Two Ways To Overcome Writing Fear And Recover Your Creativity

Fear… that icy cold sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach when you think about starting work on your next project. Or working on your current project. Writer's block. No inspiration. How do writers and artists overcome fear?

You let go --- physically relax. If you're completely loose and relaxed, you CANNOT feel fear – and of especial interest to creatives: a completely physically relaxed state is a creative state.

Fear makes you tighten up.

When artistic fear strikes, if you tighten up, your mind is instantly flooded with scary ideas and scenarios which make you tighten up even more. This breaks you mentally, triggering an avalanche of mental horrors. In this state, it seems to you that the only way to stay safe is to run away --- to forget about your creativity.

The trick is: don't try to fight the fear. Let go. If you completely physically relax, your fear vanishes.

Can't relax? Take a course in progressive muscle relaxation. Many hospitals offer them for their patients. Here's Bernd Harmsen's excellent free online course.

Shush!... Avoid confrontations

In addition to using physical relaxation, it's wise to avoid confronting your inner dragons head-on. Until you've overcome your artistic fears, never say, or think: "I'm writing a book", or "I'm writing an article".

Give yourself a break, and let go of all the expectations you have for your artistic endeavors. Tell yourself you're just going to have fun, and mean it.

Remember to physically relax before you begin to write. Then use Leonardo da Vinci's technique for getting ideas. It's fun, and completely non-threatening.

Get a blank sheet of paper, and a pencil. Close your eyes, and make doodles, scribbles and squiggles and lines all over the paper. Take as long as you like. Open your eyes. Can you see any images or patterns in the scribbles? Your scribbling and doodling is a message from your subconscious mind.

Many of Leonardo's inventions are said to have come from his doodling and scribbling.

Try these two techniques to overcome your artistic fears and rediscover your creativity. They work.

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