Feel the Fear, Create Anyway

learning how to show up for your dreams ...even when you're scared sh*tless

For much of my life I’ve had a fear of being seen as a creative.

And this probably extends way past my creative desires

but it has only been in recent years that I have been able to articulate my feelings around this.

I think this is largely because it is spoken about more. and for that I am grateful.

Because I truly believe that when you know better, you can do better.

I have all these desires brewing within me.

I love painting, writing, taking photos, creating videos for my youtube channel.

I was born to create.

and for so long I held back from fully owning it.

which I went into a bit in my recent video

So, when I made the decision to join substack, it was a very active decision.

Because when I started my blog many many moons ago — it was almost like I was banking on the fact that no one was going to read it.

Part of me found comfort in the idea of no audience because of this internal fear I have been carrying with me.

Back then I didn’t have a Youtube Channel

I wasn’t really cross promoting my content on multiple platforms.

I wasn’t actively building a personal brand.

I was just sharing my blog posts on my personal FB page for my friends and family.

and even then, I only shared SOME of my posts.

It felt way too cringe. I felt way too vunerable.

And I do feel like substack still feels like this seperate entity from social media…

it still feels a little hidden, private, more safe to express.

but when I made that decision in January 2025 to join this platform, I came into it with a different mindset.

knowing that I was going to be cross promoting it on other platforms for all to see but that I still needed to show up as if I wasn’t.

because if I get too much in my head — it will stunt my creative flow all together.

but I had the vision of the bigger picture of what I’m trying to build.

And it has no room for this fear of being seen.

So, we go to work to challenge it constantly.

Does that mean the fear has magically disappeared? Nope.

It’s still there.

but there’s something I’ve learned over the years…

it’s that fear isn’t meant to disappear.

fear is meant to be a part of the journey, a part of our lives.

fear being present isn’t the actual problem.

the problem arises when we let fear jump into the drivers seat and it starts calling the shots.

so, I actively have to kick fear to the backseat and remember that I’m calling the shots.

And ultimately what I fear more than being seen…is regret.

regret of not doing the things my heart feels so called to do.

regret of not saying the things that are burning inside me

regret of not becoming the version of me I know I want to become in this lifetime

regret of not creating the impact in the lives of others that I desire

when the end of my life comes, I want to say I lived it.

I want to say I went for it.

That I showed up courageously all while feeling the fear bubbling inside.

leave it all on the table knowing I squeezed the juice out of my life,

instead of merely existing because something felt scary or someone might judge me.

that fear is why you’re reading these words right now

so, it was never meant to be about eliminating fear.

it’s about feeling it and doing the damn thing anyway.

it’s about finding a fear that scares you more than the fear of being seen.

it’s about knowing that these desires are on your heart for a reason.

they have been given to you for a reason.

so my friend, remember this…

every single day you are being presented with a choice to feel the fear and choose to show up for yourself anyway.

until next time,

J xo