Approval from others can be a wonderful thing. One way we nurture others is to affirm and accept them, and if we voice that affirmation, it can lift a person’s mood and inspire them. It could be just the encouragement they need.

What doesn’t work for me is creating art with the goal of getting approval from others.

Don’t get me wrong, I want other people to like what I create. It is just counterproductive to make that a goal for my art.

For my art to be meaningful and authentic, it has to come from my soul, a place far deeper than accolades.

Compliments are cheap. As an artist friend once described them, they are “a dead ringer for my third grade Sunday School class”.

Polite compliments without substance, indicate a belief that an artist’s ego is fragile, and that they need to be coddled and cajoled over everything they express. I’d say if an artist needs that, they are in the wrong field.

Everyone won’t love it, including the ones that said they did at your gallery opening. Besides, not all art is meant to be pretty or happy or easy to look at or understand. The important thing is that I love it. Me, the one with the paintbrush in my hand. The one who decides when something is ready to be seen.

So no. Approval from others is not a strong motivator for me, as much as I love a real conversation about the art and why it meant something to you.

I am not trying to be prickly or distant or exclusive. I do so very much welcome your sincere feedback, whether it is positive or negative.