As a creative freelancer, it's common to experience self-doubt and insecurity about your skills and abilities. And overcoming self-doubt is essential for building confidence and achieving success in the creative industry. As American Poet Sylvia Path states, "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." So we better confront it, right?

But when negative thoughts are crippling inside, it can be tough to find the courage to take a step back and shift our mindset. So here are some ways to overcome self-doubt and trust your ability to do great work.

We've already written about this a lot: knowing what you're good at is vital in your creative career. What do your clients appreciate about your work? What do you seem to learn faster than others?

Write down your strengths. Rate them on a scale from 1 to 10 to rank them and quickly spot areas that may require improvement. Think of it as an ability scale that shows your distinct talents.

By focusing on your strengths, you can gain a sense of pride and accomplishment and know where you should focus your time and effort to level up your skills.

The more you practice your craft, the more you'll improve and the more confident you'll become. Consider taking on personal projects or working on passion projects besides client work to hone your skills and build trust in your abilities. Try spending more time on your strengths that rank lower on your ability scale and that are essential to your career.

Feedback can be tough to hear, but it's critical for growth. Seek constructive feedback from clients, peers, and mentors to help you identify areas for improvement. For example, you could send an email post job asking your client a few questions like:

Attend industry events, join online communities, and connect with other freelancers to build relationships and gain exposure. Collaborating with other freelancers can also help you learn new skills and gain valuable experience, which can boost your confidence.

Set challenging but achievable goals, and track your progress along the way. Celebrate your successes and learn from your failures to build resilience and confidence.

Here are some examples:

Goal 1: Try something new. Challenge yourself to try something that's outside of your comfort zone. It could be a new creative project, sport or a skill you want to learn. It doesn't need to be related to your work - any adrenaline-boosting activity like surfing, rafting, or sky-diving can enhance creativity and release stress.

But how is trying something new related to building confidence?

When you commit to learning something new, you're taking a leap of faith in your ability to adapt and grow. This act of stepping outside your comfort zone requires a significant amount of confidence to begin with! By embracing the challenge, facing your fears and pushing yourself beyond your limits, you're inherently building and strengthening a positive self-image. Each successful attempt serves as a reminder that you're capable of overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals, further bolstering your confidence.

Goal 2: Celebrate your successes. Take time to acknowledge your successes, no matter how small. Honour your accomplishments and use them as motivation to keep pushing forward.

Goal 3: Practice self-care. Make self-care a priority in your daily routine. This could include taking breaks when needed, doing sports, eating well, getting enough sleep, and doing things that bring you joy.

Goal 4: Connect with others. Reach out to other creative freelancers or join a community where you can connect with like-minded individuals. A support system can help you feel less alone in your struggles and provide a sense of belonging.

Goal 5: Reflect on your growth. Take time to reflect on how far you've come and your progress. For example, you could spend some time weekly to journal and write down your thoughts.

You're about to head to that shoot for your favourite brand, and self-doubt starts creeping in. You're thinking, what if they don't like me? What if I oversold myself? What if they hate my work?

Let's quiet down these thoughts. You can do this by:

Step 1: Identify the negative thought. What's the belief that's causing you to doubt yourself?

Step 2: Challenge the thought. Is there evidence to support this thought? Is it a fact or just an assumption?

Step 3: Reframe the thought. Replace the negative thought with a positive or neutral one. For example, instead of "I'm not good enough," try "I'm still learning and growing."

Step 4: Repeat the new thought you reframed above whenever the negative thought arises.

Building confidence and overcoming self-doubt takes time and effort, but it's essential for success as a creative freelancer. By identifying your strengths, practising your craft, seeking feedback, networking, collaborating, and setting realistic goals, you can build the confidence you need to overcome self-doubt, achieve your goals, and thrive as a freelancer. You've got this.