Creativity has been a defining characteristic of mine since elementary school. I remember writing short stories in my journals about my Pocket Pets (remember those?), so elaborate with dialogue and character development plots. My imagination was untamable, and it still is. But, even though being creative feels freeing, it can be scary.
Sharing my creativity has always terrified me, from having to read something I wrote out loud to a middle school class to publishing news articles in my local college newspaper. Nothing makes me want to crawl into a hole more than being in the same room as someone reading a piece I have written. Those words are my art, coming straight from my soul and onto a piece of paper for the world to read and critique.
It’s taken me years, maybe even my entire life, to feel somewhat confident in sharing my craft. Still, every time I press ‘publish’ on a blog post (yes, even this one), I get a twinge of pain in my chest thinking about family, friends and complete strangers reading these little pieces of my brain.
For my college graduation, a family friend gifted me the book “Creativity Takes Courage” by Irene Smit and Astrid van der Hulst. Oddly enough, I had that phrase written down as a potential blog post before receiving the book. In the book, there are 13 different “dares” to help creatives eliminate self-doubt.
One of the “dares” really stuck with me: “Dare to Start.” Honestly, this five-page chapter is what kickstarted Kacey Finch Communications Services. My whole life, I’ve had creative ideas that I never seem to have the courage or the motivation to start. Reading these tips on how to get started helped me take the leap: choose something you love, do research, make a plan, ask yourself what the worst-case scenario is, and just do it.
I just did it, and I’m so happy I did. I tuned out my self-doubt and started this little side business that has quickly grown into a true passion project. Using my creativity to help others while also making money has opened my eyes to the opportunities I can create for myself if I just have more courage to do what I love.
I started this blog as a release for my thoughts but also as a way to help me feel more confident in sharing what I am passionate about — creating. So here I am, sharing something I’ve created about the courage it takes to create it. I feel so lucky to be able to create — not just for how it makes me feel but others too.
Creativity takes courage. It’s not easy, but it is so worth it.
“To create one’s own world in any of the arts takes courage.” – Georgia O’Keeffe