This might be a bit of a generalised statement, but I’ve observed that artists are an especially sensitive bunch. Now I use the term artist in the way I personally believe it to be, in that everyone who considers themselves an artist, is an artist. I certainly consider myself an artist first and foremost, no matter the fact that I can’t paint, dance, draw, or sing. My field just happens to be business. In the same way a painter views his paintings as works of artistic expression, I view the products I create in that same sense. I would rather be labelled by my peers as an artist, rather than a businessman or entrepreneur.
I think the reason that we are such a sensitive bunch is that ultimately the art that we create is an extension of ourselves. There is the stereotype of the ‘troubled artist’, which I have found to be somewhat accurate. There is something inherently flawed in our DNA, and sometimes the only cure to that flaw is pure expression. Everything that an artist creates is an expression of who they are as a person. What they believe in, what they stand for - everything.
And as an artist, it takes a lot of bravery to put your art out there in the world for it to judge. Imagine standing in front of an arena of people and laying your heart out, talking about your insecurities, dreams, fears - that is how an artist feels when they release a work of art. Ultimately, not everybody will like what you do. In fact, if you truly put yourself out there, there will often be more hatred than love. Think about the great artists of the past - Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo - none of them had perfect endings to their stories.
I suppose I could compare it to a relationship. When you are with somebody, you expose everything about yourself. Your greatest dreams and deepest fears. As an artist, when you produce and put out a work of art, it’s like sharing that intimate information with whatever audience you have.
And when people don’t like what you have to say, or think you’re some chump, or a fool, it is deeply painful. But the surest way to please nobody is to try to please everybody.
I’ve been especially guilty of withholding my emotions about what people think about my art. However, I do view that I have been especially lucky to have a platform to express my thoughts, people actually read what i have to say i guess. and i can express my words in an articulate fashion, and as such I want to speak up for all artists.
Give them a break. They are naked. They are exposing themselves to you and the whole world. Criticism hurts and is a necessary thing for improvement. After all, without criticism, how can an artist possibly know if they are saying what they need to say in the right manner? That being said, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t blow when you hear somebody say you or your work sucks.