So you want to sing, write songs, develop yourself as an artist……
What’s stopping you?
For most people, the answer isn’t a lack of talent.
It’s the stream of thoughts that appear the moment they try to sing, write, or create.
Sometimes what stops us doesn’t look dramatic at all. It just sounds like the thoughts running through your head while you’re trying to make music………..
I’m not good enough.
No one will like it.
Maybe I’m not original enough.
Maybe I’m too old to be doing this.
The arrangement isn’t quite right.
I won’t remember the lyrics.
My voice might crack.
I can’t sing high notes.
I can’t belt.
Who do I think I am doing this?
Other people do this better.
When you’re inside that stream of thoughts, it all feels like the same problem.
But it isn’t.
And that’s where it becomes important to separate them out.
Some of these issues are about perfectionism. Some are simply the work we need to do as an artist.
The Work of Becoming an Artist
Some questions take time to answer.
What kind of music actually feels like you?
What arrangements support your voice?
What songs genuinely express something personal?
Those questions don’t get solved instantly.
They requires work.
Finding your authentic voice — as a singer, writer or artist — is a process. And then finding the right people to work with who understand you.
The Voice That Stops the Process
The other voice is different.
The one that says you shouldn’t be doing it at all.
That you’re not good enough.
That it’s a bit self-indulgent.
That people will judge you.
Those thoughts don’t improve the arrangement.
They don’t deepen the song.
They don’t strengthen the performance.
They simply stop the work before it has the chance to develop. I often find these things ‘in the way’ of slightly older artists. People who’ve stopped themselves over the years….. but the internal voice has never gone away.
More importantly, these thoughts push people further away from the joy that brought them to music in the first place.
Perfectionism vs The Work
Researcher Brené Brown makes an important distinction.
Perfectionism is other-focused.
Healthy striving is self-focused.
That difference matters for artists.
Healthy striving asks questions that improve the work:
Is this song honest?
Does this arrangement support my voice?
What could make this performance clearer or stronger?
These problems are part of the process of doing our work.
Perfectionism asks different questions:
What will people think?
Will I embarrass myself?
Will someone judge this?
That’s not about the music anymore.
It’s about managing other people’s perception.
And when your attention shifts there, the creative process stalls.
You stop experimenting.
You stop finishing things.
You stop sharing.
Not because the work isn’t good enough.
But because the fear of being seen becomes stronger than the desire to create.
Imagine if:
Leonard Cohen didn’t release an album because his voice was boring or
Kate Bush didn’t sing because her voice was squeaky
Tori Amos stopped singing because she hit some bum notes……or because her first album bombed…. (which it did)….
These things would be a disaster. You have to find you and do you and not let these things get in the way of your joy.
Why This Matters for Artists
Every artist needs healthy striving. That’s what develops craft.
But perfectionism doesn’t improve the music.
It simply shuts the process down before the work has a chance to grow.
Songs get better by being written.
Voices get stronger by being used.
Artists develop by making things — imperfectly — again and again.
My Client
Not long ago I worked with someone who had wanted to make music for years but had slowly stopped themselves. Every time they tried to record something, the same thoughts appeared: it’s not good enough, i hate the arrangements, it’s not how it is in my head, people will judge me.
He was confusing these two things. The practical work; fix the issues with the brain fog that helps noone and actually stops the process before it has time to develop.
Once we started focusing on the work itself — the voice, the songs, the musical direction — something shifted. The creativity that had been blocked for years began moving again. Our focus is everything as artists and we need a team.
What we actually need
What we actually need is:
A voice that carries meaning.
A performance that feels present.
An artist who isn’t hiding.
Audiences don’t connect with perfection. They connect with something real.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
Developing your voice — artistically, technically and creatively — is rarely something people figure out entirely on their own.
In my work with singers and artists, I often see people who have spent years circling the same questions:
Is my voice good enough?
Am I too late to do this?
What kind of artist am I actually trying to become?
Sometimes the work is technical.
Sometimes it’s musical.
And sometimes it’s simply learning how to move past the voice that says you shouldn’t even try.
That’s the work I help people do.
Not just developing the voice itself, but helping singers explore their artistry, their expression, and the music they actually want to make.
So… What’s Stopping You?
If the questions you’re facing are about the craft — the sound, the songs, the direction — that’s the normal work of an artist.
But if you’re mixing up these thoughts with a voice in your head that’s telling you that you shouldn’t even try, it might be worth questioning that voice instead.
Because if the impulse to sing, write or create is there, it’s there for a reason.
And the world doesn’t benefit when people silence the very thing they’re here to express.
