For some artists, our expectations of ourselves and our work form a subconscious barrier to full, free creativity. In my work with creative pros, I've uncovered three main sources of potentially unhealthy expectations.

Unhealthy Expectation No. 1: Our heroes
Many of us began making art because we were inspired by others to do so. If we're not careful, however, our "hero worship" can become a creative noose. We can easily begin to think that our work is sub-par because it doesn't seem to measure up to the invisible standard we've unknowingly set.

In his incredible book "Free Play," Stephen Nachmanovich writes, "It's great to sit on the shoulders of giants, but don't let the giants sit on YOUR shoulders! There's no room for their legs to dangle."

In other words, we can carry the weight of our heroes on our shoulders and feel the burden to carry their work forward. When we do this, we're denying our own creative skills and passions and trying to live up to someone else's standard. We're also discounting the failures, doubts and missteps that our heroes made on the way to creative success. It's great to strive for brilliance, but it's also important to be patient with our own growth process.

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Posted by Megan