In 2008, soon-to-be-president Barack Obama's popular slogan was "Yes, We Can." For many, this was very empowering and uplifting. And this worked great for voters. However, as artists and creative folks, a more suitable slogan for us is "Yes, You May."
The latter is appealing to a slightly different sensibility. Obama's slogan is telling a group of people that they can collectively accomplish something. My slogan simply gives you permission to. Or more importantly, it asks you to give yourself permission to go for it.
This is often the creative stumbling block for most of us. We often know WHAT to do. We know HOW to do it. But we simply have not given ourselves permission to do so. I've often had great ideas, that I would immediately talk myself out of implementing. For most of them, it was never the case of not knowing how to bring those things to fruition. It was often me not allowing myself to.
Fear is usually the culprit. The fear of putting ourselves out there on the limb and being judged as a result. For many, it's better to fail following the rules, than to take the risk of possibly not succeding by straying from the norm.
I have a few thoughts regarding fear:
1. Don't try to conquer your fear, embrace it.
2. Don't make fear your archrival, make it your muse.
3. If you stop being afraid, start doing something else that fears you.
4. Lastly: Complacency leads to more complacency. Fear leads to growth and more insight.
As I see it, fear is simply an acronym for:
Figuring out
Every
Angle to
Run
I realize that all of this is easier said than done. And like everything else, learning to accommodate fear takes practice. It's like having a co-worker that you bump heads with. The solution is not always to rid one of you from the equation, but by acknowledging that your relationship is complicated and dealing with it.
So, looking at doing something new, something adventurous?
Yes, You May!
Yes, You May!
Yes, You May!
The only thing stopping YOU is YOU.
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