Trust

Creativity can be an incredible vulnerability.  Things we create have a tie to our souls – to the deepest truths of who we are that maybe even we aren’t aware of.

Creating something is scary and can be scariest when released into the world, our of control to shelter and protect. It’s terrifying to know your baby is out there to be judged and maybe mocked. There’s a reason analogies to children abound.

One way to conquer that fear – or lessen it, at least – is to give it the support and make it as ready as possible. For stories, that means editing, editing, maybe rewriting, and more editing. It means having beta readers, or a critique group: eyes aside from our own to catch the things that, because of our closeness, we just can’t.

It’s hard to trust someone with your creativity. And someone who doesn’t have your trust won’t be able to help you the way you want or need. People who aren’t creatively safe can hurt, maybe even kill that baby.

So it’s important to surround the creative process, whatever yours happens to be, with people you trust creatively.

They can be rare, hard to find. It takes a certain sort of alchemy. I wish there were a handy formula to follow, but you have to trust yourself and your instincts (and that can sometimes be the hardest part of all).

So whom do you trust?

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