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Dear Friends and Readers,

I’ve been traveling this past week. A perfect time to slide in this excerpt from Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration.

The book will be published in mid-January. But you can reserve a copy right now, and I hope you will because I wrote it for you—for all of us out here tryin’ to make somethin’ up.

Original illustrations by Mary Grace Corpus.

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What do we have here?

A doubter’s manifesto.

An article of affirmation.

An artist who says: I see you.

Read these pages in order or at random.

Read them while creating a story, a dance, a sculpture, a poem, a painting, a weaving, a song...

The hope is you see yourself, realize you are not alone, learn that doubt is not your assassin.

A bit of truth, a bit of courage, floats across these pages.

Some repetition too—because you need to hear this more than once. And a wisp of contradiction because…that’s life. I need this as much as you.

A young Sylvia Plath wrote in her journal that “the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” That sounds true, but I don’t think it is true.

Her assertion implies that only by banishing doubt can you effectively be creative—to practice your art. There are moments, to be sure, when an artist in the flow of creativity (cognitive disinhibition) does not feel doubt blocking the way.

But realistically, doubt is a near-constant companion of anyone making art in any form. Doubt is fuel as well as foe.

Let us therefore not engage in fruitless attempts to banish doubt, or even conquer it. Let us seek productive co-existence with this emotional shadow that hovers nearby, just out of sight, like a ghost.

Let us befriend the ghost.

*

René Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” Equally true: “I doubt, therefore I am.”

Doubt is to life as water is to life. We do not live without either. We do not live without a persistent undercurrent of questions, both tiny and tremendous.

Anyone who claims never to doubt—or to “suffer” from a state of doubt—is lying, either to themselves or to everyone.

Doubt is baked into the human condition and transcends culture, epoch, and geography. People all over the world, in every time period, speak of doubt and the crises of faith it engenders.

Doubt is with us/within us/us.

*

Doubting is not failing.

Doubting is not succeeding.

Doubting is not about getting ahead or falling behind; stopping or starting.

Doubting exists in that liminal space where every aspect of artmaking is a shade of effort—an embryo of creation.

Doubting may feel like rocket fuel or like doom—but imagine it is neither of those.

Hold space for doubt without imposing labels.

Reserve judgment: of yourself of your art-in-progress of what’s in your head/hand/heart

Doubt arises during the many phases of art becoming art.

Let it be. Leave it alone.

Keep working.

*

Every single act of creating is also an act of doubting.

You cannot “make” without wondering.

You cannot wonder without questioning.

You cannot question—deeply—without exposing yourself to the unknown.

Becoming exposed leads to feeling vulnerable.

Feeling vulnerable leaves you open to uncertainty.

Uncertainty is a close cousin of doubt: a state where truth and clarity shimmer like ghosts.

So much you do not know, cannot pin down.

Cannot point to and say, Yes! That!

When you create, you will doubt: Accepting that is your gift to yourself.

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ADVANCED PRAISE FOR

WRANGLING THE DOUBT MONSTER:

“This accessible and reassuring book offers much-needed and actionable strategies and techniques for those experiencing a block at any point in their creative endeavors ... Many of the concepts can be applied more generally to other facets of life as well.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“[T]this compact yet profound guide encourages artists and dreamers alike to embrace doubt as a shared human experience—one that, when harnessed, can fuel our creative journey. Bernstein’s insights are uplifting, actionable, and deeply resonant, making this a must-read for anyone ready to transform their inner fears into artistic strength."

—BookLife-Publishers Weekly

“Artists of all stripes dance with doubt—should we? are we? why do we?—and this gentle, inspirational guide is your friend in the studio, to turn to for a moment of reassurance and renewal. Keep it handy, dip in as you need, and scribble in your own doubt-dispelling passages among the sure insights and notable quotations.” 

—Allison K Williams, Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book

“For the artists with whom I work, doubt feels like a terrible adversary. Amy L. Bernstein explains why in her pithy, powerful Wrangling the Doubt Monster. Highly recommended!”

—Eric Maisel, Fearless Creating

“Chock full of common-sense wisdom, Amy Bernstein's Doubt Monster deftly helps us understand why we should harness, not banish, our doubts. A terrific addition to the bookshelf of any writer, artist, entrepreneur, or inventor. “

--Maggie Jackson, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, National Book Award Nominee

Every writer needs to learn how to work with doubt, and this book is a gentle invitation to sit with it, contemplate it, and find a way forward. 

—Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator

I highly recommend this book for every creative person who gets stuck because of anxiety, self-doubt, or imposter “syndrome!”

—Jill Stoddard, PhD, Imposter No More: Overcome Self-Doubt and Imposterism to Cultivate a Successful Career

"Although Wrangling The Doubt Monster helps creative “right-brainers” embrace and manage doubt, I believe that every analytical “left-brainer” and those in between will benefit from reading Amy Bernstein’s pithy and relatable guide."

—Brian Kurth, Entrepreneur and Author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job

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