The 30 Day Permission Detox: how to actually be creatively free

saying YES to showing up imperfectly (whenever you want, however you want)

For a while now I’ve felt called to give The Daily Yes a daily component. But, I’ve been trying to understand what that calling was pointing to… Daily coworking sessions? Daily convo? Daily writing?

I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it’s the latter — posting daily — being a daily point of encouragement in someone’s day. But I’m scared.

I’m scared of annoying people with writing too much, I’m scared I’m going to fall off and disappoint others, I’m scared that I’m going to run out of ideas and thoughts and ways to help. But being so afraid is what made me finally see that I’ve put myself in a creative prison. I’ve told myself what my creativity must look like and how it must operate, and I have left no room for it to surprise me. I think that’s why, over the years, I kept falling off and burning out, because I was creating by made-up rules.

I’ve been thinking a lot about creative freedom… what it really looks like, how people get it, how we all say we want it but then sabotage ourselves when we get close. We stop ourselves from doing what we truly want by saying we need more clarity or a better niche. We wait to start until we have 100 content ideas. We pride ourselves on uniqueness and think something isn’t worth sharing unless it’s super deep or well-researched, and we edit ourselves into silence.

But how long are you going to keep hiding in the drafts? Keep scrolling without posting? Keep abandoning ideas early? Keep telling yourself it’s not the right time?

I often think about the people who (seemingly) post whatever, whenever, without spiraling over whether it was the right decision. I admire those people. I want to be one of those people.

Just yesterday I came across a random guy’s substack where he posts 6–10 times a week, and I thought, “DANG! That’s brave! I wish I could do that without losing subscribers!” But why can’t I? Why do I care so much about tying data to my creative output?

I’ve been journaling this morning and came up with a simple definition of true creative freedom: the ability to keep making without needing permission from an audience, algorithm, bank account, or even your own fears. It’s the ability to truly express yourself without external restrictions stopping you.

And I’ve decided to go on a 30-day Permission Detox and share the results after. I’ve come up with 8 ways to detox from permission-seeking tendencies, and I encourage you to join me — especially if you don’t feel creatively free yet!

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How We’re Detoxing from Permission to Finally Be Creatively Free

1. Name what you’ve been waiting for

What permission have you needed to create? Get specific. Ask yourself:

• Whose approval am I subconsciously waiting on to create?

• What reactions am I afraid of if I create freely? Disappointing? Judgment? Unfollows? Misunderstanding? Silence?

• What do I believe would happen if I just posted/shared/made the thing?

Don’t just answer in your head. Go write this down. I’ve learned over the years that when we give fear a name and call it out, it loses its power.

2. Reframe your questions

Replace the question “Is this okay?” with “Is this honest and authentic?”

When creating, permission-seeking asks, “Is this going to be received well?” or “Will people engage positively?” But creative freedom asks, “Is this authentic to who I am and true to what I’m living right now?”

I’m learning right now that we don’t need confidence to create; we really just need honesty. So before sharing, also try asking yourself: “Is this coming from sincerity, not performance?” or “Would I still want this to exist even if no one responded?”

3. Go before you’re ready

Try to get into a daily habit of creating before you feel ready. Waiting to feel ready is waiting for permission — permission from the world to let you begin. I’m making this a rule: “I’m allowed to share my half-baked, work-in-progress thoughts.”

When I make fresh-baked cookies, I pull them out of the oven about 3 minutes too early. Doing this makes the edges crispy and the center soft (exactly how Michael and I love them). But they’re never undercooked because the residual heat finishes baking them. That’s how I’m treating my creative thoughts these next 30 days. My creative ideas may not be fully formed when I share them, but the act of putting them out there— along with feedback, reflection, and interaction — helps them reach their full potential.

4. Purposely lower the stakes & be okay with being ordinary

Create something small instead of profound. Share your questions instead of waiting for the answers. Write 5 sentences instead of an essay. I came across this girl on YouTube whose videos are 90–180 seconds long. She made me realize the stakes really don’t have to be so high! Practice saying to yourself: “This post gets to be ordinary.”

5. Detach from your outcomes

This will probably be the hardest for me to do. But, before hitting publish on my work, I’m going to start saying: “This is complete regardless of how it’s received.”

Then:

• Don’t refresh

• Don’t edit based on imagined reactions

• Don’t narrate your insecurities in the comments

Just let it be.

6. Create a private metric for success

Emphasis on private. I’m not going to keep letting algorithms tell me whether something I created is successful or not. Choose one of these metrics for the next 30 days (or create your own):

• Did I show up?

• Was I honest and authentic?

• Did I let this be easy?

7. Expect discomfort (and stop thinking it’s a problem)

Freedom feels unsafe at first because your nervous system confuses the absence of rules with danger. For a long time, your safety (and ideas of success) have come from structure: clear expectations on how to create, predictable outcomes based on what you created, external validation from peers and algorithms, knowing how something should be done.

Your body learned: follow the rules, stay accepted, avoid risk. So when you step into creative freedom these next 30 days — posting more authentically, speaking more honestly, following curiosity instead of strategy — you remove the guardrails that once made you feel secure.

When that discomfort pops up, just say: “Of course you’re here. We’re doing something new. Welcome to the party!” And post anyway!!

8. Make freedom a habit, not a performance

One of the simplest ways to stop seeking permission is to make your creativity a habit, not a performance. Habit removes the pressure of approval because it’s non-negotiable and non-dramatic. Habit says: This is just what I do. You don’t need to wait for inspiration, an audience, or the “right moment.” You just get used to simply doing.

The truth I hope you’re realizing is that you don’t stop needing permission by becoming fearless! You stop by giving the permission to yourself — daily, repeatedly, and imperfectly.

Creative freedom is built the moment we act without asking if we’re allowed to. Each small act of showing up is a tiny piece needed to build the foundation of a freer, more authentic creative life!!

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Reflections:

1. Where in your life are you waiting for permission to start, share, or create?

2. What small habit could you commit to today, no matter how imperfect, that honors your creativity?

3. When have you given yourself permission in the past (and what did that feel like)?

4. Which fear or imagined expectation is holding you back from showing up fully?

5. How would your creative life change if you acted without asking anyone, including yourself, for approval?

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