You are an artist.
You create beautiful things. You paint, you dance, you sing. You compose, you photograph, you write. You inspire. You make this world a more bearable place to live.
Each day, you get up and your brain starts firing off new ideas and images that you just have to try out. Colors are more vibrant and sounds and rhythms are found in every facet of life. You see the world in a different way than everyone else does and you have the power to make them see the way you do.
But sometimes, that vision doesn't always work out the way you wished it would. Someone doesn't understand what you're trying to say. Another person just doesn't like it. And suddenly, you aren't good enough. You're never going to make it in this world. No one will ever like what you do. Nothing you create will ever be the best. You are always going to lose.
But none of that is true. You are good enough.
You put yourself out on the line and that's brave. Being brave is good enough. You made something out of nothing--you made something in real life that used to just be inside of your head--and that's incredible. Being incredible is good enough. You learned something about yourself in your process. Knowing who you are is good enough. You made mistakes along the way and that is human. Being human is good enough.
You are not only good enough, you are better than good enough; you are great.
You are the glue that holds this crazy world together. Without artists, we all would have gone mad ages ago. Without artists we wouldn't have music or dance or art or films. Without artists, our world would be boring and uninspiring.
So what if a few people didn't think your dance was worth watching twice? So what if a few people didn't understand what you were trying to get across with your sculpture? So what if a few people didn't like the choices you made in your performance? Who cares?
An artist is always learning, always growing, always improving. Your artistry never stops developing. Each new piece is an exploration of who you are as an artist and how you see the world. Every time you show the world something new, you are putting one more beautiful creation into existence, and that's worth more than any negative thing that is said about it.
By translating your ideas from your wonderful brain to the page or the stage or the canvas, you are giving someone the opportunity to be moved by your work. Even if 100 people pass by without a second glance, there will be at least one person who is influenced by what you did, and that is truly something. Your art has the power to heal or intrigue. Your art could be the catharsis someone so desperately needs. If there is one person who was moved in some way by whatever it is that you created, you are successful. Even if that one person is you, you are a success.
You may not know it, but your artistry could inspire someone to finally take a leap of faith and act on their desire to create. You could be influencing so many other artists and people without even knowing it because they may never tell you that you are the reason they did something. So keep creating. You never know who you could be reaching.