Limiting Beliefs That Cage Creative Souls

A few years ago, I increasingly became more envious of people having creative careers. I'm not even talking about filthy rich artists. Just people who were able to make money creating their art. I'm a creative person with creative skill sets. Why couldn't I do it? One tiny issue: I didn't have anything to show for it. I learned graphic design, photography, videography, directing, and much more. But if someone asked me "Can you show me a project?" I'd be flustered.

I had a bunch of random abstract projects. But nothing that would impress a new stranger. If I wanted to get paid as a creative, I had to prove to others I could be creative. The cliché saying "You are your biggest critic" is a cliché for a reason. It's completely true. I magnified my issues more than anyone else on this planet could. But I couldn't fold (because that would spiritually crush me) — my only option was to challenge the limiting beliefs that filled my head. Here they are, along with my current-day responses.

“No one would hire me.”

No one would hire you unless you have proof of experience. I'd never hire an electrician who's never done any electrical work in his life. The same could be argued for universally all professions. If you want to have a career in advertising, make spec ads or free ads for small businesses in exchange for a portfolio.

“No one cares about my work.”

If no one cares about your work, you're either starting out and/or you're afraid of rejection from sharing your work. It's uncomfortable to share your work, but let's compare both routes:

1.) You share your work. Risk being rejected, but there's a possibility someone will like it.

2.) You don't share your work. No risk of being rejected, but you go unknown.

One answer leads to success. Also, you get used to sharing your work the more you do it.

“I'm not good enough to be pro.”

Let's challenge this thought. I dare you to find an artwork, a song, or even a movie that makes you scratch your head and think "people think this is good?" To you, those pieces seem like shit. However, they qualify as professional. If there's a quality standard you aspire to be able to produce, then deconstruct its elements and fine-tune your process with repeat experiments. There's power in repetition.

“I'll never be like my hero.”

That might be a good thing. I had the realization it's better to be yourself than to be a carbon copy of someone else. My goal is to be the best version of me, not a Temu David Fincher lol. Play to your strengths.

“I can't get better results because I don't have better gear.”

Most of the time, you don't need expensive gear to level up your skills. I've been a victim of thinking buying something would fix my skill set issues. That's not the case. My go-to method of learning is to keep failing over and over until it works.

“I'm unoriginal.”

I don't believe any creative pieces are 100% original. Not even my own. Not even my creative heroes who I look up to, and so on. But that's not a bad thing. Once I realized this, it felt liberating to share work that didn't seem super original.

“It has to be perfect before I can share it.”

There comes a point in the creative process where you've completed the most impactful elements, and you've indulged that perfection ego of yours by nitpicking irrelevant details. I realized perfection just slowed me down. It's optimal to strive for good results as opposed to perfection. Perfectionism could cloud your creative judgment too.

“I need to be motivated to start.”

It's unlikely I'm going to be motivated 24/7. As a working creative, I had to be able to produce results — no matter how I'm feeling. The trick is to do whatever it is you do so often it feels like second nature. Motivation is fleeting and unreliable. Dedication is constant and reliable. Reminding yourself about your mission and making habits based on that mission will guide you wonderfully.

Conclusion

At this point, I've met thousands of creatives and artists. The most common trait I've noticed is they focus on the creative part and not the business part. They operate out of feeling, which is natural for most artists. And doing business things like trying to make money or sell themselves is uncomfortable. I implore every creative to understand the advantage they have is that most creatives won't do this kind of stuff.