Everybody is creative. We all have the creativity gene. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
But having creative confidence is another matter.
Creative confidence is the natural ability to come up with new ideas and the courage to try them out.
A number people believe or have been told that they’re not the creative type. They don’t do things or take creative risks because of four major things: fear of the unknown, fear of being judged, fear of the first step, and fear of losing control.
Majority of creatives feel like what they’re doing isn’t good enough. For example, just ask a writer what they think about their writing. She will always say that her work could be better.
So how does one build their creative confidence?
1. Take risks
Be willing to go out of your comfort zone. Be willing to do things you normally wouldn’t do.
Respected and world renowned psychologist, Albert Bandura, worked with people that had phobias for the majority of his career. And he found a simple technique to help them overcome their fears. Through a process he calls “guided mastery”, he takes his patients through a series of steps and by the time they are through, they were cured. And something else happened, these people who went through the process and touched the snake ended up having less anxiety about other things in their lives.
You can’t be creative if you are constantly censoring yourself.
2. Make it a habit
Bandura’s work shows that people who had the fear that they weren’t creative could be taken through a series of steps, akin to a series of small successes, and that will turn fear into familiarity. So, take small, consistent steps and celebrate as you conquer each fear.
3. Do you, boo!
People will always have something to say. As long as you’re happy and believe that what you’re doing or plan to do is awesome, you will watch your creativity unfurl. You will be confident to start working on the things that are really important in your live.
As Maya Washington of Shameless Maya says, “Do you, be you and stay true. Be shameless!”
Watch this video to learn more about creative confidence: