Putting Away Fear Through Art & Photography

molly hicks
4 days ago
2 min read

This month I made my first flat lay for my new photography series I'm calling Cue Cards.

It was inspired by a scene where two friends are determined to have a wild night: “Dude we are sooo gonna party.” The plan falls apart. The friend cancels. The energy fizzles. They attempt to create their own fun instead. And by the end of it, they all end up back where they started, a little tired, a little older than they imagined themselves to be.

It’s a funny scene. Harmless. Playful.

But while I was building the flat lay, arranging objects, adjusting the light, taking the first few frame, I kept thinking about something else entirely.

There’s a verse in 1 Corinthians 13:11 that says:

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

I read that verse as a call to maturity, not just in aging, but in faith. And, I’ve been wondering if it also speaks to creative life.

What if “childish things” aren’t playfulness or imagination, but fear? What if they’re hesitation, self-consciousness, waiting to be chosen?

This series might look lighthearted on the surface. A nod to something nostalgic. A playful, abstract reference. But for me, this marks something heavier and more important: I stopped waiting.

I stopped telling myself I needed more clarity, more skill, more permission.

I just started.

The Bible says “Do not fear” in some form or another over and over again. It’s often said there are 365 reminders not to fear, one for every day of the year. Whether that number is exact or not, the repetition is undeniable.

“Fear not.” “Do not be afraid.” “Take courage.” “Be strong.”

Repeatedly.

Not because fear never shows up. But because it always will.

This first piece isn’t perfect. It isn’t groundbreaking. It hasn’t change my career overnight. But it did something quieter.

It marked a line.

I'm done being afraid to make work that feels playful. I'm done postponing ideas because they might seem small. I'm done waiting to feel ready. I'm done having ideas and making excuses to never start.

Putting away childish things, for me, looks like putting away fear.

It looks like setting up the shot anyway. Shooting the roll anyway. Letting the work be both thoughtful and a little bit fun. It looks like effort!

Maybe maturity isn’t the absence of joy. Maybe it’s the courage to create without fear of judgment.

This month, I made something. I started something!

And that feels like growing up in the best way.