Be an embarrassment, it’s not that bad
Flying. Heights. Loneliness. Death. Fears are everywhere, and they’re often more common than you’d think.
Did you know that millions (yes millions) of people around the world have Globophobia? That’s the extreme fear of balloons.
Another fear you’ve probably heard a lot of hot air about is the fear of failure. It’s a perennial favourite in business books, conference keynotes and LinkedIn posts.
But when it comes to creative work, we’ve found that fear of failure isn’t the big enemy. Failure’s only possible when you’re actually making something, and so much of the job takes place before that. Before an idea comes to fruition, you have to say it out loud. You have to share it with other people. And that brings about the big boss of creative fears: the fear of embarrassment.
Not putting forth ideas because you’re worried people won’t like them is natural. It can be scary to open yourself up. But when you free yourself from the shameful world of embarrassment, and let your ideas wind down every weird and wonderful avenue your mind can muster, you’ll get your rewards.
Think about all your favourite pieces of creativity. Songs, jokes, artworks, adverts. So much of the best stuff comes from completely random places. Places that must have been embarrassing to say out loud the first time.
Remember the British Heart Foundation’s CPR advert with Vinnie Jones? Imagine the thoughts that must’ve been running through the writer’s mind the moment before they pitched that idea. “Is this too insensitive? Too weird? Am I seriously going to say this out loud? Why do I talk about Vinnie Jones so much?”
If they hadn’t overcome their embarrassment – their fear of being laughed at – the world would never have had the joy of witnessing the now classic ad. And more importantly, thousands of lives wouldn’t have been saved.
If you struggle with it, remember that you’re only the main character in your own story. For the most part we’re all just extras in everyone else’s lives. And what a liberating feeling that is. It gives us the freedom to say what we want, safe in the knowledge that the other people in the room are just as caught up in their own minds, and their own fears, as we are in ours.
Have you ever got a win on a fruit machine? When you do, it makes a big song and dance. The lights start flashing, the tunes start playing, the coins start rattling off the plastic holder below. It’s a proper moment.
When you lose on a fruit machine, what happens? Nothing. It’s like you never even played.
That’s what ideas are like. The good ones get celebrated while the bad ones get forgotten about. There’s literally nothing to lose.
So please, next time you’re too embarrassed to share an unusual thought, the kernel of an idea, or to ask a tricky question – don’t bottle it. Just say the thing, because at the end of the day, if it’s good, good, and if it’s terrible nobody cares.
Who The LR We?
StudioLR is the creative agency that believes in guts. We’ve been grabbing people’s insides and making them interesting since 2004. If you liked this blog, you might like this one which talks about finding new creative ideas. And also features that Vinnie Jones ad.
