How to Get Past Your Fear

No Fear written on motorcycle wheel for How to Get Past Your Fear by Joanne Zippel for Zip Creative

No one ever said being an artist was easy.  In fact, it can be downright scary!  Even close friends are quick to tell you how hard it is to find (traditional) success.  Not only do you have to struggle in creating your art, you have to balance the  cost of doing your art with your cost of living.  You have to consider work-life-art balance.

Then there are the doubts you have about your talent.  You may find yourself asking, “What the hell am I doing?”  or “Who am I to think I could pull this off?”  You wind up unfairly comparing yourselves to the greats in your field: Chopin, Maya Angelou, Martin Scorsese or Frida Kahlo.

In these moments, you need to find a way to ground the artist inside.  Here’s how:

  1. Reconnect to your artistic vision. Your artistic expression is uniquely yours, and you should share it with the world.  Look through past works and see how far you’ve come.  Envision how much further you can go and get to work.
  2. Remind yourself why you do what you do.  Dig deep and remember why you’re creating your art.  Why are you a writer?  Why are you an actor or musician?  Chances are reaching back and examining your original impetus and purpose for being an artist will inspire you all over again.
  3. Cultivate your internal strength. Go within and experience your personal power and core strength. That is the source of your creativity.  Sometimes, the best you can do for yourself is to sit still and listen to your inner artist speak to you.  You may have to wait a while.  You inner artist may be reluctant to speak up after weeks of self-doubt, but the artist is there.  Create a daily practice  of detaching from all the negative  noise that holds you back and let the artist in you help you stand your ground.

Don’t let fear take over your life.  You are a creative being, and you should feed your art, not starve it.  The road you need to travel won’t always be smooth, but the journey will be worth it.

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