Voicing Your Fears Sets You Free
Writing your superhero origin story
When I finally took a deep breath and said the words out loud, I felt worthless:
“I don’t have any value to the world if I’m not a musician.”
It was fall 2020, and I was stumbling through an existential crisis.
Admitting my deepest insecurity felt dreadful, and only survivable because I said it in a safe space, to someone I trusted.
The biggest surprise was how absurd the fear sounded once it was spoken.
When it lived in my head, it felt like my darkest, realest truth.
But saying it to another person stripped it of its power.
Hearing myself through their ears, I realized how unlikely it was to be true.
It was like opening the door to my mind and letting fresh air in.
Most of the mentoring I do with musicians doesn’t turn out how I expect.
We go into it planning to work on one thing, and very quickly, something else that is much more important pops up.
That happened during the first beta round of my new Creative Freedom Project, an updated and practical application of the concepts in The Artist’s Way.
Yes, we talked about reclaiming your creativity, overcoming blocks, and sharing your story on social media.
But the most potent elements of the workshops turned out to be the support and camaraderie with other musicians, and the liberation of speaking your insecurities out loud in a safe environment, letting that fresh air in.
If you’re looking at it from a recovery perspective, that’s the fellowship, and the humility and redemption that come from voicing your character defects and fears.
People also spoke of the overall morale boost they felt — the energy exchange between us and how that feeling of someone being in your corner was sometimes all you needed to find the confidence to act.
For all the nice things people say about how my coaching helps them, I feel ten times more grateful that these incredible musicians trust me enough to share their fears, discuss their vulnerabilities, and lean into their creativity.
If you were part of this beta round of the program, I cannot thank you enough. It’s made my heart so happy to try out this new approach to creative freedom, and for the candor and willingness you brought to the sessions.
I learned so much from each of you, and I’m excited to run an updated second beta (beta beta?) round soon!
New Workshop: Tell Your Superhero Origin Story
One thing that became quickly apparent was that we needed more time to talk about how to use your story in your content.
That’s the practical application of all the other work in the program, and one week wasn't enough to dive into it.
So this weekend, I’m running a standalone workshop to expand on this topic!
This is for everyone, even if you didn’t do the course.
You can attend live on Zoom or watch via on-demand instant replay, available for everyone who signs up.
In this workshop, we’ll be:
Writing your superhero origin story (fun!)
Learning how to take bite-sized pieces of your story and use them in posts
Talking about practical tips around constructing captions and video scripts
Learning what a “hook” is and why you need to start using them
Using tools to make writing easier (even if you’re a total beginner)
This workshop, like the entire Creative Freedom Project, is about staying grounded in your creativity, finding a way to promote your music that feels authentic, and finding the fun in the process.
More information is here, and the workshop cost is koha/pay-what-you-can to keep it accessible for everyone.
If you’re interested in being part of the next beta round of the Creative Freedom Project, hit reply, and I’ll add you to the waitlist.
This work feels powerful and important, and I’m so grateful to be part of building it.
