The Courage to Knock: For artists and creatives, learning to reach out is part of the practice

Every creative career journey has its frights. Few feel as daunting to many artists and creatives as asking for help. It comes up a lot with my clients.

October is a month when many of us not only look forward to scary things but revel in them. In my neighbourhood (home to plenty of creative professionals) the closer we get to the end of the month, the more it feels like a competitive art form. By the 31st spooky pumpkins glow on porches, eerie soundtracks drift from windows and entire front yards have transformed into frightful stage sets. Just a few blocks away, a group of neighbours have kept a 15-year tradition alive: teaming up with friends and kids to produce elaborate Halloween performances, complete with professional staging, lighting, and sound. Every half hour from 6:30 to 8:00, the curtain rises on a show that’s as much about collaboration and community as it is about the thrill of fright.

What strikes me thinking about this in relation to our creative careers and professional development, is that someone had to knock on doors and ask, “Want to help me pull this off?” Just like for Halloween trick-or-treaters, the knocking itself can be the scariest part. 

For artists and creatives, fear of “knocking on doors” to ask for help is surprisingly common. It comes up all the time in my coaching conversations—whether it’s in relation to networking, job seeking, getting feedback on proposals, or exploring new opportunities. Some of my creative clients hesitate because they worry they’ll appear incompetent. They tell themselves they should be able to figure things out alone, or that by now in their career, they should have what they need help with all figured out. Others fear rejection or being a burden to others. Or they are afraid because they don’t know exactly what or how to ask.

But here’s the reality from my own experience and from coaching others: asking for help unlocks growth, clarity, and connection. I’ve seen it again and again at every stage of creative career development. 

• Asking for help can open doors to new techniques, ideas, or perspectives we wouldn’t find on our own.

  
  

• Asking for help saves time and prevents burnout.

  
  

• Asking for help fosters stronger relationships. People who share advice, feedback, or introductions become invested in our success. They become part of a network that feels a real connection to us and our creative work and may even help open future opportunities.

When I think back on the moments that shaped my own creative career, most of them started with a small, uneasy ask. As an introvert, it’s not something that I was naturally inclined to be brave about. A message sent, a coffee invitation, a question voiced aloud. Each knock on a door was a little act of courage, and each one sent a shiver of possibility outward in ways I couldn’t have predicted. Maybe the next door you knock on will carry that same thrill of possibility for you.

Each time we reach out successfully, our courage muscle grows. It’s scary until we become practiced. But we can do scary things. Knock on that door. Reach out even if your voice shakes. Ask for the feedback, the introduction, the perspective you’ve been putting off. Every time you do, you build resilience and expand what’s possible in your creative life and career. The doors that open may surprise you, but only if you summon the courage  to knock. It’s part of building any creative practice, business or career. 

What’s one “scary ask” you could make this week that might open a door

in your creative practice, business or career?

Image Credit: Cylla Von Tiedemann

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