Starting a creative project is kind of like walking around naked in Times Square. It's amazing how all your STUFF comes up when you're trying to express yourself. Stuff like:

• Fear of judgment
• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Okay, lots of kinds of fear
• Overwhelm
• Imposter syndrome
• Second-guessing
• Indecision
• Difficulty staying focused
• Procrastination
• Do we really need to list them ALL?

I haven't found any other endeavor--except perhaps parenthood--that challenges your sense of self quite like working on a creative project does.

When you create something new, it's an honest reflection of who you are, warts and all, so it's natural to feel vulnerable.

And the safety of doing what everyone else is doing isn't going to cut it...this is self-expression. Your creative work has to feel right to you. You have to find your personal style and voice.

I started this blog to document my own adventure in the soul-searching side of creativity in the hopes that those of you who are on the same path can learn along with me.

From working for nearly two decades in gifted education, I'm very familiar with the challenges faced by what gifted ed guru Joseph Renzulli refers to as "creative producers." I'm also a Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, and in my training with Jill Badonsky and Dr. Robert Maurer, I discovered that all of the inhibitions and self-sabotaging thoughts listed above are pretty typical for people like you and me.

I hope to expose you to some new ideas, offer support and compassion and provide a place where we can all meet and discuss creativity. Please be an active participant here by sharing your ideas and challenges.

NOTE: This is a reprint of my first blog post back in June 2011 at YourMuseIsCalling.com. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some of the oldies but goodies from my blog so you can get to know me and my work. Please comment so I can get to know you too!