FEEL THE FEAR (And Do It Anyway)*
Share your work, your thoughts, yourself on social media, and own it!
There's a hidden underbelly to using social media to promote our creative work. We don't talk about it much, it's quite prevalent, and it can't really be fixed.
There will always be someone who's happy to tell you what's wrong with it: Your style, your subject, your technique, your skill level, your choice of color, theme, title, etc. And also what's wrong with Y*O*U.
If this happens to you, here are some words of comfort and encouragement.
In 1948, Shirley Jackson's most famous short story, often included in high school reading/literature classes, "The Lottery" was published in the New Yorker magazine. It generated a (quote) "deluge of complaints" to the editor, and a substantial number of cancelled subscriptions. (Just FYI, the new movie about Jackson is not based on her actual life, according to her son, and contains incredible untruths, as does the book it's based on. The author says it's fiction, though it can 'read' like a true bio. Although I also hear Elizabeth Moss's performance is amazing!)
One of my all-time favorite mystery writers, Sue Grafton, died before completing her famous "alphabet series" (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc. and her last one was Y is for Yesterday. No Z.) She's won almost every mystery award you can think of, multiple times.) Critics have called her one of the top mystery writers in every category, especially her series. I've read them all multiple times.
Out of curiosity, I checked some reviews and ratings on Amazon, while buying her last book. I was shocked to see how many 3-stars and below ratings her books got, usually between 17-19%. One longtime reader gave her 1-star and a terrible review, because she "wrote too much". (Remember "Too many notes" in the movie Amadeus?)
One of my top three favorite advice-givers, Captain Awkward, is hugely popular, known for her witty, in-depth analysis of what's going on, her insights, etc. She is an advocate for all kinds of good causes and movements, all people, all genders, etc. She has thousands, tens of thousands, of followers, maybe more, including thousands of paying supporters on Patreon.
And yet, she has created a special folder for the deluge of hateful, angry, highly-critical comments she receives on a daily basis, which she doesn't even read. (She also deletes their comments and blocks them forever after their first rant.)
And we wonder why people hesitate to post their thoughts, their writing, their artwork, their stories online.
I actually wrote a series a while back called "Haters Gonna Hate", about how we can't focus on who hates us/our work, we just have to get it out there. I received quite a bit of blowback about using the word "hate". (Can you spell "irony"?) And another series, Mean People Suck, has truly stood the test of time.
We know that Shirley Jackson persisted and began a highly-popular and highly-respected author (faux movie dialog notwithstanding), as did Sue Grafton. Captain Awkward (aka "Jennifer Peepas") does not let the haters slow her down for a minute.
Neither should YOU let these people slow YOU down.
I used to engage with nay-sayers, until my team/partner/wise people in my life encouraged me not to even try. I still struggled, hoping to convince those toxic people to simply skip over or delete my posts/emails/columns/articles.
Now, in the movements for justice and equality today, people deep in those movements advise the same: Don't waste time or energy trying to change someone's mind. Instead, find ways to support the people/communities/organizations who are already working to change the world for the good.
You could do the same. Delete, mute, block. Move on. And get back to your happy place so you can make your art, and get it out into the world.
It took courage to see the artist in yourself. It took courage to take up brush/pencil/clay/a camera/a microphone/dancing shoes and pursue the work you care about.
It will also take courage to put it out into the world.
I'm reminded of this today from another source: Ginger Davis Allman's email newsletter The Muse. Allman works in polymer clay, but her wisdom and insights apply to almost any creative endeavor. In today's article, she concludes, "Best is subjective. Because each of us is different, things resonate with us differently and hit us in different ways. So we each have our own idea of "best" or "favorite". There IS no best." Yes, in certain instances, the opinions of others are relevant. But in the end, "the only idea of "best" that matters is your own."
I get it. I dread reading comments. I've gotten some doozies, and it can be daunting. But I've worked too hard to get where I am today, and I'll be darned if I let someone who's having a bad day/hair day/time/life take me down to their level.
Do your work. Do it for yourself. Take a deep breath and share it with the world, however you can. Be proud of where you are, and be excited about where you're going.
I wrote some of my best articles when I had no audience. Because, I learned even before my favorite "Sally Forth" comic was published, that it's not about having an audience.
It's about having a voice.
You can be afraid. You can worry about being judged. You can worry about feeling 'less than'. It's human.
We all want our work to be loved, respected, collected, displayed with joy. Once it leaves our hands, it has its own journey. To be loved now, or in a hundred years (like Van Gogh), or in 10,000 years.
Or forgotten, like so many others lost to us in time. No matter. It's not where it goes that counts.
It's what it brought YOU, in the making.
Feel the fear (and do it anyway.)
*Thanks and a hat-tip to Susan Jeffers for her amazing book, where this title came from!
