There are two types of fear when it comes to the creative process: healthy and unhealthy.

Yes, there’s a healthy fear. This is the fear that you’ll lose some money or crash and burn your company or organization. This type of healthy fear helps you avoid obvious mistakes and very dumb risks. And there are plenty of obvious mistakes and very dumb risks you need to avoid. That fear helps you. Just don’t let it keep you from every single risk. It’s important to risk. But a healthy dose of this fear is good for you to keep you from disaster.

But the unhealthy and toxic fear is being afraid that people will reject you because of your art. We fear people will finally see us as frauds. We fear people will see our true selves and realize they don’t like us anymore. We fear people will make fun of us. But as artists, we have to kill this fear. Read more…

Every week or so I deal with a new fear. It’s some new insecurity that I can either let cripple me or propel me forward. This week’s was: “What if I’m not providing as much value to the company as my bosses thought I would?”

They hired me almost six months ago to take on a huge project: Echo Conference. They had certain goals and dreams for the project, but they’re trusting me to run with it. And I frankly fear they’re regretting their decision to hire me. Are they paying me more than I deserve? Would they rather have someone else in this critical position? Are my seemingly brilliant ideas for the event actually horrible ideas? And they just don’t want to tell me?

Now, let’s be clear. They’ve given me no indication of this. They’ve been positive. They’re great at communication. None of this insecurity is on them. It’s all on me. But it’s still there. Read more…

I’ve begun scheduling a specific item into my schedule each day. I call it the Don Draper moment (think Mad Men, ad executive). I grab my favorite beverage and stare out the window for a few minutes. I look at the city. I look at the cars. I let my mind wander. I do this a few times each day.

To some it might look like I’m not working. But I’m actually engaged in something very important. I’m stepping back from work and looking at the big picture. This is a time to step away from my task list and evaluate everything I’m doing.

You see, there are two sides to creativity. There’s the inspiration and there’s the action. You need both if you want to create something worthwhile. The problem is, if you work for someone else, you probably spend more time in the action side of things than the inspiration side. Read more…

My to do list possesses magical abilities. Yes, the things I get done seem completely unrelated to the length of my to do list. Some days I have 20 items on my list. Some days I have 10. Yet, as long as my head’s in the game I’m able to get both lists done under the same time constraints.

It’s magic! My to do list seems to bend time and space.

Have you ever stopped to think – How do I get everything done on my list? How did my list get as long or short as it is? Did we do some scientific evaluation of what we could feasibly get done in a day? Or is it based solely on our perception of what we can achieve during a given time period? Read more…

Each month I approach a threshold. It’s a threshold of fear. I have thirteen article each month (for Sunday| Mag) that need to be both written and designed for. That means I contact at least twenty-six people to volunteer their time for my project. Twenty-six very busy and talented people. And crossing that threshold means contacting and asking those people.

It’s a very real, very scary threshold. When I see it come up on my to do list, I think things like this:

• Am I asking too much? I just asked them for something last month.
• What if they say no?
• What if I insult their abilities with this article request? Is it below their skill level? Read more…

I’m about to make your inner perfectionist feel really really good. Wait for it…

Are you stressed? Are you freaking out about something you’re working on? Are you worried it won’t get done in time or won’t be up to par? Here it comes… It just doesn’t matter.

There is absolutely nothing you’re working on that the world will miss. If you don’t complete that perfect song… If you don’t launch that perfect website in time… If your video doesn’t get done… Nobody is going to miss it. And in a year or two you probably won’t even remember it. Read more…