But allow me to offer a suggestion for the evil spirit which hinders your creative prowess in the virtual world. This nasty four letter word is something we don’t like to admit, but it’s ever omnipresent at times of creative block.

And yes.. it’s the “F” word.

Fear.

Fear affects us more than we like to admit, and when you’re somebody who is known for a particular skill or talent, it feels like your essence has disappeared. Writing blogs in particular is insidious for the author, as you’re really putting yourself out there and open to criticism. I thought long and hard before I began publishing an opinion blog, as there will always be critics. I’m lucky in that my critics are either well informed and now how to argue, or are just full of pointlessly venomous and have no clue what they’re talking about.. Askimnet is the best tool for that.

But as an author of a popular blog (WordPress says so! Yay!) and a successful Second Life content creator, the fear of failure or mediocrity aren’t the only fears we harbour.

Most fear is subconscious and manifests itself as procrastination or a creative block. I’ve been trying to work on my SL photography for the past 2 months, but I’ve failed to produce anything which is emotionally evoking to me.. I know that my spark will come back, but I keep putting off my desire to produce a beautiful artwork by concentrating on other things.

But that’s not to say I regret doing other things. For a start, regret is pointless.. what’s done is done, and it’s how you deal with it that counts. I’m glad that that is something I’ve learnt at a young age because it’s enabled me to achieve a lot that I want from life (both lives) in a relatively short span of time. But there is fear, and in a way it does hold me back.

And truth be told, every time I start a new venture and set course on a new direction, I’m still afraid. I don’t think that’ll ever change though.. it’s human nature.

The key is not to let it stop you from trying.

So allow me to explore the types of fear which I think holds back us creative souls.

The Fear of Failure

Personal success is hindered by a fear of failure.. I can point to a dozen studies which will tell you that. We fear failure because we are emotionally attached to a cause, and we become the tasks required to reach success.. when your self-esteem is tied into the job at hand, we’re suffering a risk of humiliation. I, personally, hold a fear that if I fail at a new venture, people will look at me and note me only for my failure, and not my success. But then I look at it logically, and I realise that that fear is completely irrational.

I’ve already admitted to you that I’m afraid to fail. That’s a non issue. But if I do fail, I know that I’ll learn from my mistakes, and that I’ll be a better person for it. Additionally, every failure I suffer will bring me a step closer to success.

And of course, although success is the ambition, it’s not the underlying reason as to why I do something. I do it for the learning experience, and thereby the fear of humiliation just becomes an illusion.

The Fear of Rejection

In Second Life, I am my work. My builds, my clothes, my photographs, my machinima, my blog are all what represent me in the metaverse. A rejection of those are a rejection of me. Second Life is made up of millions of contributions which form the virtual world. The Internet too is made up of such contributions.

One of the biggest critics of my blog likes to personally attack me for having the audacity to write about myself. But that’s what the new digital age is about – people are sharing themselves and their ideas and thoughts, which in turn make people think about their own thoughts on the subjects, and hence turn out more ideas, which turn into concepts and productions. If nobody dared to talk, then nothing would ever get done.

You can never please everyone. I only have to find my audience and please them.. if someone doesn’t like this blog, then they don’t have to read it. More importantly, I feed on rejection and diversify myself to widen the appeal and become better and stronger at what I do.

The Fear of Mediocrity

I’m cursed with perfectionism. I admit that now – anything I do, I have to work to make sure it’s perfect, and I won’t stop until it is. And that perfectionism prevents me from just putting any old thing out for sale in my store and resolving to improve it over time. But with an approach like that, I’d never sell anything.

At the moment, I’m looking at the blog entry and thinking it’s probably not good enough to publish. And on that matter, will this entry even help anyone? Should I just quit writing, quit photography, quit everything and just concentrate on developing a single skill?

But then I close my eyes, take a deep breath and realise that I must be doing something right in all the things I do in Second Life.

Nobody will ever be perfect.. let it go and just do your best, and constantly try to improve yourself. Never be afraid to learn. Remember that action will always beat inaction, every time. And accomplishing something is always better than accomplishing nothing at all.

The Fear of Success

Here’s an interesting one.. why would we fear success in Second Life, when it’s what most people aim towards? Well aiming for this ideal can cause us to subconsciously avoid it, because we now that success brings about changes.

I’ve worried that I don’t really deserve success. I’m just another guy, after all.. there’s nothing special about me. I’ve definitely worried that my successes are raising people’s expectation of me, and at some point I’m going to reach the ceiling and not be able to do any better. Then there’s the worry that friends will resent my success and that the responsibilities that come with success will prove too overwhelming. Basically, my imagination plays tricks and tries to fool me into not trying, just so I can avoid change.

But then, change happens whether you succeed or fail.. so why not succeed? Richard Branson built up his Virgin empire in several different industries and became a power in many fields.. why not try new things and aim to be known as someone who is multi-talented? You are the work that you put in, and not the reaped rewards. I do what I love doing, and I don’t worry about the consequences.

The Fear of Risk

They say it’s better to be safe than sorry, and in some cases that is true. But in Second Life, it’s essentially a world of dreams, and being safe is essentially putting up your own gravestone. Not only do your dreams die, but you live the rest of your life wondering what could’ve been.

Society grooms us to embrace consistency, safety and familiarity, but it’s the people who dare to try something new who will take the rewards. In both lives, I’ve learnt that no matter how much you achieve, you’ll need to keep pushing yourself to try new things and running risks. May as well get used it..!

Really, just ask yourself what the worst is that could happen? So I wasted an hour and just winded up deleting a bunch of prims. Or I published controversial blog post and now some people resent me for it.. so what? And the end of the day, I can say I did something. And taking risks like that will breed my self confidence, and every time you survive, you thrive.

Look before you leap?

Nah, just jump.

Please do come along if you so wish to =)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vehicle/163/106/22

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The sixth and final night of The Photo Institute’s Speakers Series concludes with Second Life builder and photographer Prad Prathivi who will talk about his work and answer your questions.

We will also be announcing the winners of the Koinup.com’s Quintessence Contest.

The Photo Institute is Second Life’s premiere photography instruction school. From beginner to advanced, TPI can teach you to take better pictures. We’ll help you to better understand the nature of and intricacies of Second Life’s unique photo-taking system, to learn more about such subjects as composition and lighting, and expand your knowledge and understanding of photography in general.

As of this date, TPI is entering it’s fourth semester of teaching. We’ve already helped dozens of students become better photographers in Second Life. Our classes run the gamut from beginners’ courses for those who want to learn the basics of the SL camera functions and capabilities, to advanced classes in composition, lighting and other technical issues, and intensive workshops in subjects such as portrait photography, landscapes, and shooting the nude.

We offer several types of classes and workshops to meet every student’s needs: From semester-long classes of six weeks each, meeting twice a week, to one-hour lectures featuring some of SL’s finest photographers, and short-term workshops that can take as little as one to three hours, or sometimes an hour a week for two to four weeks.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vehicle/163/106/22