Completely get that - in the same place regarding my art and writing. I'm almost too emotionally invested in it for my own good. And am working hard to overcome that. The problem with the world - I think - is that they want you to write the stories they want to read, or play the music they want to listen to. Not the work that you necessarily want to share or is in your heart. It feels at times like having a conversation with someone and if you aren't talking about a topic that they can relate to or hits their experience, then off they go, and you might as not be talking at all.

But, for every critic out there, there are people who love what you are producing. To deprive those who do want to hear what you have to say, do want to see your work, do want to read it - just because of the critics/detractors - is I think unfair to them. I remember a while ago reading an interview of Amy Acker's who played Fred on Angel for several years. She repeated a conversation she'd had with Alexis Densiof, regarding a time when she went online and read what people were saying about her performance on the series. He'd asked her if there were any positive posts - well yes, she responded, but all she saw were the two negative ones. She ignored everyone else. I've done it myself - when I wrote those essays and posted them online. But what's important to remember, I think, is that the negative responses did not stop Amy Acker, Joss Whedon, or Jim Butcher from doing their art.