Yes, Virginia, creativity requires courage and an ample supply of bravery. What other pursuit requires you to bare your soul, put your heart and mind, and your blood, sweat, and tears into inventing every line in a piece? Then when you finish, you must push your baby into the world for the critics to eviscerate?

Courage and bravery are keys to facing your fear. You’ve been there. You’ve stood on the brink, staring at a formidable project that scares the crap out of you. And you wonder if you dare to accept the assignment or if you should walk away. If the soul of a creative person lives inside you, then exercising your creativity is not an option. Your drive to create, to imagine that your dreams and wishes are more than gossamer thoughts, fuels your brave warrior.

The fighter must learn the Litany Against Fear:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
― Frank Herbert, Dune

A funny thing happens when you face your fears head-on – the situations that scare you contain opportunities for growth, healing, and stunning accomplishments. When you dare to attempt something no one else would consider, you set yourself on a course of acquiring skills, insights, and perspectives that are unique to you. You cultivate rare gifts, and those gifts are more precious than rubies.

How brave will you be today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer