Creating art is fun. At least, that’s what it should be like. Still, it can happen that we become afraid of being creative. The fear of creating art is something that many artists experience. Indeed, some of the greatest artists in history have dealt with fear of creative expression. Creative anxiety can become a huge block to our creativity. That’s why I’ve put together this little guide on how to overcome the fear of creativity, hoping it will help you get back your lost creativity!
I want you to be creative. And I want you to be happy.
However, at times, everyone of us may get afraid of being creative. That’s okay. And it’s totally normal. As I researched a bit more into the fear of creative expression, I discovered that fear and the creative process are deeply related.
Actually, the fear of creating art is a common experience among artists of all genres. To my surprise, I came to see that even the greatest artists in history spoke out about creative anxiety.
For us artists, it’s important to get over the fears that block our ideas and find a way to express ourselves freely.
That’s why I’ve created this little guide on how to overcome the fear of creativity that will hopefully help you regain joy and confidence in your creations.
I’ve also included some quotes relating to creative fear by famous artists that will hopefully inspire you to follow your creative passion!
Creativity takes courage.
Why am I afraid of being creative?
Creating art should be a fun activity that brings out your zest for life and makes you happy. But as artists, we can also become afraid of being creative at some point in our life.
Fear can become a huge block to our creativity. We may have ample ideas and inspirations to create something new, but the fear of creating art is holding us back.
Why is that? Why am I afraid to create?, you might wonder.
First of all, your fears mean well with you. They are there to protect you. To protect you from emotional pain, from harm to your soul and body, and from making mistakes. Your fears are self-preservation.
Still, your fear of creative expression may numb down your ideas and stand in the way of your artistic aspirations.
How to get over the fears that block your best ideas?
When the fear of creativity hits you, you probably feel like this is unique to you, like you’re the only person in the world who is feeling that way. You look around and it seems like every other artist out there is creating happily…
But don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Fear and creativity are conjoined twins. What holds people back from being creative is that in order to murder the fear, they end up killing off the creativity as well.
Elizabeth Gilbert
(The author of Eat, Pray, Love)
The fear of creativity is not an unknown ‘phobia’ among artists of all genres. And – there’s a way out!
Creativity is rooted in your right brain. Logical thinking takes place in your left brain. Making logical connections and being intuitive are both essential skills of our human nature. However, in today’s society, we are taught that rationality outweighs creativity.
Nevertheless, the most brilliant minds have always known about and appreciated the gifts of creativity!
How can I get back my lost creativity?
10 Lifehacks For Creators
Overcoming the fear of creativity is vital to be happy and to feel free to create art the way we what we want – from the bottom of our heart.
To unleash your true artistic potential and overcome the fear of creativity, this is what you can do:
1. Listen to your self-talk
The first step that’ll show you how to overcome the fear of creativity is to listen to your self-talk.
This is where all fears start. Many people with creative anxiety don’t believe in themselves as artists.
Have you already caught yourself thinking, ‘I don’t have enough talent as an artist.’ ‘My art is just not good enough.’
I did catch myself thinking such thoughts.
When this happens to you the next time, sit down with yourself and observe the patterns of your self-talk. What exactly are you afraid of?
Are you anxious that people won’t like your art? Are you scared that others will make fun of your work and diminish your effort? Are you afraid of failure?
Sitting down quietly with your fears will allow you to take a step back and observe what’s going on within you. It’ll enable you to better understand what causes your fear.
2. Befriend your creative fears
The second step in understanding how to overcome your fear of creativity is to realize that no feeling is bad, not even your creative anxiety.
Your fears mean well with you. They want to protect you from harm (bodily and emotional). They are your friends.
That’s why it is important that you make friends with your fears. If you try to push them down, they will only end up coming back worse.
I’ve struggled with accepting my creative fears as they are. I used to make the mistake of trying to force myself to feel more confident.
As I looked around, I used to assume that other artists did not experience the fear of creative expression. Consequently, I told myself that I wasn’t meant to be an artist, otherwise I wouldn’t know the fear of creating art.
