Shownotes
Creating art can feel like stepping into the spotlight with no script—scary, right? This episode dives right into that fear of flopping in front of an audience, especially when you're sharing your work for the first time. We chat about how putting your creations out there can be a wild ride of vulnerability, but guess what? It’s also a golden ticket to growth! Every artist you admire has faced the daunting task of showing their work before they felt ‘ready,’ and that’s totally part of the deal. So, if you’re feeling intimidated about sharing your art, buckle up—you're not alone, and we’ve got some nifty tips to help you conquer that stage fright and unleash your creativity into the world!
Are you afraid to share your creative work because it might fail in public?
In Episode 10 of Create Anyway: You’re Allowed to Make Art, we explore one of the biggest challenges modern artists face: the fear of putting creative work into the world before it feels perfect.
Whether you’re starting a podcast, sharing your first painting, publishing writing online, or releasing music, the pressure to perform publicly can make creativity feel risky. Many artists hesitate to share their work because they fear criticism, judgment, or simply not being “good enough.”
But the truth is that every creative journey includes a visible learning phase.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why sharing art publicly can feel so intimidating
- How social media and online platforms amplify fear of failure
- The hidden cost of perfectionism for creative growth
- Why every artist has an awkward early phase
- How learning in public can accelerate your development
If you’ve been holding back from sharing your work because you’re worried it won’t be perfect, this episode offers a different perspective: creative confidence doesn’t come from waiting — it comes from participation.
Your first attempts may not be polished.
They may not go viral.
They may not even feel impressive.
But they are necessary.
Every artist starts somewhere.
And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is press “publish.”
1. The Pressure of the First Share
For many new artists, the hardest moment isn’t creating the work — it’s showing it.
Posting your art online, sharing a recording, or letting someone see your work can feel like stepping onto a stage before you feel prepared.
2. The Internet Makes Failure Visible
In the past, artists could develop privately. Today, creative work often lives online where feedback is immediate.
This creates the illusion that every piece must be polished before it’s seen.
3. Perfection as Protection
Perfectionism often hides fear.
If the work is never “ready,” it never has to face judgment.
But perfection is also the fastest way to stall creative growth.
4. Every Artist Has an Awkward Phase
The artists we admire rarely show the early work that came before mastery.
Every creative journey includes a period of awkward experiments, unfinished ideas, and visible learning.
That phase isn’t failure — it’s the path.
5. Courage Is Sharing Before You’re Ready
Confidence usually comes after exposure, not before it.
The artists who grow are the ones who accept that their early work might be imperfect — and share it anyway.
Visibility isn’t the reward for mastery.
Sometimes it’s the mechanism that creates it.
Takeaways:
- Creating art today is more about overcoming the audience's judgment than the actual creation itself, which is a wild realization.
- When you share your art, be it a poem or a podcast, it transforms from a personal piece into a public spectacle open for feedback.
- Facing the fear of public failure is tough, especially for those of us starting later in life, but it’s a common struggle among artists everywhere.
- Every artist you admire has had their own moments of vulnerability and fear before sharing their work, and that’s totally okay!
- Learning to embrace public exposure in our creative endeavors can lead to faster growth and ultimately more fulfilling artistry.
- It’s important to remember that not everyone will resonate with your work, and that's perfectly normal – your art is not meant for everyone!
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Reach Out To The Podcast
To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.
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Transcripts
One of the hardest parts about making art today isn't the work itself, but it's the audience.
Speaker A:The moment you share something, painting, poem, song, even a podcast, it's no longer just yours.
Speaker A:It's visible, it's open to opinion.
Speaker A:And sometimes that makes us hesitate before we even begin.
Speaker A:Now, in this episode, we're talking about the fear of failing in public and why putting your work out into the world can feel so vulnerable, especially later in life and learning how.
Speaker A:And how learning to create in the open might actually be the fastest path to growth.
Speaker A:Because the truth is, every artist you admire once had to risk being seen before they were ready.
Speaker A:Foreign.
Speaker A:This is Timothy Keemo, Bryan, your head instigator for Create Art podcast, where I bring my over 30 years of experience in the arts and education world to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume.
Speaker A:We're continuing on with the Create Anyway series, and today we're talking about being afraid to fail in public, which is something that a lot of us struggle with, and it stops a lot of us from even putting anything out there or beginning to work on something.
Speaker A:And the fact of the matter is that great artists have always put their stuff out there and we all have this fear, and it's okay, it's understandable.
Speaker A:But we're going to talk to you about how you can overcome that fear and some tips and strategies on doing that.
Speaker A:So stay tuned.
Speaker A:Now, maybe you're just starting off and that's perfectly fine with your art, but now you're wanting to put it out into the world and there's the pressure of that first share what are people going to think about it?
Speaker A:And if you're of a certain age, and at the time I'm recording this, I'm 53, but if you're similar in age to me and you're just now putting it out and you heard in my intro, I've been doing this for 30 years, over 30 years.
Speaker A:But if it's just the first time you're putting it out there in public, that's really tough.
