How to Create When You’re Afraid

“You cannot overcome it [fear]. You can dance with it. The harder you try to overcome it, the more powerful it becomes. I will be creative especially when my brain is freaking out. If you make that commitment, and keep doing it, then you will become creative.”

- Seth Godin

I was watching my three-year-old nephew face his fears this summer. You could see the terror in his eyes with each new experience he encountered in the pool. His first experiences in the pool made me think of how we face fears as adults. More specifically, how can we create when we’re afraid?

My little nephew took action daily, and in a short period of time, he was bravely standing on his grandfather’s shoulders and jumping off as he laughed in delight. The more we take action—and keep taking action—the better we’ll become at our craft.

Many people feel they can only share their work with the world if it’s perfect. I feel the temptation to give in to the fear of imperfection every day. Reaching for perfection is paralyzing and can cause us to stop creating altogether. To address this, I refer you to Salvador Dali:

“Have no fear of perfection—you’ll never reach it.”

- Salvador Dali

So you see, the problems arise when we try to take action “perfectly.”

Write poorly but write today.

Design poorly but design today.

Create poorly but create today.