The truth is, though, the sooner I embraced my creative fear, the sooner I would be at peace with it and my creative block would be released.
And one more thing to keep in mind: the more scared we are of creating something, the more certain we can be that expressing this creative need will help us grow in our lives!
Related: 66 Inspirational Artist Quotes To Overcome Fear Of Creativity
3. Stop trying to be perfect
When creating a piece of art, we give our all to make it look amazing. That’s totally natural. However, trying to make it look perfect can quickly become a burden to our creativity.
That’s why letting go of perfectionism is third on our list on how to overcome the fear of creativity.
Everyone of us has their favorite artists whom we admire and look up to. Oftentimes, those artists are experienced, professional full-time creators.
The worst thing we can do is compare ourselves to them and end up being ashamed of our own creations. We believe that what we create is simply not good enough. And will never be good enough. So, maybe we should just give up on creating art…
By trying to make your art perfect, you put a lot of pressure on yourself.
Taking a step back and realizing that nothing is perfect in this world helped me to shake off the pressure of having to make ‘perfect’ art. None of us is perfect. We’re all here on this planet because we have to learn something in some field.
We all have our special gifts and talents. Some of us excel in one field; but they need to develop in other areas of their lives.
Start by widening your definition of creativity. You don’t have to be Van Gogh in order to be creative. Creativity is for all of us.
It’s something that’s meant to serve you as a means of expression. It’s something that’s meant for you to grow, to enjoy, and to cherish!
4. Don’t obsess over the outcome
Another reason for creative anxiety can be the fear of the unknown.
Do you know that feeling? You’ve just started an amazing creation but then you get stuck right in the middle because you suddenly don’t know how to go on from there…
Accepting that artistic expression thrives on uncertainty is important for learning how to overcome the fear of creativity.
You do not always need to know the outcome of your creations when getting started with them. Remaining in a place of unknowing while creating can be an exhilarating feeling.
The most amazing creations are often those furthest away from their starting point!
When I start out with a creation, I usually have a clear picture of the outcome in my mind. I don’t sketch. I don’t outline my idea on paper. I create an image in my mind, and then I endeavor to realize it digitally, with pen and tablet, as closely to my vision as possible.
I got some practice by now. It often works fine. But sometimes things just don’t want to fall into place. Some of the ladies that I create seem to have their own idea of what they want to look like…
I’ve learned to let go of my premade concepts in such moments. Some of the results I like better than my original idea, some I don’t like so much. But that’s okay. I still leave them the way they turned out. That’s also one aspect about creativity.
So these are, for example, two pieces from my Surreal Stories Collection that turned out so much more amazing than what I originally envisioned!
5. Ban the concept of failure & have fun experimenting!
We’re born creative. Just look at all the creativity that little kids possess! However, as we grow up, we often lose confidence in our creative ideas.
We are told that the best way to learn is by doing. However, if something goes wrong, we are being criticized for it.
Think back to your childhood. Chances are that an adult or other kid made a cutting remark about something you had ‘created’. As a kid, you’re not capable of logical reasoning yet. That’s why such comments cut deep and you might have decided to burry your creative gift forever.
But even as adults, it’s not easy for us to shake off the negative feelings caused by what other people are saying. No wonder we are afraid of failure.
The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.
Nowadays, with all the social media around us, we tend to define the success of an artwork within narrow lines: How many likes did it get? How many people commented on it?
Did it make it to the front page of an art website? Did art magazines pick it up to share it online? How well is it selling?
When I paint, I never think of selling. People fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves as we strive for greater heights.
I often wonder how creating art must feel like if we were living back in the past, without all the social media. You would define the success of an artwork by how much fun you had creating it and how much you like it, right? And that’s what it’s supposed to be like.
In order to overcome the fear of creativity caused by the notion of failure, try to see being creative more as a means of experimenting, exploring, and experiencing.
Rid yourself of the social media approval hype, and allow yourself to just try something out, without the end result having to be great or liked by anybody. Focus more on how much fun you have when creating art. After all, you’re creating for yourself, not for other.
