How to Overcome Creative Fear
When I was twenty-three, I decided I was going to write a memoir about a study abroad trip I took to Paris.
It was just a two-week trip, but the experience was so significant to me that I was compelled to capture the way it had transformed how I saw myself.
But I was only twenty-three, I had never written a whole book before.
If you Google, “how long is the average memoir” it will tell you something like 40,000-60,000 words. That’s….a lot of words. My need to write about the experience was not something that I had any control over though, it was a creative impulse that I had to act on.
But I found myself getting overwhelmed and worried about the logistics of the book, the structure. I knew it had to be more than just slapping all the memories I’d written down together.
So, one day, I drove downtown to a fancy coffee shop, and laid out my laptop and moleskin notebook on a reclaimed wood slab of table. I sipped an Americano with cream and slid a legal pad towards myself. I had driven to the coffee shop with the intention of mapping out the structure of my book, and I was nervous as hell.
What if this was a puzzle I couldn’t solve?
More than anything, I was afraid I would give up if I got too confused or overwhelmed by the sheer size of the project.
I scribbled out a rough outline, sketching in the big chunks of memories that felt most significant. I chose to keep it simple: one chapter for every day of the trip, plus a short epilogue.
By the time I had finished roughing out the timeline I felt much more confident.
It’s just a matter of filling in the gaps, I thought. Of putting the pictures in my mind into words.
What Causes Creative Fear?
I remember the simultaneous caution and audacity of my twenty-three year old self whenever I am faced with the fear of creative projects.
I was inexperienced enough then to think, how hard could it be? And yet wise enough to still make a plan to avoid becoming overwhelmed and giving up.
Experiencing fear in creative work is not a sign that you are doing something wrong. It is a sign that you are attempting something challenging, something BIG. The fear might as well be a neon sign flashing THIS WORK IS IMPORTANT.
What we are really afraid of isn’t the work itself. We are afraid of shame: of letting ourselves down, of giving up, of creating something only to realize that it’s not good enough.
Ride the Wave
Fear is just part of the process. So, here are three simple steps to take whenever you find yourself navigating the inevitable fear that comes with creative projects:
Make a plan
Give yourself a vision of where you want to go and the main steps you will take to get there. Make a plan even though you know it will change, because having a plan will help you start. And returning to the plan will help you keep moving forward.
Revise as needed
Creative work never ends where we think it will. Once you have created a plan, hold it loosely and revise it often. Nothing kills creativity faster than rigidity, so stay flexible!
Keep going
This is arguably the most important part. Slow down when you need to, rest when you need to, change directions if it becomes clear that you have taken a wrong turn. But keep creating! Creative projects are a long game and it is never too late to pick up where you left off.
If you are embarking on a creative project, know that the fear will come. Just remember that you can feel the fear and still ride the wave.
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