Are you insecure or a creative genius?

Every creative I know is insecure.

Yes, even the best of them — especially the best of them.

I have this theory.

All creatives are insecure, but that self-doubt is a good thing. It is a sign of untapped creative genius.

You’re probably a little insecure yourself. Maybe from time to time, you doubt your skills, experience, and work.

But have you ever considered that your self-doubt might be a sign of your creative potential?

You probably haven’t.

Here’s the thing: All creative people are a little insecure because of their constant exposure to great creative work.

And Ira Glass, the creative mind behind some of the most popular podcasts of all time, like This American Life, Serial, and S-Town, fully agrees.

This is what Ira had to say about creativity:

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal, and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

This “gap” Ira describes is the reason for the creative insecurities of many.

It’s tough to feel good about your writing after reading Hemingway or your acting after watching Kate Winslet.

Ironically, the only way to become great at your craft is to study the greats so you can recognize great work when you make it.

Now, you know. Your insecurities are simply an indicator of your great taste and untapped creative potential.

Get to work, put yourself on a deadline, and keep going.