Hello, Ellenfowler.
Thank you for posting in Apple Support Communities. We understand that you’re attempting to log into your Apple ID, and you see a message about creating an account. We want to make sure we’re doing everything that we can to assist you with logging into your iPhone, and we want to make sure we understand the exact issue.
Do you already have an account that you’re attempting to use, or are you attempting to create a new account?
If you’re attempting to create a new account or log into an account that you have not yet used with your iPhone, you may be able to create an Apple ID using another device. There is a limited number of Apple ID accounts that can be created or set up per device as this article explains:
If you see a Could Not Create Apple ID or Could Not Set Up iCloud message - Apple Support
If you’re attempting to log into an account that you have already created and had signed into the iPhone previously, you might try again. Apple has been experiencing some iCloud server issues over the last few days. It’s possible you were trying during one of those times.
Apple - Support - System Status
Warmest Regards.