Speaker A:That is very.
Speaker A:It can be very scary, very scary to do that.
Speaker A:And putting your stuff online or recording or actually letting somebody else see your work that is not a family member or a friend that can feel like stepping out into the stage and not being prepared, not knowing your lines.
Speaker A:And this is something that we all deal with.
Speaker A:And that's what it is.
Speaker A:It's pretty much the pressure of that first share the first time you're putting it out there, and that's something we all deal with the first time now.
Speaker A:For me, it's happened so long ago, and I've put so much stuff out in the world that for me, it's not even a thing.
Speaker A:It's just, okay, cool.
Speaker A:I have a thick enough skin, so that way it doesn't bother me to put it out there.
Speaker A:But if you're brand new to it, that can be really scary.
Speaker A:And hopefully you take some comfort in.
Speaker A:We've all been there, artists that have done this before.
Speaker A:We've all been there and we understand.
Speaker A:But the world will not see your stuff if you don't put it out there.
Speaker A:And you are going to have to develop a thick skin for it, for the criticism or for people not quite understanding it.
Speaker A:You can look at it that way or you can look at it as a learning opportunity.
Speaker A:And the other thing is, it may not be for that person that's looking at it.
Speaker A:My art isn't for everybody, and that's okay.
Speaker A:I'm good with that.
Speaker A:And you need to learn to be good with it as well.
Speaker A:And you will.
Speaker A:You absolutely will.
Speaker A:So something that previous generations didn't have to deal with is putting their stuff out online for everyone else to see.
Speaker A:And when we do that, any failures, any mistakes that we make in our art is completely visible to everybody that's out there.
Speaker A:In past, we could, as artists, develop privately, but in today's era and age, we get feedback immediately with likes, dislikes, comments, stuff like that.
Speaker A:People that don't even know you are commenting on your work because you're putting it out there.
Speaker A:And that makes some people think that everything's got to be perfect before they put it out there.
Speaker A:Guess what?
Speaker A:Maybe your work is not for that person, and that's okay.
Speaker A:I'm stealing that from Seth Godin.
Speaker A:It's not for everybody, and that's okay.
Speaker A:And my work definitely isn't for everybody, and that's okay.
Speaker A:I'm good with that.
Speaker A:It's for a certain audience.
Speaker A:This podcast isn't for everybody, but it's obviously for you because you're still here listening to it.
Speaker A:And I'm here to tell you that, yes, you're gonna make mistakes.
Speaker A:And those mistakes, it makes your art you.
Speaker A:It makes it uniquely you.
Speaker A:Nobody can copy that.
Speaker A:Not even AI can copy that, because it's gonna make things that look perfect or too perfect.
Speaker A:And sometimes dealing with imperfection is the way to go.
Speaker A:Okay, so we're going to stay on the whole.
Speaker A:Making mistakes or failures.
Speaker A:Another huge quote.
Speaker A:If you're afraid of that could be a protection that you're using and that it's.
Speaker A:The work isn't perfect.
Speaker A:It's not ready.
Speaker A:You're not ready for it to face judgment.
Speaker A:And it's a real thing.
Speaker A:It's a real thing that we all deal with.
Speaker A:But guess what?
Speaker A:If it's not perfect, that's okay.
Speaker A:Nobody in this world is perfect.
Speaker A:Nobody sees the world like you see the world.
Speaker A:Nobody sees it like I see it.
Speaker A:I notice different things that other people don't see.
Speaker A:Other people notice things I don't see, and that's okay.
Speaker A:And that's one of the reasons I love art so much, is that I can hold up a piece of paper and go, this is what I see.
Speaker A:Do you see this?
Speaker A:I see most of it, but I don't see this.
Speaker A:Not, oh, okay.
Speaker A:And I take that back and rewrite it or go, you know what?
Speaker A:They didn't see it, and I'm putting it out there.
Speaker A:Or maybe they see something in the work that I don't see.
Speaker A:That's happened many times.
Speaker A:I recently did a painting from my wife that was lips and dripping paint.
Speaker A:And people are like, oh, is there words in that?
Speaker A:Are you making a word out of that?
Speaker A:I'm like, no, it's just dripping paint.
Speaker A:But that does look like a word.
Speaker A:So, yes, there's a word in there.
Speaker A:Figure it out.
Speaker A:And that was a mistake.
Speaker A:That was a complete and utter mistake.
Speaker A:But you know what?
Speaker A:Somebody got something out of it, and they saw something that I didn't see in it.
Speaker A:So don't use the fear of, hey, it's not ready.
Speaker A:It's not perfect.
Speaker A:Don't use that to not put it out there.
Speaker A:Now let's move on to that awkward phase.
Speaker A:Okay, we're putting it out there.
Speaker A:We're not feeling a hundred percent with it.
Speaker A:We don't know how to defend it.
Speaker A:Again, big quote, works on it.
Speaker A:And a lot of artists are not going to show their early work before they master that work.
