Fearless Creativity: The Tough Part

It's easy for others to say, "Just do it, you won't be sorry."  For some, those words often ring empty for one overriding reason. They're scared. Yep. There, I said it. Scared. Not scared of the activity, and often not scared of the process. They're scared of the public--the over scrutinizing, over-critical, ready-to-bash you public. Who can blame them? You put your heart into something be it a book, article, even a painting or a speech, and then...Bam! Someone takes a shot at you, calling your work garbage, maybe even calling you the same. Or maybe they dismiss your work as amateurish at best,

You step back and once the sting wears off, maybe you dip your toe back in the water. Maybe not. 

Use your anger or your embarassment, don't internalize it. Use it to find out why for maybe they have a point. Maybe the criticism is warranted, and just maybe, you can do better. The point is, yes, there are cruel people who take shots for no reason, mostly because it's cheap to do, especially in this digital I-can-hide-behind-my-computer age. But there are also those with valid criticism who may help. Lean into such criticism. Learn from it. Harden yourself, building up the callouses you need for any creative endeavor. In the end, if you stick with it, you will reap the rewards.