The first is obvious: fear.

We’re afraid to create and we’re afraid to finish.

Creatives are famously afraid. Of pretty much everything. The blank page and the finished product.

The second enemy, however, is counter-intuitive: independence.

A lot of creatives prefer to work alone. It is their vision, their work, and their accomplishment, after all. Painters don’t often want another set of hands on their canvas any more than potters want someone else messing with their clay.

But that solitude often convinces us that it is all on us. And it never truly is.

Writers have editors, publishers, reviewers, fans, and readers.

Outkast, the legendary hip-hop duo had three dozen writers on their debut album.

Even the local artist, carving wood in their spare time, running their booths on the weekends come to rely on loyal customers to make it all worth it.

Every artist is dependent on other people to accomplish their goal. Whether it is to make a single sale, or produce a bestseller.

Independence, as an artist, is quite literally impossible.