Doing It Scared

For most of my life, I’ve made decisions in my creative journey based on the fear of something. Whether that was the fear of missing out, the fear of falling behind, the fear of inadequacy, the fear of being boring, the fear of not fitting in – the list goes on. Fear has always driven me to accomplish great things, but it’s never satisfied and never fulfilling.

Perhaps it’s one of the many things I inherited from my immigrant upbringing, but somewhere along the way, I realized that maybe being motivated by fear wasn’t something I wanted for myself anymore.

A Courageous Shift in Perspective

Setting aside fear – despite being aware of it – is a hard muscle to exercise because the act of dreaming requires us to prioritize our desires – the things that give us joy and inspire us. I’m speaking about the dreams that go beyond the things that give us joy in our day-to-day lives and illuminates what we want our future to look like. For me, this means dreaming about the projects and collaborations I want to accomplish in my creative career. It means imagining how my practice might evolve and what type of work I want to be known for.

At the beginning of 2024, I created a bingo card of my goals for the new year. Some of the boxes were filled with milestones rather than goals (to keep some things achievable) and others were filled with my biggest and wildest dreams. I genuinely never thought I would accomplish as much as I did (like painting my first public mural!), but those experiences taught me that I have the power to make my dreams into reality. And more importantly, that choosing to dream forces fear out of the driver seat.

Doing It Anyways

Recently, I was chatting with my therapist about my 2024 goals that came to fruition and they said “The theme of your year was ‘I think I can do it, so I did”. This phrase continues to resonate with me. Now I find myself asking: What if I approached life with the confidence that I can accomplish the things I set out to achieve?

This question has never been more relevant in my life. Last year, I wrote down that one of my goals is to freelance more. So in April 2025, I started a new role with part-time hours in order to pursue more freelance opportunities and to work with more purpose-driven organizations. I feel terrified of the unpredictability and potential financial instability this might bring; each day brings a new wave of doubt and anxious thoughts. The only difference now is that I’ve learned to hold space for other motivating factors like excitement, wonder, joy, and alignment.

When I realized fear isn’t the only one who can narrate and frame my perspective, it opened up space to invite other ideas to shape my outlook. What would possibility say about this new role? What would adventure or rest say about the abundance of time I have access to?

“When I realized fear isn’t the only one who can narrate and frame my perspective, it opened up space to invite other ideas to shape my outlook.”

A Few Things to Remember

Pursuing scary things can feel a bit more approachable when we have guidelines to follow. I’ve followed these bite-sized tips in my life to achieve some of my dreams thus far. Take what resonates with you and leave what doesn’t!

• Start small

  • If you have a really big dream that feels intangible, try to break it down into the smallest possible step and start there. It could be as simple as watching a youtube tutorial or following a content creator in that industry who can shed light on their process.

  • If you don’t know where to start or what you want to achieve, reflect on the things that you’re passionate about or give you joy. Usually, the things we already practice in our daily lives point to our deeper desires.

• Ask for help

  • Reach out to people who are smarter than you and who have already done the thing you’re hoping to do. Ask them for a coffee chat – this can be virtual or in-person. The worse thing someone could say is no. More likely than not, most people are very willing to help out someone who is just starting out. Remember to be curious and approach each conversation with humility and openness.

  • Try to meet others’ generosity by giving back. This could look like a multitude of ways – treating someone to a small treat, or sending a kind message, or even just continuing to build relationship on social platforms.

• No fixed outcome

  • Don’t be attached to the final outcome. Instead, focus on the process and the things you can learn from the doing of it.

  • Document your journey. One of the things art school taught me is that documentation is a necessary and incredibly helpful part of learning. It can be a way to trace your mistakes, share your successes with others, and understand how to improve on future iterations of your work.

If you need some help clarifying your goals or getting started on an intimidating project, get in touch!