It's definitely fear for me as well. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to create, whether it be working on writing stories, drawing, or painting. My ideas feel very close to me - like they represent a part of me. They're very well-developed in my mind, but when it comes time to put pen to paper, I seize up. Part of it is time - I have so much in my head sometimes that it can be daunting to think about the hours or days it would take to translate something into reality, when I could just selfishly go over it again in my head.

Another part is fear. Fear that it won't be good, fear that I'll put my time and energy and soul into something and it'll just be crap. And what would that mean for me, if I took an idea that represents a part of me and made it concrete, opening myself up and making myself vulnerable, and it wasn't good?

But I've been realizing that the things really worth creating come from that vulnerable place. When I look back over things that I've made, the best things happen when I'm honest with myself about what I really WANT to make, rather than trying to impress other people. Real creation involves risk. And things that come from that place feel real, like they have their own life to them.

Another thing: you can't wait until you feel good to do it. There's no waiting for motivation. Instead focus on becoming disciplined. I find that I never have the motivation to write until I've already started. And I never feel like starting. So the way I see it, my task is to make sure I'm touching pen to paper EVERY DAY. I don't worry about coming up with clever ideas, or writing the next great American novel. For me it's about uncorking the bottle and letting whatever's inside come dribbling out all over the page. I can decide later if it's any good. But motivation comes through the process of creating, not before. So the important thing is to get what's inside out and see where it carries you.