Erasing Fear

August 19, 2025

When we begin anything creative, there’s a whisper in the back of the mind that questions everything. It sneaks in before the first brushstroke, before the idea takes form, before the hand even moves. It asks, who do you think you are to do this? And if you listen too long, that whisper becomes louder, steadier, heavier. Suddenly, your entire creative energy feels hijacked by doubt. Not because you aren’t capable, but because fear, so cunning, so familiar, has convinced you that you’re not.

This fear doesn’t come from truth. It comes from stories. Stories you've been told, or worse, stories you've told yourself. Maybe it was a comment from a teacher years ago, maybe a comparison that left a scar, maybe it's just the weight of your own expectations. Over time, these stories become internalized, playing on loop in your mind, slowly shaping a version of yourself that doesn’t match who you actually are. They say you’re not good enough, not original enough, not disciplined or talented or brave. And even though none of it is real, the mind clings to it. Because it’s familiar. Because it’s safe.

But what if you could erase it?

Not in denial, but with intention. What if you imagined holding an eraser in your hand, not for your drawings, not for your drafts, but for the fear itself? What if, every time a limiting belief crept in, you simply rubbed it out? What if you gave yourself permission to re-author the narrative entirely?

Because the truth is, you are the author. You’re the only one who gets to decide what you believe about your own potential. And like any author, you have the power to revise. You can edit the lines that no longer serve you. You can delete the inherited doubts, the imaginary ceilings, the self-imposed restrictions. You can write new sentences, ones that reflect possibility, courage, play, freedom. It takes practice. It takes awareness. But it’s possible.

Creativity is not a test you have to pass. It’s a path you get to walk, and the only thing that ever really stands in the way is the fear you’ve been taught to believe. But fear is a poor teacher. It has no vision, no hope, no generosity. And your art, your real art, will never emerge from a place of fear. It lives beyond it, on the other side of what you've been afraid to try.

So begin anyway. Begin afraid if you must. But don’t let the fear set the tone. Don’t let it dictate what’s possible. Picture yourself erasing every lie, every hesitation, every voice that told you you couldn’t. Then, write something new. Not just on the canvas, but in your mind. Something bold, something honest, something that clears the way. That’s where your artistic life begins, not with talent or technique, but with the courage to rewrite the story in your favor. Over and over, until it feels like truth.