Criticism is hard, especially when it comes to art.
At one point, I wanted to edit photos as a profession. I started offering to edit for other photographers. While I felt confident, I had 3 prospective photo editing clients turn me down without giving me any feedback as to why.
Two of them said they were shopping around, and then the other one simply said “no thanks” after seeing some samples.
I had great feedback from other people and had even created my own presets.
For some reason their rejections had me questioning my talents. We always do that to ourselves, don’t we? We listen to the negative.
Thinking back now, it was silly because photography is such a subjective art. I’ve since learned that ALL design opportunities require consultations with new clients. You have to learn what they want.
I was in a funk for a day, feeling like I had overestimated my abilities. Then I remembered that I saw another photographer talking about self-doubt. The person who replied to them and mentioned some great resources for continuing education.I binge watched those videos and learned so much how to know your value and offer a better client experience.
I actually decided to pursue the branding, web design, and messaging side. That’s what I’ve been doing professionally for a while now. Knowing a lot about photography helps! I wouldn’t have tried to improve myself if it hadn’t been for the rejection from those people. I wouldn’t have discovered how much I like experimenting with these ideas.
Let criticism inspire you to keep learning. Every expert starts somewhere.
Fruitful Art Studio 