Creative folks love to take classes and improve their creative skills, learn new techniques, and tap further into their creative talents, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, if you are really taking these classes in an attempt to fill "the hole of doubt" in your head - that little voice telling you, "You aren't good enough!" - then you aren't really helping yourself because you're not fixing the real problem.



Self-doubt is a terrible beast of an emotion. It will force you to continually second-, third-, and forth-guess yourself. Many people try to mask this overwhelming emotion by referring to themselves as "perfectionists" or "over achievers" when in reality they are totally ruled by that self-doubting voice.

Even worse, creative folks tend to fall victim to the terror of self-doubt more often than not. Right-brain thinkers find themselves in continuous fear that they don't know enough, that their technique isn't perfected enough, or that their clients will see them as "frauds" who aren't worthy of charging for their work.

Even creative types who are confident in their skills and talent have difficulty charging their clients appropriately for their work, worried that no one will pay what they really think they should charge. The few who do find the guts to set appropriate fees cave quickly the second a client questions that fee, and drop prices to keep the client happy.

o Are you charging what you are worth?

o Do you drop your fees the moment a client hesitates on your price?

o Do you joke with other creative folks in your industry about the "10 cent project" you just finished?

o Do you spend tons of hours working on projects for very little pay?

o Are you exhausted by your business with nothing to show for it?

By no means am I suggesting you stop taking classes and improving your creative skills. What I am asking is this: Are you taking classes to improve your skills or are you taking them in an attempt to quiet the self-doubting voice in your head? Is taking that class solving the real issue?

If you do second-guess yourself, have trouble setting fees, cave when a client pushes back on your prices, or spend enormous amounts of time on projects for little money, then self-doubt, not lack of talent, is most likely the problem.

So, invest in a program, class, group, or item that will help you impact the effects self-doubt are having on you and your income. Get out of your own way and learn to control that self-doubting beast talking in your head. Learn skills that will help your business, so you are free to charge what you want and enjoy your creative talents. The impact this will have will span years and will impact your income over and over and over.

Now, wouldn't that be great?