There’s a myth floating around that annoys the heck out of me. It’s possible you’ve said it. Maybe you even believe it. It’s dangerous, it’s destructive, and it’s FALSE.

Ready? Here it is:

“I’m not creative enough.”

If you have ever thought that, said that, or heard that, today is for you.

How often have you heard someone say “I’m not creative enough”? How many times have you said it yourself?

This way of thinking is so deeply entrenched, and it often becomes our go-to excuse whenever we encounter something new.

“I could never do that, I’m not creative enough.”

“You’re so creative, I wish I could do that.”

And then we think “Oh, well” and turn back to the world we know and the lifestyle we’ve come to accept.

How many of your dreams lie just on the other side of “I wish I could do that”?

The bad news is that so long as you think you’re “not creative enough”, you’ll prove it to be true.

But here’s the good news: Recognize it for the lie that it is, and your dreams become a to-do list away from done.

Because here’s the truth: You are creative enough. You’ve already proven it.

Why “I’m not creative enough” is false

You have already proven that you are a creative person.

Think about it. Every time you solve a problem, brainstorm new ideas, try a new recipe, take a class, adopt a different opinion, learn a hobby, improve a skill…you are exercising creativity.

Brand new concepts and skills scare us simply because we haven’t walked that path yet.

And yes, often the more technical or artistic the project, the more we feel we’re not able to do it. This would be why I constantly hear people say they are “not creative enough” to make good designs for their blog.

But if you have a blog or business, I can guarantee that at least once in the past few months, you’ve been overwhelmed. Setting up a blog, figuring out traffic and marketing, deciding what message you’ll deliver to your audience – it’s a lot to work through!

But you tackle it. You learn as you go, and you’re always improving. That is creativity in action.

Science says you are creative

I’m so convinced that anyone can be creative that I wrote a whole post on it – I consider it The Biggest Design Mistake you can make.

But I’m not alone in that belief. There are countless studies on the brain and how it works, and the knowledge we are born with versus the knowledge we gain throughout life.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to have a certain personality type or be “right-brained” to be truly creative. Not true.

Me? I’m a nerd. I’m a nerd’s nerd. I love spreadsheets and to-do lists. I make lists of the lists I need to make. Creativity is not some abstract, mystical concept that you’re either born with or you’re out of luck. At its heart, creativity is problem-solving. Hint: You do that every day.

Why you might believe the myth

Here are few reasons you might believe the lie that you’re not creative enough to make good design:

#1 – You think design is complicated

Have you put off trying to build up some basic design skills because you assume you have to take a class or get a degree?

Come close and I’ll share a secret: You don’t have to be a Photoshop expert to make great design.

In fact, if the thought of Photoshop makes your blood pressure go up, you don’t even have to open the program. Online design programs like Canva are a great way to get started making blog graphics.

Want another secret? Good design is simple.

Clear message, easy-to-read text, nice color background – you’re set. You don’t need a lot of complicated elements in your design. Simple wins. To see some examples of good, clear design, check out these blog graphic makeovers.

#2 – You think design takes too long

When you first try anything new, it takes a bit longer than normal. That’s expected! But as you get some routines down, you’ll get faster and better.

What separates people who are “creative enough” to make beautiful graphics from those that aren’t? PRACTICE. Invest a little time every week and you will see a huge payoff, probably sooner than you think.

Plus, you can use some of your old designs as templates. Simply open an old project, save it under a new name, and swap out the text and photo. You have a new graphic that’s consistent with your style – win-win!

#3 – You don’t like any designs you’ve made

It’s easy to compare yourself to others and think you must be missing some vital ingredient needed to achieve the same success.

Stop comparing yourself to others. This holds true far beyond the world of graphic design. Life is simply more enjoyable when YOU set your own standard.

But it’s fair to want to improve your designs. So practice! Learn a bit more! Just remember that you don’t need to know everything in order to do something.

What I want you to do about it

Here’s a question to ask yourself: Is it possible you’re going for perfect?

“Perfection” is an impossible standard, but such a handy excuse. “I can’t do it because I’m not creative enough” is code for “I can’t make it perfect so I don’t even want to try.”

How many of your dreams lie just on the other side of “I wish I could do that”?

It’s time to knock “perfection” back on its heels, and get about the business of reaching your goals.

Try my 3-step challenge:

1 – Write the word “perfection” on a sheet of paper and tape it to the wall in front of you. Draw a line through it. A big, thick, in-your-face line.

Put a thumb in each ear and stretch out your fingers. With me? At the same time, waggle your fingers and stick your tongue out at PERFECTION. That is the sum total of the attention perfection deserves from you.

2 – Once a week, make a new design. Publish it on your blog or social media.

Make an appointment with yourself to spend some time practicing design. It doesn’t have to be long. A half hour once or twice a week will give you results.

Start with Canva or try these beginner Photoshop tutorials. Use your previous graphics as templates.

3 – Stick with it

Here’s what will happen:

You’ll build your very own resource library of graphic templates
You’ll go from “I don’t know how to do this” to “Look at what I did.”

The reality of “I’m not creative enough”

You’re not going to read a few blog posts, do a couple tutorials and start up a design business. That’s not our goal! But let’s dispel the myth that you’re not creative enough to have stunning graphics for your blog and business.

I firmly believe you are creative, and that’s not a sappy unicorn-&-rainbows, wish-upon-a-star platitude. I’ve seen it in me, and I’ve seen it enough in other people that I KNOW you have the creative ability to accomplish your goals.

After all, you’ve already shown in other areas of your life that you are creative and relentless. All we’re doing is applying those skills in a new area. Get past that mental block and get going TODAY.

It will not be perfect. Hooray! Spoiler alert: no design is ever perfect.

Good thing you’re not going for perfection! Your goal is to reach your person with the solution she needs. And you can do that – you are creative enough.

Up for the challenge? Show me your weekly graphics! #imaginedesignrepeat or share your link in the comments.