When Irrational Fear Of Things Stops The Creative Dead

The Irrational Fear Of Things

The irrational fear of things is very prominent within the psyche of the creative person.

It keeps us in our box and has quite an effect on our behaviour.

It stops us booking that art class or starting the book we've been writing in our head for the last 10 years.

We fear of some kind of loss, some fear of exposure. We want the safety and obscurity of blending in, to remain in the circle.

It's dangerous outside, alone in unfamiliar territory without the reassurance of people whose opinion we've become dependant on.

We make excuses to avoid things we'd love to do, and do things we'd rather not.

Better stay inside where you can't be hurt, right?

Better to risk nothing and save looking like a fool in front of family and friends, eh?

Forget that shit.

The truth is that people will more likely support and admire you in your new endeavour rather than not. If they ridicule you then you don't need them anyway.

Did Your Mother Teach You Irrational Fear?

I was on the 39A this evening heading back home from the city.

It was very warm, tropic by Irish standards. So I stood downstairs where the sun didn't bake the face off me through the window.

Tucked into the buggy spot was young mother, and her child who couldn't have been more than 18 months.

Her child was a gorgeous little thing with zero inhibitions, pulling and tugging at anything she could get her hands on. She was altogether very inquisitive, as any 18 month year old should be.

I reckon her mother couldn't have been more than 18 or 19, only a mere child herself, and apparently gripped with some sort of irrational fear of something.

The little girl's feet dangled over the edge of the buggy. She pressed them against my knees, and I smiled.

She did the same with other people in the aisle of the packed bus and received similar reactions.

Every time she did her mother would chastise her, and desperately try to pull the little girls feet back in to the buggy. “Don't be kicking people, that's not nice”, her mother said.

What was it about the little girl's inquisitive nature that prompted her mother's reaction?

Did her mother raise her this way?

Was she told to get back in her box?

What was she so afraid of?

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The Embedding Of Irrational Fear

It starts early, from the moment we come into the world.

The ones around us, in the misconstrued belief that they are doing what's best for us, order us about, tell us what to fear. They condition us.

This stuff we fear and our reactions to it, are learned behaviours and become embedded in our early years in particular.

Everyone is conditioned one way or another. Our challenge is to recognise it's not real and actively replace it with new concepts.

I've been there too, battling with the lying bastard in my head telling me I shouldn't try. Telling me I'll fuck it up and make a fool of myself.

Quieting that voice has been a challenge for me, but I'm happy to say it's a challenge I'm overcoming.

A number of years back when I started writing I did so under another name.

I was putting some very raw, crazy stuff out there and I was afraid of looking foolish so I hid behind a pseudonym.

I needed time to get myself used to the new way of thinking that was taking me over. – At least that's how I rationalise my fear now.

Funny thing was I was writing about technology on another site and I was perfectly happy to share that stuff.

After all, that was my profession at the time so I was very comfortable writing about it.

The Artist's Manifesto: A Way Back From Fear

In The Artist's Manifesto I encourage you to get your stuff out there, to ignore the opinions of others and make your stuff purely for the sake of it.

The only way I've found to do that is to make it and share it without thinking- to hell with the consequences!

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

I think it's fair to say the irrational fear of things primarily comes from a lack of practice, an unfamiliarity with something.

The more practice we get, the better we become, the more self confidence we build and the stronger our sense of self becomes as a result.

Showing up every day no matter what, counts. It's where we move away from novice and towards expertise.

Without that commitment to daily practice there's little hope we'll ever build enough momentum towards what we want.

Write, draw, paint, whatever, do it every day. Get to your desk and practice.

You will eventually replace your irrational fear with confidence and expertise.