{"id":16187,"date":"2016-01-18T11:55:33","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T15:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?p=16187"},"modified":"2021-12-01T20:41:32","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T20:41:32","slug":"the-creative-fear-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creative Fear List"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Refraction_XLI\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re kidding yourself if you don\u2019t think you have fears. Fear is useful. In certain situations, fear keeps us performing at our peak \u2013 it keeps us alive. But, if we let it go too far and panic, fear can kill us, literally or figuratively. This\u00a0is just as true in our creative lives as it is in our daily lives. In their classic book Art & Fear<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Ted Orland and David Bayles address fear as a primary force to overcome in the creative process. In her new book Big Magic<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Elizabeth Gilbert starts a list of fears \u2013 and then cuts it short. She started a creative exercise we would all benefit from engaging. Ask what fears have us in their grip, identify them, consider them, and start holding them (or not) instead.<\/p>\n

Get started with this list of fears.<\/p>\n

Does some of what\u2019s on my list sound familiar to you? How can the voice inside your head be so similar to the voice inside my head? Is it really our voice? Is that voice of fear just the mind doing what it does? Is that voice of fear just the mind doing what it has been trained to do? What are the fears we all share? What are your personal fears? Which fears are strongest or most important for you?<\/p>\n

This list of fears is incomplete. Modify and expand this list of fears in any way that\u2019s helpful to you. Get it all off your chest. Curiously, after making a list, just making a list, most people feel better \u2013 freer. Newfound clarity brings more choices.<\/p>\n

After you make your list of fears give yourself a break. Later, consider the roots of your fears. Where are they coming from? What foundations do they have? What other thoughts, feelings, and memories are they connected to? Are they changing?<\/p>\n

If you consider the roots of your fears, you\u2019re sure to find valuable new personal insights. Don\u2019t judge yourself for what you find. Is judgment useful? Only insight is, if it leads to action. If you do this, you may be better able to choose to change the way you think, feel, and\/or act in valuable and significant ways. That\u2019s useful!<\/p>\n

Self Worth & Character<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you\u2019re not enough.
\n(Insert a word in this sentence, before \u201cenough.\u201d \u2013 good, deep, smart, emotional, significant, important, connected, talented, skilled, trained, educated, political, relevant, funded, supported, hurt, angry, wild, energetic, controlled, disciplined, persistent. serious \u2026)
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019re too \u2026
\n(Insert a word at the end of this sentence. \u2013 intellectual, emotional, insignificant, unimportant, unconnected, trained, educated, political, well-funded, supported, hurt, angry, wild, energetic, controlling, undisciplined, serious, light-hearted \u2026 )
\nYou\u2019re afraid that your life hasn\u2019t been painful enough.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that your life has been too hard.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that your life has been too easy.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll have to confront your inner demons.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have any inner demons.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you may encounter the divine within you.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you won\u2019t encounter the divine within you.<\/p>\n

Criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll be criticized.
\n(Replace criticized with any other synonym \u2013 ridiculed, mocked, mimicked, embarrassed.)
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll lose the approval you\u2019ve already won.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll be called unskilled.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll be called ignorant.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll be called uninspired.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll be called selfish.
\nYou\u2019re afraid other people\u2019s pressures will take the fun out of it for you.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you should feel guilty for having so much fun.
\nYou\u2019re afraid other people will judge you for having so much fun.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that you having so much fun will be take as criticism of others for not having fun.<\/p>\n

Significance<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid what you do won\u2019t matter to anyone.
\nYou\u2019re afraid what you do won\u2019t matter to you.
\nYou\u2019re afraid no one will preserve what you do when you\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n

Comparision<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid that what you do will be compared to something someone else has done.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that what you do won\u2019t be compared to something someone else has done.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that when compared with someone else\u2019s creation your creation will seem less \u2026 (Fill in the blank.)
\nYou\u2019re afraid that when compared with your creation someone else\u2019s creation will seem less \u2026 (Fill in the blank.)
\nYou\u2019re afraid that when compared with someone else\u2019s creation your creation will seem insignificant.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that when compared with your creation someone else\u2019s creation will seem insignificant.<\/p>\n

Money<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid what you produce won\u2019t sell.
\nYou\u2019re afraid there will be no long-term market for what you produce.
\nYou\u2019re afraid the reward you receive won\u2019t be worth the financial investment you make.
\nYou\u2019re afraid the investment you may now will take away from your family\u2019s future financial success.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have enough space.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have the right space.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have the right tools.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have enough tools.<\/p>\n

Skill<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you\u2019re not skilled enough.
\nYou\u2019re afraid skill alone is not enough.<\/p>\n

Knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t know enough.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll never know enough.
\nYou\u2019re afraid of what you don\u2019t know.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t know what really right is.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your right isn\u2019t someone else\u2019s.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your right is someone else\u2019s wrong.
\nYou\u2019re afraid somebody else already did it. (Maybe better.)
\nYou\u2019re afraid somebody will steal you ideas.<\/p>\n

Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you\u2019re too young.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019re not experienced enough.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019re too old.
\nYou\u2019re afraid it\u2019s not the right time.
\nYou\u2019re afraid if you do it now, it won\u2019t turn out as good as it could.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that you should have done it long ago and now it won\u2019t turn out as well.
\nYou\u2019re afraid it\u2019s too late to do it really right.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t have enough time.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you don\u2019t know how to use the time you have.
\nYou\u2019re afraid the time you invest will be wasted.
\nYou\u2019re afraid the time you invest won\u2019t be pleasurable.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll give up before it\u2019s over.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll give up before you get started.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll give up after it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n

Success<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you won\u2019t succeed.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that once you succeed, you\u2019ll never have another success.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your success will make someone else look less.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your success will make someone else\u2019s success look less.
\nYou\u2019re afraid it will bring out the worst in you.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that the worst in you will be the thing most focused on.
\nYou\u2019re afraid the best in you will bring out the worst in others.
\nYou\u2019re afraid success will go to your head.
\nYou\u2019re afraid success will go to other people\u2019s heads.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your new successes will undo your past successes.
\nYou\u2019re afraid your old successes will prevent your new successes.<\/p>\n

Sacrifice<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll have to give up something.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll have to give someone up.
\nYou\u2019re afraid you\u2019ll have to give up a part of yourself.
\nYou\u2019re afraid what you get won\u2019t equal what you give up.
\nYou\u2019re afraid that the process will change you. (And you don\u2019t know what that change will be.)<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this list continues to grow! Clearly, there\u2019s no end to fear \u2013 unless you put a stop to it.
\nWhen you say things to yourself, ask yourself, \u201cWould say the same things to anyone else?\u201d If not, why would you say them to yourself? Ask yourself one more very important question. Is it useful to say these things? If so, how and how much and how often? When it\u2019s not useful, stop doing it.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging our fears can be quite useful. Pace yourself. You may find it useful to do this in several smaller sessions rather than all at once. Past a certain point, dwelling on fear can become counterproductive. It can keep us from living the lives we want to live. It can be a form of procrastination. Taken too far, catharsis can quickly become reinforcement. Taken to an extreme it can become a matter of fear feeding fear. Don\u2019t feed fear. Look at fear clearly. Learn what you can from fear. And then move forward. Take the steps you need to take to live the life you want. Make the move you need to make to be the person you want to be.<\/p>\n

While you can make some pretty good guesses and make some pretty good plans for things to do to ensure things go the way you want them to go and contingency plans for getting things back on track if things don\u2019t go the way you want them to go \u2026 The truth is you don\u2019t know what will happen. The truth is you won\u2019t know until you do it.
\nCreativity is a process of discovery. It\u2019s worth the risk. Dream. Dare. Jump.<\/p>\n

Find more ways to boost your creativity using words.<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nLearn more creative techniques in my workshops.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re kidding yourself if you don\u2019t think you have fears. Fear is useful. In certain situations, fear keeps us performing at our peak \u2013 it keeps us alive. But, if we let it go too far and panic, fear can kill us, literally or figuratively….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[6,3520,104],"post_folder":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Creative Fear List - John Paul Caponigro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Creative Fear List - John Paul Caponigro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You\u2019re kidding yourself if you don\u2019t think you have fears. Fear is useful. In certain situations, fear keeps us performing at our peak \u2013 it keeps us alive. But, if we let it go too far and panic, fear can kill us, literally or figuratively....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"John Paul Caponigro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-18T15:55:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-01T20:41:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Refraction_XLI.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"johnpaulcaponigro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Creative Fear List - John Paul Caponigro","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Creative Fear List - John Paul Caponigro","og_description":"You\u2019re kidding yourself if you don\u2019t think you have fears. Fear is useful. In certain situations, fear keeps us performing at our peak \u2013 it keeps us alive. But, if we let it go too far and panic, fear can kill us, literally or figuratively....","og_url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/","og_site_name":"John Paul Caponigro","article_published_time":"2016-01-18T15:55:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-12-01T20:41:32+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Refraction_XLI.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"johnpaulcaponigro","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/","name":"John Paul Caponigro","description":"Illuminating Creativity","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Refraction_XLI.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Refraction_XLI.jpg","width":425,"height":389},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/","name":"The Creative Fear List - John Paul Caponigro","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2016-01-18T15:55:33+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-01T20:41:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858a1050968a36008905f1980aae47b0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/16187\/the-creative-fear-list\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Creative Fear List"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858a1050968a36008905f1980aae47b0","name":"johnpaulcaponigro","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/309d46e93fff33337943899d8f3269cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/309d46e93fff33337943899d8f3269cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"johnpaulcaponigro"},"url":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/author\/johnpaulcaponigro\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16187"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40667,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16187\/revisions\/40667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16187"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=16187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}