Don't Know Which Creatives Need To Hear This Today, But You Cannot Let The Hunger For Recognition And

don't know which creatives need to hear this today, but you cannot let the hunger for recognition and attention rule you.

it is completely normal to want recognition for the things we create. that is a basic human emotion. I made something and put it out there, witness me! it feels good to be seen. it nourishes us.

that said, we also have to find the balance between that craving for validation and finding validation within ourselves. I've worked with creatives for most of my life, I've BEEN one most of my life, and if you require a nebulous level of external validation to maintain your love of the thing, you will always be left wanting. it doesn't matter how much, how big, how known, how admired, how applauded. it will never be enough. you will always need more. the next hit. what that person has. what that OTHER person has. what that OTHER-OTHER person has.

this isn't to say that you should NEVER need validation. of course you do and should. it's one of the core tenets of raising any human being -- people of any age need to feel seen and heard. but we also need to be able to self-soothe, self-regulate, and self-help.

it's really easy to say "do something because you love to do it," but creative endeavors aren't that straightforward. sometimes you will, in fact, HATE doing it. it will be difficult or draining. that's normal, too. creation is not just an act of joy. it's an act of pain, of labor, of never feeling good enough.

so, no, don't "stop caring" about being recognized for your creativity. just don't let that need for recognition rule you. some of that has to come from within.

With Stars to Fill My Dream (8) - Born in Blood I'm Not Like You

Hi everybody!!! I drew this!! It's Ofelia!!! 💖💖💖

I'm getting back into the groove of digital art, so please excuse any mistakes- I have given up on perfecting blending, so I'm happy with this. 😊 Her top is from the Bardic Finery mod!

I know there's a warning stated below, but this chapter does have more canon-typical violence and gore than any chapter before it! Please keep that in mind before reading!

You're in for a treat this chapter- in addition to the violence, we have some steamy crumbs! Please enjoy ❤

Summary: A street-smart, musically inclined human girl with a tragic past gets abducted by a nautiloid after her painfully average shift at a retro singing diner. What's worse- putting your all into Olivia Newton-John and Travolta for lousy tips, or getting your guts ripped out by a gnoll? Or worse- getting turned into a hideous humanoid squid? Ofelia Montez will have to see if she can survive long enough to find out.

Pairing: Astarion x female!Tav

Warnings: 18+. Mentions of past abuse and trauma. Canon-typical violence and gore.

Word Count: 7,629

Opening below the cut!

A cool, dark sky sprawls out before her, thunder clapping in the distance. She waits in front of a red door, ornate stained glass decorating either side of it. A figure approaches from within, blurred by the filigree and texture, before it opens.

Many scenes flash by: meeting the potential adopters. They’re a pretty couple in their late forties, accompanied by their only son. His blue eyes are cold and piercing. She hates that he stares at her the entire time. She sees her room, blank and dull. Cool tones. Grays. The emptiness of it haunts her over the next seven months.

It doesn’t start bad.

She’s used to the distance and adjustment period. She uses the unnatural silence she wouldn’t have had back at her last foster home to excel in all her classes. She’s determined to apply for those good scholarships next year- wants them to carry her out of this bleak life.

vampire miku!!!! ❤️🦇💟

"We need more complex female characters" you guys can't even handle Chappell Roan, Real Life Woman with Boundaries

“When the handle has snapped off the basket that held all your eggs…” gone girl tier monologue