How do you deal with taking criticism as a creative?

Taking criticism is something I’ve always struggled with but I’m learning to let go of my ego always thinking I’m right.

I’ve come to realise that receiving criticism from friends, family, peers, mentors etc is just part of the creative process and a natural part of the journey. It’s best to accept that and deal with it logically rather than emotionally.

Are there any particular methods you use or thought processes you have in order to take criticism without hurting your self-esteem?
I’m curious to hear your opinions on the topic!

Replies31

  • I pay a hitman and let him take care of it.

    Joking aside, we cannot please everyone and at the same time we make mistakes that, if they are pointed out to us through constructive criticism, can help make us improve.

    The important thing is to be able to filter out the criticisms that have a foundation from simple online hating.
  • @CEO Chxse Thats definitely true and an interesting perspective. You’re right, I always find myself looking up to people who express themselves freely regardless of the criticism of others. Like you said, it’s something we should use to our advantage to grow.

    Sometimes when someone criticises us it says less about us and more about them. I appreciate your insight and will put it into practice, thank you!
  • @Amelia Jasmine Lee I agree, when we express ourselves creatively, sometimes we focus too much on the angle from which we view our work. New perspectives help us grow our expression.

    Your approach to navigating criticism is healthy and I’ll put it into practice. Thanks for voicing your opinion Amelia.
  • @Gemma Buss I find it interesting and true how you mentioned receiving criticism as a skill and not an unchangeable innate characteristic. It’s something we can always work on and improve.

    I completely agree there will always be people who either like or don’t like what you do. Like you said, their feedback usually gives us more insight into who they are as our audience.

    I’ll take your advice to confidently get as much exposure as I can. I appreciate your comment, thank you for your insight Gemma!
  • Whatever you’re been criticised about you have to see it as apart of your growth and good or bad criticism is apart of life and once you understand that it can never hurt you self esteem it can never hurt you.

    Anything I’m doing I look at it as I’m the best in that field and everyone knows the person that is the most talked about is the man/woman that leading in their field and best of them handle criticism well and uses it to their advantage.

    I hope this helps
  • I believe criticism should always be taken in to consideration even if you may not agree with their opinions. The person whom is viewing your work and giving you the critisism is giving you a different perspective as to how you are viewing it. As it is your own work, that you've created yourself, you know exactly why and how you've created it, therefore receiving opinions from someone who doesn't, allows you to understand why they may see your work in a different way you do and how you could change and improve it.
  • There are so many skills you need to develop as a creative - and receiving criticism is towards the top of the list, if not the top!

    It’s never nice to hear something you don’t expect to hear about your work, especially if you don’t agree with it, but creative work is subjective. People will always have an opinion whether it be deemed ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but it’s always an opportunity to learn and look at things from a different perspective. It’s good to get as much exposure as possible and gain as many insights as you can, you get to know your audience and how to broaden your own horizons.

    Try to get as much feedback as possible as often as you can! It’ll make you much stronger in the long run :)

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