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Learning to Master the Art of Fear
What a clay pot can teach us about courage and creativity
Kristen Ulmer’s book The Art of Fear is about her experience as one of the world's top extreme skiers. She jumped off cliffs and skied down mountains.
Most of us wouldn’t even hike. But under all that adrenaline and adventure, Kristen felt trapped, not by the mountains — but by fear. After retiring from pro skiing, she realized most people — herself included — spend their lives trying to avoid fear instead of facing it.
So, she wrote this book to help people change their relationship with fear.
Her main idea is that fear isn’t the enemy. It’s part of life
It only gets louder when we try to ignore fear or push it away. But when we face fear, listen to it, and learn from it, it can help us grow. Ulmer teaches that the real secret to courage isn’t getting rid of fear—it’s learning how to work with it.
Kirsten’s message isn’t just for extreme athletes. It’s for anyone who wants to try something new but gets stuck, wants to be creative but feels like they’re not good enough, or is afraid of making mistakes, which brings us to a story about clay pots.