Speaker A:And I'm of the type that I want to know the phase.
Speaker A:I want to see what you started off with to the end, because that journey is really enlightening.
Speaker A:And that makes that final product even better.
Speaker A:In my opinion, we're all going to be awkward with this, and we need to get comfortable with being awkward with it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I've got 30 years of being awkward.
Speaker A:I was awkward as a kid.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker A:You know, it's okay to be awkward.
Speaker A:Everyone goes through this, and especially if you're starting this up late in life, you're like, man, I don't know.
Speaker A:Just give it a shot.
Speaker A:Give it a shot.
Speaker A:What's the worst that can happen?
Speaker A:Somebody doesn't like it.
Speaker A:Oh, it's not for them.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:It's not for them.
Speaker A:And if that kind of sounds like a cop out, okay, maybe it is, maybe it's not.
Speaker A:I don't think it is the work that people put out.
Speaker A:One of my favorite bands, Depeche Mode, I was just talking with my brother about this the other night.
Speaker A:Their new stuff, not really into their old stuff.
Speaker A:Really love new stuff.
Speaker A:Doesn't speak to me.
Speaker A:And that's okay.
Speaker A:It doesn't have to.
Speaker A:Not all of John Coltrane's songs really speak to me.
Speaker A:And John Coltrane is my favorite jazz musician.
Speaker A:I don't listen to him every day.
Speaker A:I need to listen to him.
Speaker A:I listen to him and some of his stuff.
Speaker A:Not the greatest stuff in the world, and I'm okay with that.
Speaker A:And we all have our awkward faces like that.
Speaker A:So your audience is not always going to be 100% in your corner.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was fantastic.
Speaker A:It was the best piece I've ever seen.
Speaker A:Don't expect that.
Speaker A:Some are going to like it, some are not going to like it.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:The ones that like it, it's for them.
Speaker A:The ones that don't like it, not for them.
Speaker A:It's not a failure on your part to feel awkward.
Speaker A:It's natural, it's human, and we all feel it.
Speaker A:And you know what?
Speaker A:The successful artists get over it.
Speaker A:A little tough love there, but we need to get over that feeling if.
Speaker A:Especially if it's stopping us from creating.
Speaker A:All right, now we're going to talk about how courage, actual courage, is sharing before you're ready.
Speaker A:Confidence is going to come after the exposure, not before it.
Speaker A:So don't put your horse before the cart there.
Speaker A:Artists that grow are the ones that accept that their early work might be imperfect, and they share it anyways.
Speaker A:And again, I like it when they share it because then I can see the progression.
Speaker A:And it makes me go, oh, there's a journey here.
Speaker A:And yes, I like some of the work.
Speaker A:I don't like some of the work, but I love to see the progression of the work.
Speaker A:And you're not going to get this courage until you put it out there.
Speaker A:Being visible is not the award, is not the reward for mastery.
Speaker A:Visibility happens when you put stuff out there, and then you gain the mastery afterwards.
Speaker A:And sometimes you take enough hits, you take enough criticism, and you adjust, and that's where the mastery happens.
Speaker A:And that's how the mastery becomes who you are as an artist.
Speaker A:So be courageous and put it out there.
Speaker A:All right, that's all I got for you on this episode.
Speaker A:I want to thank you so much for tuning in to create art podcast.
Speaker A:If you got something out of this episode or somebody that needs to hear this episode, go ahead and share it with them.
Speaker A:I'm not, I promise I'm not going to bite your fingers off.
Speaker A:I promise.
Speaker A:Use the podcast app that you're using right now and hit that share button.
Speaker A:Or if you're on YouTube, share that button with with your friend that needs to hear this.
Speaker A:But you know what, if we don't put it out there, we don't risk it.
Speaker A:There's no reward at the end.
Speaker A:So definitely put your work out there and share it with somebody.
Speaker A:If you want to share your ideas, your thoughts, your critique, or if you want to be on the show, reach out to me.
Speaker A:Timothyreateartpodcast.com Be happy to help you out.
Speaker A:And speaking about sharing shows, I run another show called Find a Podcast about.
Speaker A:It's been in the hiatus for a little while, but it's going to be coming out soon.
Speaker A:You can find it at findapodcastabout xyz and that's where I help my listeners find their next binge worthy podcast and outsmart the algorithm.
Speaker A:I also run my own business called TKB Podcast Studio.
Speaker A:You can find it at tkbpodcaststudio.com and that's where I help my clients lead through the noise with quiet professionalism and help them make the best podcasts that they can make.
Speaker A:Check out my website, see what I've done for others.
Speaker A:Maybe you want to start a podcast too.
Speaker A:Let me help you out.
Speaker A:Do that.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:That's all I got for you today.
Speaker A:I need to get on with my day.
Speaker A:Hope you get on with your day.
Speaker A:Now go out there and tame that inner critic.
Speaker A:Create more than you consume and show it to somebody and make some art for somebody.
Speaker A:You love yourself.
Speaker A:I'll talk to you next time, Sam.
