Validation Hunger
Art criticism is always a weird concept to me, because it often tries to measure the unmeasurable, and it's always somewhat arbitrary, so it really shouldn't be taken too seriously by the artist. But it's a bit of a "can't live with them, can't live without them" situation for me, because I totally feed off compliments and emotional responses. It just feels so validating! Every piece has a piece of my soul in it, and it's such an intimate process that when I finish I never quite know how to interpret this new thing brought to the outside after only living inside of me, and I need the reality check of knowing if it even makes sense to other people. I suppose the best critic is the one who lets me find my own reactions and appreciation of my work, and I try to remember that an artwork is exactly as good as it is honest.
- for John, my most unwilling critic
