the critical self talk is normal. you should watch seth godin&#x27;s talk &quot;quieting the lizard brain&quot; <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;vimeo.com&#x2F;5895898" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;vimeo.com&#x2F;5895898</a><p>i just had a similar conversation, but it dealt with music instead of code. this person felt they couldn&#x27;t improvise&#x2F; create.<p>the problem isn&#x27;t with their abilities, it&#x27;s that they were taught to follow instructions - like the notes on sheet music. jazz musicians play off what they <i>hear</i> instead.  however, they first internalized the rules and then forgot them.<p>you&#x27;ve already got the rules down - so the next step is to &quot;forget&quot; them.<p>a time constraint like going to a hackathon is a good place to start. you&#x27;re pushing yourself to create in a short amount of time.<p>here, you&#x27;ll focus on shipping...drowning out the critical voice in your head.<p>it&#x27;s much like a muscle. the more you build and struggle through, the stronger you&#x27;ll get.