It's Not Personal

Artists are temperamental, so they say. But are they really? And do they have have reason to be more emotional or sensitive than anyone else?

Here’s what I think: The entire creative process, the birth of an idea, the development of a concept, finding just the right element to make your creation click, seeing something that was once only an idea in your head become a tangible reality is a very personal processes. Designers, artists, composers, and authors, (by some mysterious process) are able to express what they’re feeling and thinking. Our thoughts, our inspirations, our preferences, our personality, our tastes, all of these make us who we are. It’s shouldn’t be a surprise that what we create feels like a reflection of ourselves.

When people reject what we make, it can feel like they’re rejecting us. I struggled with this as a young designer (I’m still young, but think early and mid teens). Because I was self-taught, I made (or rather, tried to make) what seemed right to me. I felt my way though it. This made rejection even harder to deal with, because on the surface, you know that they are not rejecting you. But, deep down on that level of feeling where you create, you feel like they are.

Thankfully, I had a lot of positive feedback. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for several awesome people cheering me on. However, on those occasions when someone didn’t like my design, it just sucked all the wind out of my sails. The closer I was to the person who critiqued it and the more I had poured into it, the more hurt I felt.

There are two things I’ve learned to do that help me deal with this:

1.  Realize that my preferences and styles are not who I am. Seriously. I had to come to this conscience realization. They are not me. I am a soul which was created by God. All these other things that feel so integral to who I am, is, in the end, just surface stuff.
2.  Divorce myself from my design. Divorce is a harsh-but-fitting word. After spend hours of quality time making my design exactly what it needed to be, I’ve learned to step back and walk away for a bit. When I return, I look critically and analytically. It does take some of the joy out of designing but it has also improved my skill.

If you’re just venturing into this great world of art (or creative design in any sense), find yourself people who will cheer you on but will also help to develop your skill. Don’t become offended when someone offers their opinion or wants you to give them different options. It’s all a part of learning and growing.