A young artist is exhibiting his work for the first time and a well-known critic is in attendance.
The critic says to the young man: "would you like to hear my opinion of your work?"
"Yes" says the young man.
"It's worthless" the critic says.
"I know" the artist replies, "but let's hear it anyway."
Did you laugh when you read this? I did, loudly!
If you've read many of my past blog posts, you'll know that this is exactly how I feel about the opinion of "experts." Their opinion is worthless. Why?
Because no matter what they are expert in, they can never be expert in one thing: Your Vision.
And if you are being true to your Vision, then no expert's opinion can ever change your mind or change your course. You must create what you see inside of your head.
But if you have no Vision, then you are left to flounder about, not knowing which way to go and will be tempted to look to others for direction. And the problem of course, is that their advice will be based upon their Vision, their preferences and their opinions.
To be confident enough to ignore the advice and opinions of others, you must have a conviction of your direction...and that means you must have your own Vision.
I choose to create according to my Vision and to produce work that I love and am proud of. Because at the end of the day, what I think of my work is the only thing that really matters. Accolades last for only a short time, but personal satisfaction lasts forever.
Each of us possess this amazing ability to create, but we are often held back, not because we lack ability, but because we doubt ourselves. We create how we think we should create, how others have created, we create to follow the rules and we create to meet the expectation of others.
Letting go of all of that, and creating what you see and feel, is the key to unlocking your potential and producing work that you love.
Others may not understand or appreciate your work, and that's okay, it's not for them.
