We tend to overlook the understanding that once you’ve shared your work online, it is no longer just yours. You have signed off and allowed it to become a part of the market – from here it is up to your audience and how they choose to respond to your honesty and creativity.

From the perspective of an aspiring musician, it takes a fearless individual to believe in their talents and display the confidence to put themselves, potentially in front of thousands of people. However, what often stops people from even reaching this point, is the fear of judgment and the insecurities within themselves which are magnified by hate.

I should make it clear, that criticism and hate are very different and for the purposes of this discussion I am focusing on the latter.

Our brain has a ‘negative bias’ that is hyper sensitive to negative commentary. At our most primitive, studies have labelled it as a useful protection mechanism f or steering us a way from harm. But in modern society – this bias is the linchpin for the lack of action and self-doubt.

So how do we battle this negative bias? 

You must employ compassion and empathy.

It is pivotal to recognise that anyone with the time to disparage the hard work and talents of others, often has a plethora of insecurities. Because you have chosen to stop living on other peoples terms and taken life into your own hands, you have become a mirror of everything they wish to be. The struggle to come to terms with that realisation is a powerful reason to employ compassion and understanding – that these ‘ haters’ have taken time to project their non-constructive criticism unto you and being in such a state of mind is often a culmination of very real personal issues/trauma.

Take control of your life and live without self-doubt.