Is Creativity Anxiety Inducing?

35 years ago, an art teacher held up my painting to the class, as an example of “what not to do.” Every since, I have refused to paint or draw, not even a stick figure. The embarrassment, anxiety, and shame burned a painful memory into my cells.

Last week, I sketched my dying tomato plant with charcoal pencil. I was inspired to sketch his portrait, because I thought a photo that gets lost in a thousand photos (that I will never look at again) would not do him justice. My husband and I harvested over 50 cherry tomatoes from him (his name is Cyrus the Great).