The Courage to Create

Creative work is vulnerable work—here’s how I’m learning to be brave inside it.

Photo by Amelia Vu on Unsplash

Last week, we kicked off the Summer Sessions inside The Growth Collective, and one theme came through loud and clear: fear.

What do we do when it shows up?

How do we keep creating when we’re full of doubt or discomfort?

And what does it actually look like to cultivate courage inside a creative practice?

Our conversation reminded me of something I come back to often: Courage isn’t a singular, cinematic moment where you suddenly feel ready, confident, and bold enough to leap.

More often than not, courage is much quieter than that.

• It’s sitting at your desk and opening the blank page even though you feel like you have nothing to say.

• It’s posting the thing even though your inner critic is screaming.
  It’s asking for help, even when your impulse is to figure things out by yourself.

• It’s resting when your nervous system is fried, but your to-do list isn’t done.

• It’s telling the truth in a room where you’re used to being agreeable.

Courage is a daily practice.
And it’s one that many of us weren’t taught how to cultivate — especially those of us building creative businesses that are deeply personal and public at the same time.

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The Myth of the Fearless Entrepreneur

In online business culture, there’s this idea that successful entrepreneurs are fearless.

They launch without hesitation.
They show up every day.
They never have self doubt.
They just go for it.

But when you look closer — or have the chance to talk to those very same people privately — you learn something different.

They’re not fearless.

They’ve just learned how to move with fear.

They’ve built relationships with the parts of themselves that feel tender, uncertain, and scared.
They’ve developed practices that help them come back to center when perfectionism creeps in.
They’ve learned that being brave isn’t about being perfect or certain — it’s about being willing.

Here’s what I want us all to remember:

Fear doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.
More often than not, it’s a sign you’re doing something right.

It means you’re interrupting old patterns, challenging smallness, and daring to expand beyond what you previously thought was possible.

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Courage Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

I’ve worked with dozens of creative entrepreneurs over the years — writers, artists, healers, coaches, designers, space holders. And while their businesses and voices are wildly different, one thing is almost always true: learning how to move with fear has been a foundational part of their process.

Sometimes it looks like fear of being seen.
Sometimes it’s fear of being misunderstood.
Sometimes it’s fear of not doing it “right.”
And often, it’s just the fear of being too much or not enough.

These fears don’t make you unqualified. They make you human.

So part of the work — the brave, essential work — is learning how to meet your fear with care and still choose to show up.

This doesn’t mean forcing yourself into visibility when your system is overwhelmed.
It doesn’t mean muscling through burnout.

It means cultivating the capacity to tell yourself the truth, trust your voice, and take brave aligned action that respects your humanity.

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The Daily Practice of Courage

I think often we’re waiting to feel different before we begin.
Waiting to feel more confident.
Waiting for a clearer sign.
Waiting for the inner critic to disappear.

But what if courage isn’t about changing how you feel — what if it’s about shifting how you respond to how you feel?

Here are a few ways I practice courage daily:

• Noticing when I’m hiding behind perfectionism and choosing to show up imperfectly anyway

• Naming my needs — in relationships, in collaborations, in my schedule

• Resting — even when the capitalist voice in my head tells me I haven’t earned it/done enough

• Writing and sharing — without over-editing the life out of my voice

• Sitting with discomfort — the kind that often shows up before a creative leap

Some days this practice feels energizing.

Other days it feels vulnerable and raw. But over time, it builds something important. Trust.

Trust in my voice.
Trust in my timing.
Trust that I don’t need to bulldoze through my fear to keep growing.
Trust that I can be scared and still choose to create.

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You’re Allowed to Be Scared and Show Up

I want to say this explicitly: You don’t need to become a different person in order to lead, teach, write, create, or grow.

You don’t need to erase your doubt or pretend to be more certain than you are.

Your tenderness can be with you in your work.
Your uncertainty can sit in the room with your boldness.

There is space for all of it.

Courage isn’t about abandoning yourself.
It’s about showing up with yourself — especially the parts you were taught to hide.

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The Courage to Create: A Workshop Invitation

If you’re craving a space to explore what courage means in your life and business — not in theory, but in real, grounded practice — I’d love to invite you to my upcoming workshop:

The Courage to Create
A 3-hour workshop for creative entrepreneurs who are ready to move with fear, root into truth, and take brave aligned action.

We’ll explore:

• The sneaky ways fear shows up in your creative process (perfectionism, procrastination, overthinking, people-pleasing)

• Tools for nervous system regulation when you’re on the edge of a creative risk

• A courage forward framework you can return to again and again in your creative business

• Space for reflection, coaching, and community connection

📅 Date & Time: Thursday, August 21st, 5pm-8pm et
📍 Location: Live on Zoom (replay available)
💸 Investment: $88
🔗 Sign up here

Whether you’re navigating a big launch, starting something new, or just trying to show up more fully in your business — this space is for you!

Because courage isn’t a destination — it’s a muscle.
And if you’re ready to build a brave, bold, and beautifully human business,
it would be an honor to support you.

With courage & care,
Elyse