Zero Grace

🌼On your face, I see a guarded expression that I am drawn to because it is the same expression I see on my own face every day. I see someone I can relate to, which is more magnetic than any "perfect image." I paused at your juxtaposition; the difference between charity and compliments is that charity happens up close, while a compliment creates a distance that is harder to pinpoint because it could be both real and fake.

Your art is great simply because YOU created it! Takes a ton of courage to put something out there to be judged by the world. I love your work. Always look forward to reading it 😌

Ah, the imposter syndrome. Sign of a genius.

Beautifully done as alway! “GREAT WORK!” But actually the pajama line is perfect and I expect this will do well. You’re incredibly raw and talented. Accept this a genuine praise.

Author’s note: been thinking a lot lately about the concept of confidence, not only in terms of how we carry ourselves but especially in terms of creativity and creative efforts. There’ve been times where I’ve written stuff I’ve liked and felt proud of, then I’ve gone back to reread it months later and discovered… …it was trash all along. It’s a weird feeling to vacillate between pride in one’s work and embarrassment over it. Usually I strike a happy balance of pride that I created something, alongside a necessary indifference towards the quality. I know every creative is different, but I imagine this might be relatable to some, otherwise the phrase “we are our own worst critics” would never have taken off. You often hear people say that it’s important to believe in yourself, and I think this is true. But I also think it’s easier said than done. Anyway, a few years ago, while introspecting about this I came to the conclusion that believing in yourself and in your work, (as any kind of artist) doesn’t necessarily mean you have to believe your stuff is great. Only that it has value, and was worth your effort. Arriving at this conclusion is part of what helped me feel comfortable with sharing my writing here on Vocal. I still feel I’m not “good enough” and tend to dial in on my own shortcomings. But I realized that even if I’m never able to achieve the skill level I dream about, I’m still a human and art of being human is accommodating the drive to create. Also I personally find a lot of richness and value on seeing what other people have created, even when the art is rough or unpolished. I guess what I’m saying is: a while back I made this conscious effort to not let my own self-criticism stop me from being creative and from sharing the stuff I create. Like, it doesn’t matter if I’m not as good as I want to be, I don’t have to be anything other than what I am. I dunno. I’ve never written about this particular train of thought before, but I figure perhaps it could be relatable, maybe even helpful to other creatives who feel a lot of self doubt. If you do feel that way, my advice is don’t let it bog you down. Accept it and let those thoughts just move along, so you can get back to doing what you want with your creative energy. Have a great weekend everybody

But you indeed are great! I get what you mean though. I feel the same way when someone compliments me 😅😅