Conquer Your Fears

All artists are afraid at some point. Afraid of completing a project, afraid of putting all of themselves into their work, because... what if you fail? What if, after all the struggling and effort, it all comes to nothing? It is easier to not try at all. That way, you will never feel that crushing disappointment.

I struggle with this as a musician. Sometimes, I am afraid to practice as much as I could. If I do not succeed, then I can say: 'well, I didn't try my hardest... I might have won that competition/gotten that job/done better.' It can be easier to never actually achieve success than to strive for it and fail.

But you can't let that stop you. Even though it might be easier to say, "well, if I finished that novel, I could probably get published," you need to sit down and write it. And submit over and over and over again, even if you get a pile of rejections. Writers, like all artists, must develop thick skins.

The results are more than worth the sacrifice.