When it comes to your creative abilities and the art you put out into the world, there will always be people who have opinions on it. If you want to remain in a good headspace while you continue to follow your passions and create your art, you need to understand the difference between people who want to help you and people who want to hurt you.

People who are jealous of you will just point out the flaws in your work and leave it at that.

These people, with the little green monster on their shoulder, are haters (for lack of a better word) just because they know what you’re doing and what you’re capable of and, in some situations, they wish they could do what you’re doing.

Jealousy is a pretty common thing, especially in the art and creative industry. These jealous people will nitpick your art and point out the flaws but not actually give you any advice to make it better. They just want to bring you down, because for whatever reason, it makes them feel better about not being able to do what you’re doing.

People who want to critique you will point out the flaws in your work and show you what you can do to make it better.

If someone is genuinely trying to help you, you’ll be able to see it, based on if they provide you with feedback and ways in which you can make it better. Sure, they might be offering critique and criticism, but that critique and criticism is their way of giving you a chance to make your work stronger.

They might ask questions to get a better understanding of where you’re coming from, offer advice, and provide tips on how to make things better. They want to help you succeed. 

You don’t want to get sucked into a mindset that your work isn’t good enough because someone told you it wasn’t. People can offer critique and criticism, but it’s your job to notice the difference between maliciousness or genuine intentions.