapes for hours.

Not for Instagram or to enter competitions and win awards, but because they enjoy it.

They’re not worried about technique or whether someone will approve (at least when it comes to young children).

Most (Young) Kids Create Freely, Without Censoring Themselves. Image Credit: Sven Brandsma.

I used to be like this, but somewhere along the way, as I got older, I started to create with an invisible audience in mind.

These days, I can’t help having thoughts like “This better be worth posting online” or “This has to impress people.” 

Unfortunately, that pressure changes the energy and shifts the focus from exploring to performing.

Bring Back the Play Element

I’ve found that what helps with this is to simply bring back the play element.

Give yourself permission to make something without needing it to be “good.”

Set a timer for one hour and create without the goal of finishing anything. 

Try not to judge or edit yourself; just make for the sake of making. It’s very OK if the results are messy, weird, and imperfect.

When you do this, you reconnect with the deeper reason you started creating in the first place: because it feels good. 

Because it’s satisfying to press the shutter button, feel the pencil drag over the paper, or hear chords come together.

A Self-Portrait Where I Leaned into the Play Element and Experimented with Writing Text on my Face.

By the way: The funny thing is that when you focus on process, not performance, the quality of your work often improves naturally.

Without the pressure to “wow” anyone, you may find that your ideas flow more freely and you produce better art (while having more fun!).

3. Make It Bad on Purpose

Here’s another amazing technique for overcoming perfectionism and getting creativity flowing:

Make something deliberately bad.

This is actually a very well-known technique among creatives and can really help kick you into gear.

With perfectionism, you’re paralysed by the belief that “If it’s not great, don’t even start.” 

But of course, that mindset will keep your sketchbook empty or your camera sitting untouched. 

Pick Up Your Camera and Set Yourself a Task to Take “10 Really Bad Photos”…and Watch What Happens. Image Credit: Patrick Fore.

The thing is, no one makes a masterpiece on their first attempt, and if you never give yourself permission to make “bad” work, you’ll never make anything at all.

“The Censor”

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, talks about “The Censor”, that internal voice that criticises your work before you’ve even begun. 

The Censor tells you things like “This is awful. Why even bother?” 

But when you deliberately attempt to make something REALLY BAD, you’re kind of disarming that censoring voice, which in turn helps you overcome the creative paralysis.

In practice, you can try prompts like:

• Take the ten worst photos you can imagine.
• Draw a stick figure comic that makes no sense.
• Paint with colours you dislike or you think “don’t go together.”

Once you give yourself that freedom, two things happen:

1. The pressure to be “good” disappears.
2. You start moving, and movement leads to momentum.

Often, once you’re in the act of creating, ideas start to evolve naturally. 

What started as a “bad” piece might actually turn into something surprisingly interesting. 

And even if it doesn’t, you’ve still gained something: you practised, you explored, and you hopefully had fun doing it.

What’s great about making bad art is that it still teaches you more than no art at all. 

In fact, most good art is built on a foundation of bad drafts, failed experiments, and unsuccessful attempts, which is why this technique can be so useful.

4) Separate Your Work From Your Ego

Next, one of the biggest mistakes creative people (including myself!) make is tying their self-worth directly to their creative outcome: 

If a project is successful, they feel like a success; if it fails, they feel like a failure. 

But you have to try to understand that the outcome of your creative work has nothing to do with your value as a person.

Of course, it’s natural to feel connected to your work; after all, you’ve poured time, energy, and heart into it. 

But if your ego and identity are tied too tightly to the result, creating becomes unbearable–something I can tell you from experience 😂. 

In that case, every mistake feels like proof that you’re “not good enough”, which in turn means that you won’t feel like creating.

Instead, I recommend you adopt what’s often called a “beginner’s mindset.”:

Beginners know that their creations will be imperfect; they allow themselves to try and experiment. 

That openness creates freedom because you will be OK with your art being messy and unfinished.

I know it’s easier said than done, but try to leave your inner critic out of the room while you’re making something. 

You can edit and polish later, but during the actual creating, the critic has to stay silent.

Remember that your creative work is only one expression of you, not your complete identity. 

You are more than what you produce, and your worth doesn’t change depending on whether a piece turns out amazing.

