7 EXCUSES holding you back from stepping into your Creative Power | Sam Horton

FOR EPISODE LINKS & MORE INFO VISIT: https://samhorton.co/blog/ep60

What if the excuses that keep you stuck in creative silence aren’t the problem… but the doorway to your liberation?

3 Powerful Benefits You’ll Gain from Listening:
✨ Understand the hidden emotional and energetic roots behind your creative resistance
✨ Discover how your excuses are actually invitations for healing, not personal failings
✨ Learn the 7 most common blocks that stop soulful women from creating — and how to gently move through them

Episode Summary:
In this deeply compassionate solo episode, Sam Horton explores the seven most common excuses that hold women back from stepping into their creative power — and why they’re not signs of failure, but symptoms of deeper stories ready to be healed. Whether it’s inherited beliefs, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or fear of being seen, these patterns can quietly sabotage your creative confidence.

Sam unpacks the emotional truth behind each excuse and offers a new perspective rooted in self-compassion, spiritual practice, and soulful intention. This is more than a call to make art — it’s an invitation to come home to yourself, release outdated stories, and create from your wholeness.

Key Takeaways:

• The truth behind inherited beliefs like “art doesn’t pay the bills” and “you’re either born creative or not”
• How imposter syndrome keeps women silent and how to break its spell with inner truth
• Why comparison and perfectionism paralyse your creative power
• The spiritual root of procrastination (hint: it’s not laziness)
• How a nourishing framework and safe structure reignite creative flow
• Why intention and commitment are more powerful than elaborate goals
• How creativity asks us to be seen — and why that’s a good thing

💌 Which excuse has been whispering to you lately? What might shift if you stopped believing it?

 This episode is your gentle nudge back into your power.

FOR EPISODE LINKS & MORE INFO VISIT: https://samhorton.co/blog/ep60

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I'm offering one free spot for ONE AMAZING WOMAN in my brand new transformational online coaching experience, Empowered Creative Soul — a 12-week 1:1 journey for the woman who feels a creative whisper in her heart and is ready to truly come ALIVE through creativity.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Excuses - a symptom of deeper patterns
• 2:24 Excuse 1 - Inherited Beliefs
• 3:32 Excuse 2 - Imposter Syndrome
• 4:38 Excuse 3 - Comparison Loops & Perfection Paralysis
• 6:04 Excuse 4 - Procrastination
• 7:04 Excuse 5 - Giving Up due to Lack of Guidance/Framework
• 8:14 Excuse 6 - No Creative Goals or Commitment
• 9:19 Excuse 7 - Fear of Being Seen or Change
• 10:15 Final thoughts: you invitation to reflect on the excuses holding you back

Transcript

Ep 60: Soul-led Creative Women

[00:00:00]

 So this episode is all about having a deeper look at some of the excuses that might be holding you back from stepping into your creative power. There's a quiet whisper inside you. Maybe you've heard it when your hands hover over your journal, when you are rearranging your space. Admiring someone else's art or dreaming about a more aligned life. It's the whisper that says, there's more for you here and before you can follow it. The excuses arrive not loudly, but persistently.

They sneak in through the little cracks of self-doubt, fear, and conditioning, convincing you that now's not the time or that creativity. Simply wasn't meant for you right now. And the truth is, your excuses aren't the problem. They're a symptom of deeper patterns, [00:01:00] ones that can be healed, rewired 

and gently released. Let's take a closer look at seven common excuses that might be holding you back. So the first one is inherited beliefs about creativity and your creative skills. You might have grown up in a home, a culture, or a community where creativity was dismissed as frivolous, unnecessary, or even self-indulgent.

Perhaps you heard phrases like. Art won't pay the bills. You're either born with talent or not, or you were told to focus on something more practical. Over time, these messages sink in. They become embedded beliefs that shape how you see yourself. You start to believe that creativity is only for the gifted, the professional, or the eccentric, and it's too late to start if you miss the boat.

But the truth is creativity isn't something you need to earn. It's a language Your [00:02:00] soul is ready to speak. When you peel away the inherited stories and start to listen inward, you begin to realize that your desire to create isn't random. It's a sacred invitation to reclaim a part of yourself that never stopped yearning to be seen, heard, and expressed. The second excuse is imposter syndrome. Even when you feel that flicker of inspiration, imposter syndrome often rushes in like a flood. Thoughts like, who am I to do this? I'm not creative enough, or someone else is already doing it better. These thoughts can become so loud, they drown out the creative whisper.

