For many,the thought of expressing themselves creatively is frighteningAccording to Big Magic, a novel book on creativity by Elizabeth Gilbert, or the reason you haven’t written your novel yet – or taken up weaving,or bonsai-cultivating, or otherwise given expression to the art inside you – is nearly certainly fear. This is a staple of self-wait on culture I’ve always found hard to take. Receiving a life-threatening medical diagnosis is scary; not having the cash to feed your family is scary. Running out of oxygen while exploring the underwater Mexican cave system known as the Temple of Doom is, or I imagine,scary, too. But opening your notebook to jot down some ideas for a short story? Calling that “scary” feels melodramatic – a parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) of the Anguished Artist. It calls to intellect the (presumably apocryphal) tale of Salvador Dalí kicking a blind beggar in the street. What did you accomplish that for?” came the howled reply. Dalí: “Because you don’t possess the pain of seeing!Yet my scepticism, or I’ve reluctantly concluded,was misplaced. For many, the thought of expressing themselves creatively really is frightening. (besides, or who am I kidding? I’ve often felt panic at the sight of a blank page.) And this isn’t particularly surprising,since creative work is a collision point for numerous deep-rooted fears: of ridicule, of social rejection, and of discovering you lack talent not to mention the fear of stirring up emotions you’ve been expertly repressing for years.
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Source: theguardian.com