“There’s this book I was reading about a fallen god who spends 800 years in this world believing that he has nobody left who would believe in him, but of course, there is one believer left, even after all those years. The believer says, ‘To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you, the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you and not the ‘state’ of you.’ It made me think about how we give up on a lot of things because we don’t think we’re getting the appreciation that we deserve. I mean, I don’t blame you. It definitely hurts to not receive recognition where it’s due, but look back far enough and you’ll understand that what you did came from a place of love and passion. It came from a place where you wanted to do something because it made you happy. Recognition is just something that came along the way and parted ways some time in. The reason I remembered this, all of a sudden, is because I have been putting off on doing something that I know I am good at because I am scared it won’t get the appreciation it deserves. Everyone around me, including myself, keeps reminding me that I need to focus on doing my job well and not worry about how it is received by the people who don’t really understand art all that much. And, although it is really hard to take my own advice sometimes, I have to agree that it is a good practice to keep doing what we’re best at for ourselves. Any validation that comes from people outside our immediate and trusted circle is just passing and you never know which one of them is being genuinely appreciative of what you do. Of course, all validation feels good and all of it is motivating, but we cannot always bank on validation; we can bank on ourselves and our talents. The first person who needs to understand the value of your work is always supposed to be you. Anything less and you’re going to be selling yourself far shorter than what you truly deserve and that’s not a good thing. And, in spite of everything, there is always going to be that one person, if not more, who will always believe in you and your work. They’re always going to root for you and cheer you on with the same energy that they did when you first began. Hold on to such people and cherish them because they are so important! But, above all of that, believe in yourself a little more because, whether you know it or not, people like your work because of the amount of soul you put into it; making art just because you want to receive validation just beats the purpose. And you’re so much better than that!”
The Shubhster Diaries 
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