Most creatives assume their biggest struggles come from lack of discipline, lack of clarity, or not being “skilled enough.” But that’s rarely the truth. What we’re actually fighting is far deeper: old trauma patterns showing up in new creative seasons.

It’s subtle. It sneaks into how we price our work, how we talk to clients, how we share our ideas, and even how we think about our own identity. And the result is a self-feeding loop that leads to procrastination or complete paralysis.

That loop has two phases: imposter syndrome and perfectionism.

Imposter syndrome tells us we don’t belong. Perfectionism tells us we shouldn’t move until everything is flawless. Both feel real. Both feel logical. Both pretend to be protection.

But the truth? They’re just fear wearing different outfits.

Fear doesn’t disappear. But it doesn’t have to run the show either. Once we learn to notice it, name it, and move anyway everything changes.