The next time you notice you're afraid and aren't sure if it's an actual shark with teeth, maybe this flow chart can help you out.
Seth Godin, who I like very much, says the enemy of creativity is fear and I disagree.
Fear is a companion to creativity. Fear doesn’t need to be fought like an enemy, it needs to be felt. We can feel fear without being stopped by it. There’s no need to be afraid to be afraid.
Step One:
Think of something you are afraid of.
Step Two:
Draw an upside down “V” or an A without the crossbar that makes it look like an upside down “V.”
Step Three:
Draw the bow wave so that you can tell what direction the shark is swimming (e.g. towards you).
Step Four:
Draw the wake to help reinforce that yes, it’s definitely swimming towards you.
Step Five:
Draw an arrow that points to it.
Step Six:
Color it in (optional).
Step Seven:
On the end of the arrow that is not pointing at the shark, write down a sentence that describes the fear you thought of in step one.
Repeat as many times as necessary.
You may be wondering why there is no body necessary to draw a shark.
It is because we only need the imagined threat of any fear to fully fear it.
And besides, spoiler alert.