Today's inspiration rises from a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Belittlement, bullying or just some fools who think they know better can smash self-esteem to pulp. It's hard to keep up positive thinking when producers, publishers, trolls and even well-meaning friends and relatives deliver a daily digest of dejection.
See also:
Artists and creators engage in self-talk which can easily turn negative. Demons of doubt rear their ugly heads. Attempts at self-sabotage arise. Confusion sets in. Why did I use that color? Why's the same word three times in a paragraph? Did I plagiarize that song? Why don't my socks match? I'm such a loser, other losers kick me. I'm fake. I'm stupid. I suck.
STOP!
Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle
Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords
Angst is a fun word to throw around. I remember years ago having angst about my ability to write about having angst. What happened? Nothing got written, that's what. Don't do that. Angst is normal and not entirely negative. In German, Angst means fear but in the context of creation it's simply passionate transcendent emotion. Nothing to fear.
See also:
It goes away when we start to look at our successes instead of failures. Creators need to pat themselves on the back, because sometimes they're the only ones who do.
Building up self esteem as an artist or creator is tough. Life is busy. It's easy to sweep away the half finished manuscript, the sketches, music or designs and say it's not that good anyway.
See also:
Years later, we might come across them buried under dust and sigh and say, "Hmm, not bad. Wonder why I ever stopped doing this." One great thing about writing, painting and other arts is, it's never too late to start ... or restart.
Sometimes it's meant to be that way. Life likes to throw us different experiences. Those we aren't ready for at one point come to us again, perhaps in another way. Through them we learn and grow.
One of the most important things in life is to keep a positive outlook and do what makes us happy. Low self esteem tries to tell us we don't deserve to be happy, we haven't worked hard enough, we're too stupid, we're fakers, we didn't pay enough for Aunt Mae's birthday present and we'll be damned by ghouls of guilt forevermore.
If demons of doubt rise up, fear no evil. Stand your ground and invoke Eleanor. Watch those self-doubts flee.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
See also:
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She was First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, the longest term in American history. Through travel, public life and advocacy, she largely redefined the role of First Lady. An outspoken activist for social justice, she was a moral force during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.
She went on to serve as United States Delegate for the United Nations. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" due to her significant human rights achievements.
Sylvia Rose Art on Zazzle
Sylvia Rose Books on Smashwords