I picked up Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit from the library the other day. It has been so good and so insightful that I’m buying a copy for my own library. There are so many great quips and insightful tidbits that I could share for many posts.
But this post is about fear. “No one starts a creative endeavor without a certain amount of fear,” she writes, “the key is to learn how to keep free-floating fears from paralyzing you before you’ve begun.”
So, what are you afraid of? Twyla lists her five biggest fears, and you know what? They are almost identical to mine. I bet they are similar to yours too. Wanna see?
1. They will laugh at me.
“They” may. But who are “they” anyway? People I know and love and respect won’t laugh. They may even encourage me if I’ll just be brave enough to share my work with them.
2. It’s been done before.
Well, of course it has. There’s nothing new under the sun, after all. But that doesn’t mean I can’t offer my little bit too. I’ve never been before. If I’m a unique individual than so is something in my work. No matter how tiny.
3. It’s so cliche.
Aw, this is the one that really gets me. What if it just looks stupid, trite, worn out. Some days it probably will. Those days the work is called a rough draft. Right? At least it gets out there and then I can always revise or re-work it.
4. It’s so pompous.
And this is probably the direct opposite of the third fear. Can you have opposite fears? It’s like being afraid of being wet and dry at the same time…oh the trials our silly minds will put us through! I have no answer for this fear, except to put the work out there. “They” will let me know.
5. It’s not good enough.
Nope. It isn’t and it probably won’t be. Ever. But see #3. That’s what the habit of doing the work is for. Slowly, with practice and experience you will get better. I will get better. My skills will grow to match my ability. With steady, hard work.
“There is nothing wrong with fear,” Twyla says, “the only mistake is to let it stop you in your tracks.”
What about you? What are you afraid of?
I absolutely love this post. No, it is not preachy and yes, it sounds very authentic to me. Thanks for sharing.
Your BTS friend…
Wonderful post….Not preachy at all. I read that book awhile ago. I need to revisit it 🙂
MaryU, KKGroupie and BTS struggler….but I am going to get there:)
Hi Jessica,
You bring up such a valid point. I think I am driven by fear a LOT of the time so this post really speaks to me. For me it’s usually a big jumbled bundle in my head.. maybe I should try to sift through it all and see if I can pinpoint five things.. it will be a good soul searching exercise 🙂
I love that book! I got it out of the library early last summer and after renewing it, I finally wound up buying it. I started re-reading it again this summer. Awesome post 🙂
Jessica wow so right I agree with everything you have said fera can be crippling and we can be our own worst enemies can’t we ? You speak from your heart …… Well done ……
This post speaks to me – I love you writing voice. I relate to all five things also…thank you for sharing your very well-expressed thoughts!
Jessica,
I have been meaning to get to this post all week. I wanted to be able to have time to really read it and truly ponder the question you asked in the group. I have to say it was an excellent post and I think you have found your voice. There is always tweaking that will happen, nobody is ever complete in their growth. It would suck if that was it and we had it all figured out and no more growing, learning, stretching needed.
Now…I need to go order that book 🙂
Sarah
This is a great post Jessica! I am right with you with these kind of crazy thoughts. I’m putting this book on my wish list 🙂 I’m reading the book “Do the Work” right now, kind of reminds me of this one.