You can’t be a creative person without being intimately acquainted with criticism. Criticism is not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, it can break your heart but it can also make your art better. Sometimes it does both.
The key to a healthy relationship with the judgement that comes with creativity, is self love. Compassion towards the self softens the harsh critic and allows for productive but kind critique of your creation. Also loving who you are makes it easier to love what you create—and that will make you a better artist.
Self love is also key to a healthy relationship with the self. Loving the self requires self awareness. Knowing who you are means you will put more of yourself into your creation. This is how an artist begins to develop their signature style.
STRONG FEELINGS
A loving relationship to the self brings with it a natural ease of being. That kind of confidence inspires truthful expression. Truth is power. It is the basis for works which evoke strong feelings. It can be the difference between skill and greatness.
Being loving to the self doesn’t mean that you get to bypass all the hard emotions which add depth to your work. It means that you get to feel them more fully and with the patience, presence and compassion they are due.
3 WAYS TO PRACTICE SELF LOVE
Awareness
Awareness is one of the most powerful paths to transformation. It begins with simply noticing the times when you are being hard on yourself and how that makes you feel. There is nothing more to be done. The shift out of this behaviour happens naturally.
Intention
You can accelerate the transition into a more loving practice by choosing to do so. Making a commitment to be loving and kind to yourself is akin to a challenge. There is an innate ambitious impulse to honour that vow, be it a conscious one or not. It just works.
Community
One of the best ways to nurture self love is to be part of a community of creative people who model that behaviour. When you are consistently exposed to kindness and compassion, you will find yourself unthinkingly beginning to become more loving to the self.