“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ~Sylvia Plath

Not all creative people are supremely confident, hardly surprising when you put yourself out there, making yourself vulnerable by expressing what others dare not say aloud.

To be original and innovative artists must defy the ordinary. Jackson Pollock, the American painter is an example of this. He suffered ridicule for his unconventional way of putting paint onto canvas before becoming famous for establishing the genre of Abstract Impressionism.

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down’ don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” ~Franz Kafka

Self-doubt creeps in when you don’t trust your impulses and intuition, when this happens you become blocked. So you need to learn to trust your gut and your heart, and ignore your head. As Isabelle Allende says, her stories start in her belly, not in her head.