Why do you STILL not believe in yourself as an artist?

So many artists and creatives have this glitchy little voice that says that they are not a real artist.

"Someone else is the real artist - my sister, my neighbor, that other person - has the real creative genius. Not me."

It totally gets in the way of your showing up in the studio or to whatever your creative pursuit is.

What do you do about it? How do you get around it?

First, acknowledge it and laugh: "There you are again, trying to get in the way of creative work."

It is a sub-personality, and there is great work that I do with clients about getting to know the sub and helping to make it feel less threatened and therefore have less power over you.

But the main thing to remember is that it is not truth that it is speaking - it is trying to keep you small to keep you safe so it is lying to you. It is like a scared child who is afraid to be seen.

Second, understand that being creative is a human trait. It is part of what it means to be human. It is our birthright. It is what we use to engage in the world, to present ourselves, to process our painful bits.

• Your dreams and fantasies are your creativity. Your ability to hold a conversation is your creativity. The way you cook or decorate your house, the garden you plant, the clothes you wear. I could go on and on.

And if you want to really pursue your creative work, you have to put more time into it. You need to develop your skill and your sense of vision and this takes practice and dedication.

In order to put in that time and dedication it helps to have the sense that it is worth it, that you have something of value to offer.

This is the way that I think of it. You are a channel of creativity - we all are. We move through the world, living life, making mistakes, noticing what we notice and bumbling along. All of this is collecting in us- it all soaks in and gestates inside of us. Then, when we sit down to create, it comes pouring out of us- through our very particular and individual lens. We express what we need to see and hear, and that in turn is what others need to see and hear.

Simply by being engaged in the world, if you are paying attention and caring, and if you make something that you need, you are going to express something that others need too. Not everyone, but probably someone needs your perspective.

So take a leap of faith. Pretend that you have something to offer and it will reveal itself as you fall in love with your own work.

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Can I interview you? It would be so helpful for me to hear what is going on for you so I can understand how to be of better service to artists and creatives and I would be happy to offer a coaching session in exchange. For more information check this link. https://app.acuityscheduling.com/sche...