PERSONAL ESSAY | CREATIVITY
I Solemnly Vow: Shame Stories Will No Longer Ruin My Creative Joy
May the heavens and the earth bear witness.
The mind is a tricky bastard. It disarms us with bouts of negativity when we’re living our best lives and least expect it.
This happened to me
In the past couple of months, it felt like the universe and I were in alignment until I received the most detailed constructive criticism of my life.
Honestly, I was grateful for the criticism. It reaffirmed my belief that Medium is a platform for growth. A haven where readers and writers look out for each other.
What went wrong was how my mind reacted to the criticism. It shut down completely. I went from having a plan to zero ideas. From waking up joyfully at three a.m. to create to staring at my laptop feeling deflated.
Then I heard the voice slowly filtering in. It said:
You thought you had it all figured out. Look where it got you. You’re flusttered and confused and you call yourself a mentor. You can’t even figure your way out of this.
Listening to this voice go on and on in my head broke me. It messed with my pride, self-belief, and confidence. I felt…
