When Creative Doubt Visits (Because It Quite Often Does)
“Doubts don't mean you're not creative, or that you're doing something wrong.”
Can we talk about something every creative person faces, but only a few discuss openly? That moment when doubt creeps in, whispering questions like: "Who am I to create this?" "What if it's not good enough?" "Why even bother?"
Here's what I want to share, I face those thoughts, too! And thankfully, these doubts don't mean you're not creative, or that you're doing something wrong. They're such a natural part of the creative journey that I've come to see them as signposts - often showing up right before a breakthrough or when we're about to move into new creative territory.
After years of creating and teaching, I've learned creative doubt isn't something to banish or overcome. Instead, it's about learning to create alongside it, understanding that its presence often means we're growing and probably actually expanding our comfort zone.
Think of it this way - doubt shows up because we care. Because what we're creating matters to us. Because we're invested enough in our creative expression to feel vulnerable about it.
Some gentle ways to work with creative doubt:
Acknowledge its presence without letting it take the wheel. "I hear you're worried about this piece. Thank you for trying to protect me. I am safe and I'm going to keep creating anyway."
Notice if you're holding yourself to impossible standards. Are you expecting your first draft to read like a polished book? Your first painting to look like something that took years to master?
Remember all creators face doubt. Even those whose work you admire most have wrestled with these same feelings. You're not alone in this.
Keep the stakes low. Sometimes we just need to create something simple - a doodle, a few sentences, a small sketch - to remind ourselves that not everything needs to be significant.
In my upcoming book, I share more about navigating these emotional landscapes of creativity. Because understanding how to work with doubt, rather than waiting for it to disappear, is fundamental to enjoying a sustainable creative practice.
This is one of the most beautiful aspects of creating in community - seeing how others navigate their own doubts and struggles. In our Creative Hearts Community, members often share:
How they move through difficult creative moments
What helps them keep going when doubt arises
Ways they've learned to trust their creative instincts
Small victories that build creative confidence
Your doubt speaks to your courage. It means you're showing up, creating despite uncertainty, choosing to express yourself even when it feels vulnerable.
That's creative bravery in action.
Be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity.
With my warmest wishes,
~ Nicola
P.S. If you're looking for support in navigating creative doubt, our Creative Hearts Community welcomes you. Join us to discover how much easier the creative journey feels when it is shared with people who understand.
P.P.S. I had so many moments of doubt while writing my books over the past year(s!) However, I’ve been so committed to bringing them to life, because they mean a lot to me, and so I’ve had to rely on my own teachings and methods to finish them :) Oh, the irony!
How about you? What do you find helps you to move through creative self-doubts? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
About Nicola Newman
I'm a Creative Business Coach, Award-Winning Artist & Mentor for Creative Hearts who want to flourish, flow & prosper.
My passion is inspiring and supporting Creative Hearts to trust their inner wisdom and carve out a life that’s personally meaningful and fulfilling to them.
I share practical, evidence-based tools for Creative Hearts seeking to improve their lives or businesses. My work draws from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based techniques, body-based practices, and neuroscience -- and my own creative living adventures -- among other approaches.
My mission is to support Creative Hearts to:
Dissolve creative blocks, develop a loving relationship with themselves, nurture their creativity and reframe the beliefs and patterns that keep them from following their heart and making the creative contribution they would love to make in the world.
My approach is to embrace gentleness, playfulness and self-care to navigate self-doubt and instead cultivate deep self-trust so you can truly enjoy the creative process, bring together your body of work, make money doing what you love and leave a creative legacy you’re proud of.
Let’s pour a cuppa and get to know one another, shall we? :) Read more about my story here.
