Today’s quote:
Those who danced were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Over the years, I have met so many artists who struggled through unsupportive personal and business relationships.
We should never underestimate how much an unsupportive environment can clip our wings.
It is futile to explain your art to someone who cannot, or does not want to, understand it. And that’s fine – not everyone needs to “get it”. They have no right however to put you down, or belittle you for your passion.
Yes, I know, there are many people out there who are not willing to put in any work and effort and still think the world owes them success, but they are not the ones we are talking about here.
We are talking about living and working with people who are poisonous for your art, and to deal with this, you only have three options:
- Don’t worry about what they say (and really mean it!), and carry on regardless
- Leave behind what makes you feel miserable
- Stop doing your art if those relationships are more important to you
Which one have you mostly picked in the past, and are you considering to change this?
© Petra Raspel 2013
absolutely and definitely! and sometimes we don’t realise how sniping, nit-picking and corrosive these relationships are until we get into a really supportive, encouraging group. which, if you can find it makes the first option a lot easier. Karen
Thanks for your comment, Karen. Totally agree: It’s good to surround ourselves with like-minded people who actually WANT to support us. We can’t magic confidence out of thin air 😉