Finishing an art piece is terrifying

A room made of cardboard and paper that I’ve abandoned many times. Whenever I’ve left it, I always told myself something more important came up. But in reality, I’m just afraid to finish it.

I’ve often heard it said that there is nothing scarier to an artist than a blank page. For me, that’s never been a problem. I can look at that page and immediately cut it up or splatter paint on it. Turning it into something new fights the paralysis of beginning. After that, the possibilities seem endless.

What I find terrifying is the end of the process: that final 10%. Getting any artistic work over the finish line is something I’ve always struggled with. Maybe it’s because I have to face all my decisions I’ve made along the way. And that makes me overthink, which then triggers my anxiety. Then I spiral into a whirlwind of questions:

• Was this the right color for this part?
• Should I redo this part so it looks better?
• Damn, I wish I could incorporate what learned while making this piece into it. Maybe I should just start over?

Then the questions begin to turn on me completely.

• Do I really want to put this in the world?
• Am I saying anything worthwhile with this piece?
• Is it good enough? Worthy enough?
• Am I good enough? Worthy enough?

I’ve gone through this whirlwind enough to know why I’m in it: I’m scared, plain and simple. As an artist, I’ve had to accept — even embrace — this fear. For as long as I’m creating, I’ll always feel afraid before entering the arena.

And I’m not afraid because I think what I made is bad. I’m afraid that others will think it, and that they’ll be right. I’m afraid that one day I’ll discover that my talent was a delusion, and one of the greatest, dearest joys in my life will disappear forever.

But guess what? I’ve been creating for 34 years, and not once have these deep fears come true. True, most of my work does not go viral. Most of it gets caught in the gushing stream of other content out there, making me wonder if social media is actually good or bad for us artists. And often I feel that what I do put out there could be better in one way or another.

But none of the above has ever stopped me from starting again. From making something that I know could be better, because I’m a little better having made the last thing. The crucial part in all of this is to push through to the finish line every time. Because finishing one thing means you get to start anew, armed with new lessons and experiences to pull from.

So, if you have unfinished projects that are weighing you down, I encourage you to finish them. Finish them so you can face another blank page. And complete the cycle again and again. Because you are worthy of doing so. You always were, but each time you complete this cycle, it’ll feel a bit more true :)