Listen to your gut, not your critics.

It may be easier said than done, but once you master how to ignore your critics you will gain so much more confidence and more than likely your work will improve.

Creative people are a sensitive bunch, I should know I’m one of them. But there is one thing you develop after many years in advertising, and that’s thick rhino skin.

But you don’t have to work in advertising to get that tough hide; you can develop it yourself and that armor will help protect you from harsh comments about whatever it is your create.

It can be hard to trust your inner voice or your gut feel about something you’re working on creatively but instincts are an important part of our genetic code, it’s what has helped us to get to where are now. It’s part of our survival instinct.

Will your gut always be right? Of course not as life doesn’t work that way, but as a creative person you will at least have done something you believed in.

Many great artists and innovators have gone with what they felt was right and failed. But it’s those failures that help you get better and stronger when it comes to trusting yourself.

Steve Jobs from Apple didn’t succeed at everything he dreamed up, but that didn’t stop him. If it had we most likely would not have the iPhone today.

Jobs had a strong belief in his own ideas and didn’t rely on consumer research or others to influence or sway him.

“You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Steve Jobs

In this social media laden landscape we now live in you are bound to have someone, somewhere critique your work, but to that I say — “so what?”

They are faceless opinions in a see of noise. Put some earplugs in and get back to doing what you love and believe in it.

Creativity is subjective. Someone may love Warhol’s work but hate Basquiat’s. Someone may love Metallica but hate The Beatles. It all comes down to personal taste; if we were all the same we’d be living in a very boring and vanilla world.

Trusting your own ideas can be hard, but the reward can be worth it.

That’s it for today; see you tomorrow.

Rodd

Rodd Chant is a Creative Director / Writer / Strategist and a bit more. He also teaches creativity to groups and individuals and makes a mean Thai red curry, or so he says. He also has a penchant for talking in the third person. You can read more of his LinkedIn musings here. You can also find him on Twitter and on Instagram. Or drop him an email — roddchant@gmail.com

#trust #gut #instinct #personaldevelopment #creativity #ideas