Obviously there are many factors that determine whether a person will be successful as an artist/singer. Usually a person’s definition of success is directly linked to that person’s innermost desires and creative core—these vary from person to person. Most singers desire their creative passions to be expressed, recognized, and honored—preferably as they use their own vocal talents. However, many of us experience impeding fear. In this article, I will explore what is often referred to as the Spiral of Fear, and I will offer some suggestions on how to utilize this spiral constructively as an artist.
Most people know their fear inside out; it is what they worry most might be true about themselves (i.e. I’m not good enough, I’m not lovable, I’m a fake, I’m selfish/foolish etc.). Most often, this fear is the one you’ve been struggling all your life to disprove or hide. Fear is supposed to protect you from danger. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “danger” as “exposure or liability to injury, harm, or evil.”
No such danger exists when expressing your creative core; you are taking risks, but there is no “true” danger. For example, you will not be burned at the stake for singing flat—you simply may not get much work as a singer. Therefore, the type of fear that artists struggle with is based on an illusion, or a perception of a “false” danger. If you are an artist, fear functions as a good indicator that you are growing and taking risks. An artist can use fear as a reminder to be alert and focused on his or her creative core. The adrenaline surge from fear can be transformed to energize the expression of your core.
How does fear thwart so many of our successes? At worst, fear effectively snowballs into a series of thoughts, feelings, and actions that often become all consuming, therefore not allowing anything else to be present. Now, you are spinning on your Spiral of Fear. It is the job of this spiral to draw attention away from the achievement of your creative core.
However, it is possible to use your Spiral of Fear to re-connect yourself to your desires and creative core. The most effective way to do this is to adamantly and staunchly focus on your desires and creative core whenever you find yourself spinning. You can do this immediately or via the following steps:
1. Commit to identifying your Spiral of Fear.
Ask yourself what you are afraid is true about yourself and don’t want other people to know. Identifying negative self-talk often can lead to identifying your fear. Negative self-talk could consist of thoughts like, “I did not rehearse enough, therefore I will not be able to perform well,” or telling a friend that, “They’ll never let someone like me sing that role.” Such negative self-talk can also continue to perpetuate your Spiral of Fear and solidify fear’s hold on you. Common moments when a singer’s fear is triggered include auditions, contract negotiations, reviews, performances, learning a new role or aria, not working or getting certain roles, paying bills, personal relationship changes, vocal changes, and competitions.
2. Explore when and how this fear originated in your life (e.g. Did your parents or a director tell you that you will never be good enough?).
Many people dread exploring these issues. If you already know these issues very well, start using them to your advantage! However, if you’d like assistance and support with these issues, you might consider the help of a professional who is trained to address your fear (mental health practitioners, medical doctors, life/creativity coaches, clergy).
3. Accept that this fear exists in you.
Tell yourself, “Yes I fear that I am _________,” and you’ll learn that once you make this simple statement, you regain some of your power.
4. Acknowledge what you think, feel, say, do or don’t do as a result of the fear.
For example, do you over or under-sing when you think you’re not good enough? Do you not practice or audition? Do you feel inadequate?
5. Notice how these behaviors, thoughts and feelings usually end up proving your fear to be “right”—for example over-singing usually leads to vocal problems and not being “good enough.”
This is your Spiral of Fear.
6. Stop the Spiral by simply changing any of your reactions.
For example, once you’ve identified the spiral, make a choice to NOT over-sing, to go ahead with the audition, to NOT participate in negative self-talk. Instead of telling yourself and other people that you are not good enough, say that you are talented and creative (positive self-talk).
At this time, your Spiral might be trying to convince you that the above will fail. The Spiral wants you to fail, otherwise it cannot exist. Meanwhile, try to remind yourself of your personal goals, core and desires, and notice how your Spiral might have, and probably has, prevented these from becoming true.
7. Release the Spiral and anything you do or did to perpetuate it.
Create your own ceremonies to release your Spiral and re-focus your energy to your creative core. I like writing down whatever thoughts came to mind when performing the above steps on a piece of paper, which I then burn in a fire-proof bowl while telling myself, “I hereby release what I wrote,” over and over until it stops burning. One of my clients simply puts his hand over his heart telling himself he releases his Spiral of Fear as he knows it today, and embraces his creativity. Figure out what works for you.
Some people think they’ve become successful only because they were driven by their Spiral of Fear. However this is false; your creative core always tries to ensure its expression even when fear is present. For example, if you’ve feared you may be unlovable or not good enough, you’ve probably worked very hard to secure that standing ovation or love and approval from the audience. On the way you’ve done all the things necessary to honor your creative core: practiced your skills, done your homework, worked with people who can help you, nurtured your voice, enjoyed nature around you, taken risks, stayed focused, been courageous and talented, trusted, and kept singing! I hope you were able to enjoy the process and have a sense of pride and success. Now that you understand your Spiral of Fear, there are fewer reasons not to.
Additional useful hints in releasing and stopping a life-long held Spiral of Fear are:
•Remember that though these fears feel very real to you, they are still illusions.
•Forgive yourself and others for having perpetuated your Spiral of Fear.
•Surround yourself by supportive people—avoid or tune out “fearmongers” who perpetuate your Spiral of Fear.
•Remember that the presence of fear suggests that we are growing and taking creative risks.
•Focus on your desires and your creative core.
Please note that just as creativity is not simply the opposite of fear, your Spiral of Creativity is not simply the opposite of your Spiral of Fear. In fact when you first explore your Spiral of Creativity, it would help you to avoid focusing on those items that are the opposite of fear. For example, if you fear you are not good enough, do not focus on being good enough. If you cannot think of any words to describe your Spiral of Creativity, try repeating steps 1-7 above with a different focus. Imagine that you are: talented, creative, loving, courageous, faithful, invincible, or any other terms that work for you.
