Is fear of being bad holding you back?

The risk vs reward of trying new things, putting yourself out there and being bad.

Photo by me.

I asked recently to hear what people would tell their younger selves about embarking on a creative journey, and something that came up was the importance of putting work out into the world — including before you are “ready”. This answer really stood out:

“Don’t cling to the idea of your own potential — the fact that it always outstrips your current ability will leave you paralysed… Put work out there, even if unfinished or tacky, even if it humiliates and embarrasses you to do so. Refinement is crucial, revision is crucial, but they’re worthless if done on a project that effectively remains invisible to all eyes save your own. Don’t spend years of your life contemplating the colour palette for an invisible portrait.” (Thank you Nick Rowley for this quote!)

Very well put, and it speaks to a fear I think many of us have when we’re just starting out: the horror of discovering we are painfully, hopelessly, bad at this thing we purport to love.

The Fear

“ …the fear that…