I’ve seen the world a little differently for as long as I remember. I don’t believe in birthdays, marriage doesn’t make sense to me, and I’m excited by the tiniest of details (that’s where the magic lives). I’ve gone from doodling on pieces of paper, to designing robots in high school, and have rounded out my career as a creative director and brand strategist for my own storytelling agency, Saga. In my career, I have trained and lead many creative teams and in that time I’ve learned a few things. Creatives have patterns, quirks, and stumbling blocks that can be confounding to people that don’t understand us. Our work is heavily driven by emotion and our mental states, and these hurdles can make or break our output. Most of our professional issues steam from 3 major fears that can be overcome with a little bit of help and a whole lot of gusto.
Fear 1: Disappointing Others
Creative professionals often take on a dangerous amount of work because we don’t want to tell anyone “no”. Unfortunately, we soon become overwhelmed by our workload and are unable to fulfill our obligations. In fear of disappointing the client or friend, we simply vanish. Many entrepreneurs and creative directors know the “Disappearing Designer” act. This also happens with developers (software and web) as well. I count them as creatives because — well — they create. A lot of designers are guilty of this, myself included. It took some maturity to understand the irony of my decision. My vanishing act wasn’t only disappointing, it was harmful to my relationships and my client’s businesses. I realized that I wasn’t just afraid of disappointing someone, I was afraid to own up to my mistakes.
Overcoming
The first thing you have to understand is that you’re not helping your case here. You’re disappointing people in an attempt to not disappoint them. In most instances, it’s ok to say no. Most people value the honesty. And if they really want you to do it, you can start the working relationship with a more realistic timeline for everyone. For everything else you just have to communicate. One thing I’ve learned for sure is, though clients are always rushing it’s never really that serious. At the end of the day, we aren’t curing cancer here.
When in doubt; Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
It might seem strange, but your clients are more interested in knowing where they are in the process than even receiving the deliverable. Being left in the dark can be a nightmare. By not communicating you are doing the very thing you’re trying to avoid. Disappointing others. And worse, causing anxiety and stress where a simple phone call, email, or text would clear everything up.
Fear 2: Living up to Expectation
Anyone that’s spent any time on Behance or Deviant Art immediately feels way behind in the art world. 12-year-olds across the world are doing work that you could never dream possible. You hate all of your work anyways. Maybe you should just give up, break your Wacom pen and get into teaching math. This is another common dilemma among creatives. We are our harshest critics. As soon as we’re done with our work and send it off we immediately see all of the flaws. Surely everybody else must see it too. Now we’ve just gone from being a failure — to a public failure.
Overcoming
Every artist was first an amateur.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ok, pause. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be ok. The first thing we have to do to overcome this fear is to realize that we’re unicorns. Follow me here. The ability to create — anything — is a rare gift. Something we have to work tremendously hard at yes, but a gift none the less. Most people are inspired by any amount of creative ability whether it’s drawing, painting, writing, or dancing. People spend more time appreciating the things you can do, instead of hating on the few things you think you can’t.
There is something inherently valuable about being a misfit. It’s not to say that every person who has artistic talent was a social outcast, but there is definitely a clue for identifying yourself differently and being proud that you are different.
Daniel Radcliffe #HarryPotter
Fear 3: Never making an Impact
Most creatives are chasing a single dragon. We’re all trying to change the world on some level. Adding beauty, calling attention to a way of thinking, or simply showing the world from our perspective. If someone could see this thing they way I see it, maybe we could all come to common ground.
Art is how we communicate when common speech just won’t do.
With so many artists in the world today and so many ways to create, it might seem like there’s no way to cut through the noise. People in their teen years are becoming well-respected painters and speakers and here I am in my room just trying to be heard. I’m just going to turn off my computer, put down my guitar, and pack it up.
Overcoming
Woah. Woah. Woah. I hear you. This has long been one of my greatest fears and frustrations. But there is something fundamental that we have to understand about success. It usually doesn’t happen by chance. When you see a young prodigy look closer into their upbringing and training regimen. Even a major historical figure like Beethoven started his music education at 5 years old due to great pressure from his father. He endured cruel punishments and harsh conditions to be molded into one of the greatest musicians ever known. It closely parallels another great musician’s upbringing, Michael Jackson.
This isn’t to say you must be tortured to be great. But the training and hard work must be there. The only difference, most of the time, is the age that it’s started, and the density of the hours trained.
Talent is cheaper than Table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work
Stephen King
It’s one thing to be “talented” but to truly be great and really be heard, it’s all about the work. Don’t let the distance between you and greats discourage you from making an effort. Instead, study them. Look at where they started and where they are. Understand what it really takes to make an impact and then show the world what you’re really capable of.
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious
Albert Einstein
Many creatives tend to be introverts. They lose themselves in the act of creation. Making art, dancing, singing, writing, even comedy. That’s when an artist feels the most alive. Outside of the actual artistic experience, we can find ourselves a lot more shy or timid. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but what most of us have in common is the need for our perspective to be validated.
Keep in mind I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my sh!t
Erykah Badu
This is the greatest artistic paradox. Our need to express and showcase the work that we’ve created, and the fear of not being understood, or worse, not having that emotional energy genuinely appreciated. Many artists are prolific creators but their work is never seen by the public.
I truly believe that overcoming fear can be your greatest artistic achievement. It allows you to connect more deeply to others and be heard. Besides, if you don’t do it someone else will.
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