You might feel like a fraud, especially if you're starting later in life or experimenting with new forms of creative expression. It's easy to doubt your voice when the world prizes external recognition and polished results over personal truth. And the truth is [00:03:00] creativity isn't about proving anything.

It's about remembering who you are. Your unique lived experience, perspective, and emotional world are your superpowers. When you create from the inside out, imposter syndrome begins to dissolve. Not because the fear disappears, but because you finally stop abandoning yourself and looking outside of yourself.

The third excuse is all about comparison loops and perfection paralysis. You open Instagram or Pinterest And scroll through perfectly curated images of people living their creative dream. And just like that, your own ideal ideas feel small, messy, and unworthy.

Comparison is paralyzing because it disconnects you from your own truth. It keeps you stuck in a cycle of editing yourself before you even begin Perfectionism tells you that if it can't be flawless, it's not worth doing, and so nothing [00:04:00] gets created at all.

But the truth is true. Creative power comes from authenticity, not aesthetics. It's not about matching someone else's highlight. reel. It's about creating something that feels like you, your vulnerability, your rawness, your messy beginnings. These are not weaknesses. They are the sacred ground of your becoming. Excuse number four, procrastination disguised as protection. You've bought the art supplies, the beautiful journal um, the art course. You say you'll start next week, but somehow the days pass and your creative dream remains untouched. Procrastination isn't laziness. It's often self-protection.Creating asks you to show up vulnerably. It asks you to explore emotions, unknowns, and parts of yourself that may have been long buried. That can feel confronting, [00:05:00] so your nervous system puts on the brakes. But the truth is you don't need more discipline. You need gentleness, safety, and compassion. When creativity is nurtured in a space of warmth and non-judgment, procrastination, softens, you begin to trust the process, not because it's perfect, but because you feel supported enough to begin. 

The fifth excuse is more about giving up really, and it's about having a lack of guidance and a nourishing framework in which to create and cultivate a creative practice, because it's easy to give up when we don't have a solid foundation. So Without the right support, it is easy to flounder.

You might try to start a creative practice or a creative routine, but you quickly lose momentum or feel unsure about what to do next. I. And the old patterns can creep in, and without a framework you return to autopilot. Many of us were never [00:06:00] taught how to tend to our creativity with care. We weren't shown how to create rituals, how to listen to our inner guidance, or how to stay connected when life gets busy.

And the truth is, creativity blooms inside a safe container. Having a structure that honors your rhythm, your soul, and your needs can make all the difference, and it's likely to look completely unique to you. And that's what you know, a spiritual soul led creative practice can offer. Not rigid rules, but a sacred rhythm that keeps you connected to your inner spark. The sixth excuse is also about giving up due to no clear vision or creative commitment. You want to feel more creative, but without a clear intention, the desire can drift.It becomes something you just think about. Uh, something that seems like a nice to have because you haven't put. A clear vision or a clear commitment around it. And without the consistency of [00:07:00] time and space for your creativity, it can often feel more like a fantasy than a grounded practice. 

And the truth is you don't need an elaborate goal. You do need a deeper why and a loving how, and some simple goals and a soulful intention can really anchor your practice and give you a reason to keep showing up. To move through the messy middle and the inevitable discomfort. As your creativity grows, and when you commit to your creative self, you begin to shift from passively waiting for inspiration to actively fulfilling your creative desires.

and last but not least, excuse. Number seven is fear of being seen or changed. Creativity is not neutral, and it, it invites growth. It demands truth. It shifts your energy and expands your identity, and that can feel terrifying. [00:08:00] busy brain of yours works really hard to keep you safe. And what happens if you change too much or people don't understand? What if stepping into your creativity disrupts the life that you've carefully built? And the truth is, growth will always bring change, but it will never ask you to become someone you're not. It simply invites you to return to who you've always been.

When you step into your creative power, you don't lose yourself. You find yourself and you discover a deeper sense of safety and sovereignty than anything the outside world can offer. 

so when we embrace these excuses for what they are and we shine a light on them and we bring awareness to them, when we stop buying into them and believing them, you can begin to create not just art, but a life that reflects your truth. You can reclaim the parts of yourself that you didn't even realize you'd abandoned.

 You can soften into your power. And remember what it means to be [00:09:00] whole. And this is what my work is really here to support you with. Through a soul led blend of creative, exploration, spiritual tools, and compassionate guidance. We release the stories holding you back and gently build a spiritual, creative practice that feels like home. Because your soul isn't whispering by accident, it's calling you into your next chapter.

So as we close this episode, I invite you to reflect which excuse have you been holding onto and what could shift if you stopped believing it. I hope you like this episode. Take care.