There are many creative people who you have not heard of.
You haven’t read their book.
You haven’t seen their paintings.
The reason why these talented people are unknown is many haven’t written the book, they haven’t painted anything. They are dreaming of it, but they are frozen to take action.
Many creatives are also highly sensitive and were raised by parents who were critical.
There was some point in their lives where they were told they were not good enough, talented enough or the world wouldn’t accept them for who they were.
As adults, these dreams get buried under the busyness of modern life.
Every once in awhile, they’ll see an Instagram post or hear about an acquaintance doing something they’ve always wanted to do. Within that pang of jealousy, forms a root of what could be.
Yet, every time they begin to envision it, there is an onslaught of fear.
Every time they take one step forward, the inner critic silences them. It’s words like:
“Who do you think you are?
No one cares about what you have to say.
Who would buy that?
You don’t have enough experience.
There are thousands of people more talented than you.”
The result of creating in a state of anxiety is an outcome that ends up sabotaging their efforts. In effect, their creations are self-fulfilling. They create less than they are capable of and those words from friends and family members materialize. To their horror, it becomes true.
This can often send highly sensitive creatives back into their cave where they feel safe.
The truth is the inner critic was born out of a need to protect their vulnerable selves. Once they’ve been hurt, they vowed never to let it happen again.
So venturing out and creating something for others feels threatening to the soul.
In response, we flee, freeze or appease.
As someone who has taken a decade to find an agent, sell a picture book, and become a fiction writer, even though I got my BA in English and loved books my entire life, I understand this on a personal level.
The key to speed up the process is to nurture ourselves through this often vulnerable period.
The reason why my coaching clients have eventually succeeded is that they had an opportunity to be nurtured, supported and encouraged by someone who believed in them.
For highly sensitive creatives, whether you are an INFJ, Enneagram 4w5 like me, the path towards creative success isn’t an easy one.
But it’s time to stop watching others meet one successful goal after another. It’s time for you to work on yourself.
And remember this, you may be hesitant because you think you don’t have enough education or experience to create something relevant or of meaning. But there are people on YouTube who are creating content people want to watch because they did something ONE time.
Whether sharing their experience post-surgery or what morning routine helped them, they are not experts with 10,000 hours of mastery. They are simply sharing their experience to someone who is searching for information.
Creating doesn’t have to lead to an award-winning piece to be shared.
Many of us highly sensitive creatives believe that we need to wait until we rack up the experience and time to become an expert on what we’re doing, all the while time is passing.
All the while, we are waiting for you to create that book or painting that will change our lives for the better.
So, what are you waiting for?