Conquering Demons When Creating Art/Real Stuff

We all have our inner demons, and truthfully, most of our demons are relatively similar. I think that all artists, myself 100 percent included, share certain universal fears when entering uncertain realms with their creative endeavors. Some of my personal ones include:

1) "People will laugh at me." Reality check: YOU ARE NOT THE LEADING PLAYER IN EVERYONE ELSE'S LIFE. I have to remind myself of this constantly

2) "Someone has done it before." Reality check: it probably has been done before, but as my acting teacher used to say, "No one has done YOUR Juliet before"

3) "I have nothing to say." We all have something to say, and everyone's story is worth hearing!

4) "I will upset someone I love." The reality is that we never truly know how someone will react, and unfortunately we can't control how others will feel about our life choices. The most radical thing I've realized over the past year is this: I owe nobody an explanation for my life choices. It is not my job to make other people for comfortable with my decisions.

5) "Once executed the idea will never be as good as it was in my mind." It's better to execute your vision imperfectly than have it only exist as an illusion.

6) "People will think less of me." Again, I try to remind myself that the people who matter will still be there for me even if I stumble.

7) "It may take too much time." It's better for me to just start if it's what I want to do.

8) "It will cost money. Is it worth it to do what you love." 100 PERCENT YES! I try to remind myself that my acting career is essentially a startup (although I'm highly aware that many actors detest the branding part of this business, I personally love it because it's an area that I have control over). Ultimately any entrepreneurial venture requires some money upfront before generating revenue.

9) "It's self indulgent." At the end of the day, I can't be of value to others if I don't value myself and what I do. Let's just say I've learned that the hard way in my life. I firmly believe that maximizing our potential in life is a public service to others