As a new creator, getting people to find your work is challenging.
It can also be a challenge to produce meaningful work consistently. You have to be creative and build something that impacts others.
Furthermore, your work should be something you are passionate about. You cannot create something only for the audience. You should love doing your creative work.
Among many reasons, the most significant one I’ve found that keeps creators from succeeding is fear.
To succeed as a creator, you must overcome your fears.
“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
— Henry Ford
Here are five fears that keep you from becoming a successful creator.
1. Fear of publishing
Creators have fear and doubt, stopping them from producing high-quality work.
Fear of publishing is the most common one among creators. The reasons may vary. Most of them are insecure about their work. Some wait until they produce perfect work.
They feel they are not good enough. They only dare to publish when their work is perfect (according to them).
Publishing your work is the only way to progress and succeed as a creator. Don’t wait for the perfect time. Don’t wait for the perfect idea. Don’t overthink the creative process. Do the work, and when it’s complete, publish it.
Publish and let go. Move on to the next piece of work.
Perfectionism leads to procrastination. You keep putting out important work because you will never feel like it’s done.
Remember: Done is better than perfect.
Practice the habit of publishing. The best way to overcome perfectionism is to publish anyway. Block the outside noise and focus on doing your work. It will help you make progress.
2. Fear of criticism
The fear of criticism is not limited to creators. People don’t like getting judged. We don’t want people telling us what is right or wrong with us.
Fear of criticism keeps creators from publishing their work.
When I started a blog in 2020, people criticized my work. But I didn’t let their words affect my creative ability. I was a new writer at the time. There was so much to learn. I didn’t want to give up just because a few people didn’t agree with me.
There will be criticisms. It’s challenging to make every person think like you because everyone has different opinions and ideas.
Embrace criticisms. Take them as learning opportunities.
As I said, don’t let the external noise keep you from doing your work.
3. Fear of outcome
I hear writers complain and say things like:
- My article didn’t get many views.
- I can’t make money writing online.
- I only have 200 followers.
Focusing on the outcome blocks you from creating meaningful work. It creates more misery because you have no control over the results.
You can only control your efforts and do your work to the best of your ability.
For example, writing an article is in your control. You can choose the topic, structure, idea, reference, style, tone, and number of words. Once you publish that article, you lose control over it. Now, how many views your article gets is not up to you. You can’t control how much money it will make. You might influence it by sharing it on social media or promoting it online. But you cannot be 100% sure if people will like it.
Don’t focus on the outcome. Focus on the effort.
“You have the right to work, but for the work’s sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working.”
— Bhagavad Gita
4. Fear of being yourself
A significant factor in being a creator is that you need to be passionate about your work. You need to love what you do.
Sure, you must also think about your audience. You want to get people to like your work. However, you can’t get everybody to do so.
I have learned throughout my creative journey that when you focus on your passion and do the things you love, you will eventually find people who resonate with your work.
New creators have doubts about their passion. So they follow the trend. They focus on doing the work just to get views and likes.
But it won’t last. The passion stops once the trend falls.
Create something that you love doing. Warren Buffett said,
“The important thing to do is to look for the job you would take if you didn’t need a job.”
Don’t follow what everyone else is doing. Be yourself. Speak what’s in your mind.
You don’t need to find a niche.
Become one.
5. Fear of failure
There is a misconception in our society that failing is bad. When someone fails at something, people perceive them as unworthy.
But the truth is different. Failing is good. It teaches a valuable lesson.
Every successful person has failed in the past. You might know them because of their achievements. But they have gone through some tough times and failed many times.
It’s these failures that made them rise again.
Failure is the best teacher.
Learning from your mistakes and improving on them is the way forward. It applies to all aspects of life.
In a conversation between Joe Rogan and UFC fighter Cory Sandhagen, Rogan says,
“Failure is so good for you because when you fail, it sucks, and it feels terrible. But, if you needed motivation, well, there it is.”
Sandhagen responds,
“I wish I could win fights and feel like I lost every time.”
If your work didn’t get much attention, try again. Learn from your previous work and improve on it.
Don’t dwell on the past failures. Let them be the motivation for becoming your successful future self.
Conclusion
Your work can never be for everyone. So, it’s not feasible to please every individual. Focus on your work, and the result will take care of itself.
Also, don’t expect your work to always produce a good outcome because it won’t.
“If we can model being positive about our practice, the outcome will take care of itself.”
— Seth Godin
Let go of your creative fears.
Take a chance. Do the work. Share it. The only way you grow is by publishing, learning, and improving.
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