A Reminder.

A couple of years ago, I had come across a post saying that we should always put our art out there, regardless of how much validation it gets. I think that it’s a good reminder, and at the right time too, considering how I immediately jump to the conclusion that maybe what I made or wrote wasn’t really good enough, just because it didn’t get enough validation. Of course, social media is largely at fault here, but it’s also the fact that artists put in a lot of time and effort into making something and it can be really disappointing if their work isn’t appreciated enough.

At times like these, I like to remind my artist friends and I that what we create is for ourselves. We do it because it’s what makes us the happiest. And of course, it can be very discouraging when things don’t turn out the way we want them to, but at the end of the day, we’ll still go back to creating art. Maybe we’ll end up trying harder and putting in a lot more effort in our next piece of work so that it somehow makes up for all the validation that our previous work didn’t get.

Social media validation is usually a hit or a miss. It surprises me how much control we have given over to how the validation we receive online affects us. But it’s also, in a very twisted way, the kind of motivation we need to keep improving in whatever it is that we do. Does it make sense? No. Does it make me want to re-evaluate my entire presence on social media? Absolutely. But I also quickly realize that my entire career is based on social media, one way or another. It’s just one of those things that you can’t really escape from, and that is okay.

So, for everyone who is wondering why your work didn’t get as many likes or shares on social media, here’s a reminder: keep doing what makes you happy. It’s better to do what makes you happy instead of letting the lack of validation get you down. I understand that it’s very difficult to keep going when there’s a little voice at the back of your head suggesting that you’re probably not good enough, but you are. You’re improving with every single work, even if you don’t realize it.

You’re doing great!

Cheerio! Xx

Featured Image by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash