How to Accept Criticism Without losing Confidence

Has anyone ever told you that your creative work needed improvement—or worse, praised it when you knew deep down it wasn’t your best? In my case, it was the latter. My friends, parents, or grandparents would give me one word compliment, when I knew it could’ve been better. It was during that period when I told you guys I needed to focus on my mental state.

They don’t mean any harm when the criticism is not detailed. They just care about your feelings too much to hurt them.

But a s creatives, we know vague praise can hold us back rather than help us.

Sometimes it’s frustrating. It’s like wearing something that your friend hyped you up for, and everybody at a party notices it doesn’t flatter you. Now you feel like you’re the worst-dressed person there. They don’t realize what it does to your self-esteem. Either that, or they don’t care.

WHERE’S YOUR HEART AT?

Someone can give unwarranted criticism without realizing the impact of their words. If you read my blog post: Comparison is the Thief of Joy—and Creativity, you would know how damaging comparison can be. Criticism and comparison often ride in the same boat.

People can get it mixed up. Sometimes they might mean well, but end up blurting out judgments anyway.

And because we’re all humans, mistakes happen.

Someone might make a careless comment about something you were passionate about. Something you thought was a masterpiece, just because they wanted to be funny. But instead, they ended up being cruel.

At times, the line can be thin between playful and painful.

That’s why, in that same blog, I shared tips on how to drown out the noise. In this blog, we’ll go one step further. I’ll guide you on how to accept that the noise may never disappear—and hold on to your confidence.

GIVE OR TAKE

Confidence and your mental health hold hand in hand. Mental health has the word ‘health’ in it. Your outer appearance matters as much as your inner appearance.

It’s the roadmap to happiness.

You can decide to wear a facade to show people that you’re happy when you’re not. But eventually, that facade will fade away. That’s why I encourage you to get your mental state checked.

The picture won’t be pretty.

It’s your job as a creative to fill up your own cup. As a creative, you’re prone to being in the spotlight, so you can soak up negativity like a sponge. Imagine pouring water into an empty cup, but instead of water, it’s negative words.

Letting in negativity is like taking poison, and why would you willingly take poison?

READ IT AND WEEP

If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you would know I’ve been saying you need to fill up your cup because no one does it for you. Yes, I recently said you can soak negativity up, but that’s only if you focus on the negative and let it affect you.

Creatives are often sensitive, so it’s easier to absorb whatever is thrown at you. As your big sister, I’m giving you valuable information all creatives should know if you want to protect the legacy you’re building.

Imagine having a vase that someone smashes, but you try to glue it back together. You’re the vase—don’t let someone break you.

IT’LL HAPPEN

The voices may never fade; they just get louder. I can’t guarantee you’ll accept the criticism right away. But you’ll get better and better at being at peace with it. And when that happens, the joy you first felt when you started will come back.

Let me know which steps you’ll take to protect yourself in the comments below. And remember that the results will come slowly but surely. When you’re a creative the entire journey takes patience.