A Letter to Creators

If you’ve ever created something and put it out there for the world to see, you’ve probably felt the dejection that is brought about from the acrimonious words of people you’ve never met. It seems that there are legions of naysayers out there, willing to spend two minutes of their time to criticize, condemn and otherwise smash the hopes of hard working creators. They almost always work from behind the veil and relative anonymity of a screen. Many creators spent hundreds of hours developing their content only to have their hearts ripped out by an internet troll. It’s both pathetic and sad. Pathetic in the way naysayers seek out new content to trash instead of offering constructive feedback or encouragement. Sad for the many creators who have felt stifled and given up on their dreams. To the naysayers I have only one thing to say: You can’t stop us from creating. This article is for the bold. The ambitious. The people whose purpose in life isn’t to tear down, but to build. This is for the creators.

Never in my life have I felt more vulnerable than when I put my books up for sale. The amount of time and effort that goes into such an endeavor results in a product that is so personal that any attack on it feels like a direct assault on the creator. My work was like that. Some people hate it. Some even called me names. I’m working on material right now that I’ve been told is a bad idea; that I’m investing time into what will amount to nothing more than a failure. But I’m still creating. I’m not alone and neither are you.

Ariana Huffington launched The Huffington Post in 2005 to a litany of naysayers who suggested that she simply didn’t understand the internet and that the site would fail promptly. She sold it to AOL for $315 million six years after the launch.

Sara Blakely founded Spanx in 2000 amidst a chorus of negativity. In fact, she now says “It’s smart to keep a young entrepreneurial idea secret, even from friends and family.”

Anderson Cooper was told repeatedly that he would never be on the air.

The Lord of the Rings was completely dismissed by literary critic Edmund Wilson in 1956. He called it "balderdash" and "juvenile trash."

Or how about the Bloomberg article that derided Apple’s new product offering, the iPhone as “nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks.”

I hope you creators see a theme here. It’s nearly impossible to find a great invention, achievement, literary work or other creation that wasn’t met with harsh criticism. The great ones not only ignore naysayers, they press forward and create anyway. After all, we don’t create to please the naysayers. We create for the people who will consume what we create. We create to satisfy our own overwhelming need to create.

Here’s the thing about naysayers: They can’t stop us from creating unless we allow them to. To overcome them we have to do two things: First, tune them out. That’s right, completely ignore them. Don’t check the reviews to your book. Just don’t. If you have the means, assign communication tasks to someone else so you can focus on creation. My wife curates all emails sent to my website in addition to managing my social media accounts. I simply don’t see the harsh criticisms that come through (sorry naysayers, you’ll have to find another way).

The second thing you need to do to overcome naysayers is to fill your mind with positive messages. Seek out media that reinforces a positive attitude in you. Read, watch videos or listen to recordings. The key is to build yourself over time. Naysayers tear down. Creators don’t just build content, they build themselves up as well.

I wish I could be there to cheer each of you on as you create. I truly do believe in you. Don’t listen to the voices telling you that you’re not good enough. They’re wrong. Surround yourself with positive messages. Keep creating.

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