User blog comment:RuckusQuantum/Ruckus's Story/@comment-4849011-20160907015605

It sounds to me like that critic on reddit was the kind who tears down others to try to seem bigger, and the jerks who joined in are bandwagoners (You know, people that do something just because someone else is doing it). Tearing people down doesn’t make one bigger; it makes one smaller. Joining with a bully doesn’t make one important; it just means one is a lower and more cowardly form of bully. It’s true that people shouldn’t get full of themselves, but it’s also true that people shouldn’t feel it’s their job to take others down a peg. One time, when I was in college, I had a piece that I was especially proud of and which had gotten a compliment from a lady passing by. I set it where it could be seen more easily and waited for more passers-by to offer compliments. No one else did, so I learned my lesson. Taking art classes in college was a humbling experience because it showed that no matter how good a job you do, there is always someone who’s better. My point is I learned on my own not to get stuck on myself- I didn’t need someone tearing me down. People who feel entitled to trash others are not only arrogant themselves, but also useless.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing some of my own stories to show I know about criticism. As I’ve said on this site before, one of my hobbies is making my own comic books. In high school and college I’d often have a clipboard and other supplies so I could work on my latest issue whenever I had free time. One time, in high school, there was some free time at the end of a period and I was doing some drawing. This jerk girl (I knew previous to this incident that she was a jerk) came to my desk and asked what I was working on. I replied that my hobby was making comic books and I showed her a page. She looked at it, and when she went back to her seat I heard her tell a friend, “This idiot thinks she can make a living with this garbage!?” or something to that effect. First off, you’ll notice that I never claimed I planned to do it for a living. I just said it was a hobby, which is pretty much the opposite. Her claim was pulled out of thin air, with no basis in reality. Second, the way she said it proves she was a coward since she wouldn’t say anything to my face. Third, what was she hoping to gain from this? People are free to think my art is stupid, but what she did showed she was a liar, a coward, and a lowlife. Here’s a strange one. Someone on here once criticized a drawing I posted- on one of my pastas that used some of my comic book characters. This guy claimed no one would be able to take the story seriously and said he could post a better one if I wanted. Basically he insulted my work and acted self-serving, and acted like he were doing me a big favor by doing so. I replied that the picture was staying where it was, but I had created a gallery where he could post his drawings. I never heard back from him, but I did get a couple compliments on the story, original drawing and all. In fact, no one else has even commented on the illustrations, good or bad, so they must not distract from the story that much.

The worst thing, though, is when jerks attack your character. I once jokingly proposed a deleted pasta memorial service. I made it clear that it was a joke, a lighthearted way of dealing with deletions instead of whining and crying about it. Someone responded that I was pathetic and I needed to learn how to write instead of whining about story deletions. So yeah, instead of going after the people who really do bellyache and rant and rave about deletions, this person decided to attack me when I proposed something lighthearted and humorous. In fact, I think I even noted that I didn’t question some of the deletions, which is far from whining. Also, I encouraged everyone to participate, so it wasn’t about me. I defended myself but the person never responded. Someone actually gave the person’s mean-spirited, untrue post a kudos, but I’ve found out that people can give themselves a kudos (since I accidentally did it one time. I meant to give Mmpratt kudos but accidentally clicked on my own post instead ~blushes in embarrassment~ At least I owned up to it). I’ll always wonder if someone genuinely liked this unfair rant against me, if one of the person’s friends did it, or if the user gave him- or herself kudos to seem justified. For the record, I had (and still have) numerous pastas that had not been deleted, so I must not be that terrible a writer. This person tore me apart without knowing a thing about me or my stories. If you want to criticize my writing, then read it first. I can take genuine dislike or apathy for my stories, but when someone A) deliberately misinterprets or fabricates what I wrote (For example, criticizing something that didn’t actually happen in the pasta) or B) makes assumptions without reading them, then I get sore. There was an incident off-site in which I tried to help someone and they ended up attacking me and saying nasty & untrue things about me. I tried to help someone, and I got attacked for it. That stung me deeply. Sometimes it still hurts. I briefly felt like giving up writing after that, but I decided I wouldn’t quit. I’m not going to stop trying to help people either.

What I’m trying to say I know what it’s like, and I’m here for you. Be humble and stay willing to learn and you'll go places. If you decide you don't want to do graphic design, that's up to you, but don't stop doing things you love just because of hateful critics. There's an American (I think) expression that says, "Do you." It means you have to do right by yourself and not worry about what the haters say.