On Feeling Like a Creative Fraud

YOU ARE A STUPID,
BIG, FAT PHONY.

And so am I. But we know in our hearts it’s not true.

Feeling like a creative fraud is a mother. And, as an artist, you go through periods of where you feel like a big, fat phony.

It’s times your fingers hover, paralyzed over the keyboard. Times you stare at the blank void while creative mojo seeps from your fingertips and on to every place but its pre-determined target. Times when ‘love is a battlefield,’ and you’re on the ground, wounded. Times you’re physically unable to create because you know, for a fact, that you’re a creative fraud. A hack, even. You don’t believe you’re a real artist. Who would believe that?! You most certainly don’t believe it. You just ain’t 2 Legit 2 Quit.

Don’t believe the thought, though.

It’s an old trick from that devil on your shoulder, otherwise known as Fear, reminding you of your creative failures. Reminding of times you heard the ‘whomp, whomp, whooooommmmp’ trumpet sound in response to your work. Of times a piece didn’t turn out the way you’d wanted. Of every single time you should have grabbed the pen, the brush, the clay, the thread and created a masterpiece, but instead chose to swipe through art photos on Instagram. (Can everybody in the building say “Amen?” And if you can’t say “Amen,” just say “Ouch!”)

Burst through that creative block. It’s not real. You are the artist that you say you are. You are not a talentless hack. And you are most certainly not the stupid big, fat phony Holden Caufleld referred to.

Repeat this:
I am an artist. You, Doubt and Fear and Disbelief, are nothing but limiting thoughts. I will not get duped by your antics. I am who I say I am. And, I’m gifted with an infinite pool of talent I will use to the best of my ability and beyond.

Allow that settle in your mind and your heart. Now, go do the work you were born to do.

Jennifer P.
LaKrishia

Hey, Jennifer–Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s scary to put yourself out there. As artists, the work we share is often an extension of us: our thoughts, our feelings and our beliefs. Harsh criticism on top of self-doubt can make us feel like frauds. Realize that most critics are people who won’t allow themselves to be artists.

Here’s a thought: Not everyone likes pecans. Some people hate them. But that doesn’t stop any tree from offering the best pecans it can produce.

I recommend checking out Julia Cameron’s workbook The Artist’s Way. It makes creating fun again.
LaKrishia

Hey, Jennifer–see above! (I’m still getting the hang of Disqus.)

And again: Check out The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

On Feeling Like a Creative Fraud

YOU ARE A STUPID,
BIG, FAT PHONY.

Don’t believe the thought, though.

Repeat this:
I am an artist. You, Doubt and Fear and Disbelief, are nothing but limiting thoughts. I will not get duped by your antics. I am who I say I am. And, I’m gifted with an infinite pool of talent I will use to the best of my ability and beyond.

Let’s Hang Out

You Nosey.

I Write about the Topics Below

Recent Posts

YOU ARE A STUPID, BIG, FAT PHONY.

Don’t believe the thought, though.

Repeat this: I am an artist. You, Doubt and Fear and Disbelief, are nothing but limiting thoughts. I will not get duped by your antics. I am who I say I am. And, I’m gifted with an infinite pool of talent I will use to the best of my ability and beyond.

Let’s Hang Out

You Nosey.

I Write about the Topics Below

Recent Posts

YOU ARE A STUPID,
BIG, FAT PHONY.

Repeat this:
I am an artist. You, Doubt and Fear and Disbelief, are nothing but limiting thoughts. I will not get duped by your antics. I am who I say I am. And, I’m gifted with an infinite pool of talent I will use to the best of my ability and beyond.