When you manage to protect your work from your ego, you will gain so much more freedom:

You can try new things and keep creating without your inner critic judging you. 

And ironically, the less pressure you put on yourself, the more interesting and original your work often becomes.

5) Tiny, Consistent Action Wins

There’s a weird, romantic myth about creativity: 

Many people think that inspiration strikes like lightning, just like in the movies.

They have this idea that great art only happens in big, dramatic bursts of energy. 

But actually, I’ve found that most creative work isn’t built in sudden moments of genius but through tiny, consistent action.

In the book The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield states that amateurs wait for inspiration to show up, whereas professionals show up no matter what. 

They understand that creativity is like any other muscle: It grows stronger with use, not with waiting.

A great way to put this into practice is the “15-minute rule. 

It works like this:

Even if you don’t feel inspired, commit to spending just 15 minutes on your creative practice. 

Write a paragraph, play a few scales, sketch a single object in front of you, take five photos in your street or area. 

Fifteen minutes may not sound like much, but over a week, that’s nearly two hours of practice. 

Over a year, that’s more than 90 hours of creative work!

And the best thing: Often, once you get started, those 15 minutes become 30 or even 60.

I Often Just Start Taking Pictures for a few Minutes to Keep the Creative Practice Going.

Starting is the hard part; staying in motion becomes easier.

So the next time you feel stuck, don’t wait for a lightning bolt of inspiration. 

Instead, set a timer for 15 minutes and make something small.

It’s quite amazing how much progress you can make over time with simple, continuous effort.

6) Don’t Compare Your Beginning to Someone’s End

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re scared to create:

One of the most dangerous traps for any creative person is comparison. 

Maybe you can relate:

You scroll through social media or walk into a gallery, see someone’s polished masterpiece, and immediately think, “My work will never look like that.” 

I struggle with this quite a lot, too.

However, what we forget is that we’re comparing our beginning to someone else’s end.

Every artist, musician, or writer you admire has years (sometimes decades!) of practice behind them. 

What you’re seeing is the refined and edited highlight reel. 

What you don’t see are the messy drafts and failed experiments that came first. 

Leonardo da Vinci didn’t start with the Mona Lisa. Your favourite author didn’t begin with a bestselling novel. 

They all started with clumsy, imperfect first attempts, but you usually won’t find those in a gallery!

The Mona Lisa was Created after Years if not Decades of Painting Practice.

So whenever you feel intimidated by someone’s creative masterpieces, try and remember that mastery is built slowly, through lots of repetition and mistakes.

The beauty of being at the beginning is that you have room to explore, play, and discover your voice without the pressure of perfection. 

Next time you catch yourself comparing, keep this in mind: 

Instead of thinking, “I’ll never be as good as them,” try, “This is where I am today; if I keep learning, developing and creating, I will have my own body of work to look back on.”

7) You’ll Regret What You Didn’t Make

Finally, remember this:

In ten or twenty years, you won’t remember the imperfect photograph or painting you were scared to create or shared online.

But you will remember the things you never made.

Fear tends to convince us that it’s safer not to create; that if we don’t make anything, we won’t embarrass ourselves. 

But the price of that “safety” is long-term frustration (and I’ve seen this with so many people!).

You miss out on the joy of making, the lessons of failure, and the satisfaction of seeing your progress over time.

Whether you create or not, the weeks, months, and years will pass. 

So you have to decide now: 

Do you want to look back and see lots of experiments, messy drafts, and brave attempts? 

(If you want to see the evolution of my photography, check out this post here).

Or will you see emptiness where your ideas could have been?

Many older artists say their biggest regrets aren’t the bad artworks they made; it’s the work they never attempted because they were scared to create. 

Because once the time is gone, so is the chance to explore that possibility.

So instead of asking, “What if it’s bad?” start asking, “What if I never try?”

Years from now, you’ll be grateful you chose making over comfort.

Remember, you don’t need to be fearless.

You just need to create anyway, because the only work you’ll regret is the work you never made.

And that’s it for today’s post!

Hopefully, you now feel a little less scared to create (or motivated to push through despite the fear!).

Let me know in the comments: Which tip resonated most with you?