Grab your stylus and tablet, open a blank canvas in Photoshop and just start painting. Simply enjoy the process of being creative. You don’t need to show the result to anybody, if you don’t want to!
6. Don’t Let Others Judge You(r Work)
This relates closely to the fear of failure. We’ve all experienced situations in our life where the judgment of others has hurt us. It can leave us feel embarrassed and unappreciated.
Judgment can be a big inner paralyzer. Sometimes, it seems like the only way to avoid judgment and rejection is to never create anything that may be judged and rejected. But that would mean pinching off our natural desire of being creative.
As I mentioned above, when we are children, we internalize the judgments of others. This is how we eventually become our own biggest critic. We all have this little inner voice, nagging at us and painting out the worst-case scenarios.
But just like your fears, your inner critic only means well with you. It’s trying to keep you safe from the judgment of others.
I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.
The quote by Georgia O’Keeffe is surely a desirable state, but it’s a long way to go. However, getting over the fear of judgment is the only way to create your art freely.
Let your creativity flow and focus on yourself during the creative process. Don’t think of others while you’re creating. Appreciate the benefits the making of art brings about for you personally.
And nowadays, it’s easy to connect with like-minded people who also enjoy your creations – which brings us to the next point…
7. Find your tribe
The Internet and other communication media have made it easier for us to connect with like-minded people.
Nowadays, it’s not difficult to get in touch with other artists and art lovers that share the same passion as you – no matter how weird your art may be!
That’s the good thing about the Internet: regardless of how weird, quirky or freakish your type of art may seem, you’ll always find a group of supporters you can share your works with.
Joining art groups and forums that deal exactly with your style of art is a great way of learning how to overcome the fear of creativity.
Starting to share your art is especially difficult if you have experienced it being rejected before. However, it’s important to make that first step because it will help you gain back confidence in your creativity!
You don’t need to do it all at once, take one little baby step at a time…
8. Take one step at a time
Taking a step-by-step approach while gradually learning how to overcome the fear of creativity can be very helpful. Don’t try to do everything at once. Don’t try to force things. Rather take small steps that will help you build confidence.
For example, start by creating in private. Then look for a group of like-minded artists that you can join. Watch the group a little bit before you share art of your own. What type of art do the members like? How do they engage with each other? How do they comment on artworks posted to the group?
Once you’re feeling safe, start sharing one of your artworks you feel confident about. Talk to the other artists. They might have had the same creative fears as you do and managed to overcome them. Or, they might be experiencing some other type of anxiety they couldn’t get over yet.
As you gain more confidence, slowly extend the circle of people that see your creations. Create a public profile on Instagram or share your works on your artist page on Facebook. Once you’ve come out of the closet, the possibilities of sharing your art with an interested audience are endless!
9. Believe in yourself & count your achievements
It’s important to believe in yourself and to continuously work on building up that self-trust. After completing a couple of small steps, review your progress. Realize how far these little steps got you from where you started.
Take the time to appreciate what you’ve accomplished. Fear is a deceptive emotion. It can trick you into seeing only the negative and forgetting about the positive things that you were able to achieve.
That’s why it’s a good idea to write down your achievements. Keep a list of all the positives that have come along your way as you started taking steps learning how to overcome the fear of creativity.
Count your achievements and be thankful for and appreciative of each of them, no matter how small they might be!
10. Cultivate a positive mindset & enjoy your creations!
The last tip to learn how to overcome the fear of creativity is to cultivate a positive mindset and to make the creative process as much fun as possible.
Try to find a fun way to deal with your creative fear as well. Don’t try to push it away. Understand that fear and the creative process are related. Even the best and most famous artists have experienced creative fears at some point. And it’s totally okay to have them.
Why do you think these are necessary in the creativity process? Because they help you grow, to personally develop, and to discover new aspects of yourself and your art!
Creativity is intelligence having fun.
Stay inspired all year long!
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I sincerely hope these tips on how to overcome the fear of creativity were able to help you find new courage and confidence to create art freely. Wishing you all the best on your artistic journey! Angie 😘
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