This is an excellent essay. I believe that creativity is innate, but the means to unlock it usually depend on external factors. Like you, I thought for a long time I couldn't draw, because a teacher told me when I was in Year 1 that I'd never be good at it (ditto with maths). The label stuck for many years and affected many areas of my life.

What you bring to the writing game is a powerful first voice persona that looks and feels unafraid. Plus, humour, there's plenty of humour in your writing. And that, like creativity, is innate. :-)