Why in your right mind would you choose to put your creative work out into the world again?

It’s a question that’s plagued me for the past 10 years. All that self-doubt, rejection and potential criticism; you know what’s waiting so why put yourself through all of that unnecessarily?

Not to mention the seemingly endless line of disappointment. All of the work you’ve put into those projects over the years that didn’t quite turn out or take off the way you hoped they might. What makes you believe next time will be any different?

In the build up to the launch of an album a few years ago I was spending time on the part of the creative process I hate; reaching out to various contacts in the hope of getting some pre-release reviews. It’s definitely the time that The Resistance really takes a stranglehold, filling me with negative voices and self-doubt.

The silence was finally broken by a message from a good friend who presents a radio show.

It simply read: ‘Andy, please call me.’

I didn’t know whether I should be excited or terrified… Or both. Normally I spend a few hours second-guessing what messages like that mean and I run through a whole range of imagined scenarios. But I decided I was too busy for that so cut to the chase, dialed the number and called him right away.

‘Hi Andy. Thanks for sending me the album, I’ve had a listen and to be honest I’m disappointed. In my opinion it’s lacking oomph; it has nothing about it. You’ve got better in you. My expectations have always been really high for you and you haven’t delivered what you’re capable of.’

Smash. I could hear my heart beating through my head and the world got a bit fuzzier.

I think he urged me to keep going, to try again and to come up with something better. But those few minutes were like a heavy weight around my neck. And boy was it difficult to lift my head. The album was finished. It had already been mastered, cut, and printed. It was what it was and for now there was no going back or ‘trying again’.

My friend’s disappointment was really, well…disappointing.

It gave a foot-up for the resistance and reset my inner-dial to ‘half-hearted’ at best as I tried to muster the motivation to carry on promoting the record album. I had lost interest. In fact I was questioning whether it was worth creating anything ever again.

People kept trying to remind me that the positive responses far outnumbered that lone, single criticism.

But as always the negative voice stuck. It hurt. It was a huge disappointment because on some level it resonated with my own self-doubt and belief I already feared was true about the record. My self-criticism was right all along.

As the dust settled over the days that followed I realized I had two options:

1. Quit

I wanted to quit. A voice was telling me that my time had gone, my best work behind me.

2. Embrace the Challenge

I didn’t want to quit. There was another voice telling me to be excited, to enjoy the journey of re-discovering the magic and becoming all I can be.

This second voice was telling me to use this disappointing setback as a marker in my road, a catalyst for better work and a wake up call from the creativity sleepwalk that had brought me to that album.

What if this disappointment was a friend? It wasn’t out to get me, to bury me and my art. Rather it had an important role in the process. It was an ally asking me important questions, making sure I was fully engaged and ready to become the best possible version of myself into the future.

Disappointment when we experience it on our creative journey has some positive characteristics when we allow it to speak:

– A Learning Tool

Disappointment teaches us about ourselves, what we truly value, and how we can do better. Every disappointing situation is a learning experience. As the famous NLP presupposition suggests “there is no failure, only feedback”, meaning that we can use all negative situations to learn something.

Disappointment teaches us about ourselves, what we truly value, and how we can do better. (Click to Tweet)

Even if what we’ve learned is that we don’t want what we thought we wanted as bad as we thought we wanted it.

– A Reminder

Disappointment is painful because you care. I wanted reassurance and encouragement from those who’s opinions I value, not because I wanted to feel good but because I cared about the music reaching people and speaking to them.

The disappointment spoke to a failure in that objective. But the criticism eventually became a reminder that the pain was caused by the fact I really care about making good music (the outcome). It reminded me that it’s a part of me and something I can’t live without.

– A Survey

Disappointment provides space and time to assess where you’re at and where you want to get to. It brings into focus questions such as ‘do I want it badly enough to try again even if that means starting from scratch?’ or ‘where did it go wrong? What can I do to make it better?’

The implication of answering the questions may be a long hard road. You don’t need to rush into it now but if you decide that it’s worth it and you take each small step you will realize that there is always time for another attempt.

– An Inevitability

Disappointment is experienced by everyone. Every big name author and writer has experienced rejection. They’ve grown and learned how to deal with it. They will tell you that it strengthens resolve and hope. Consider each rejection as a necessary step closer to a success.

Hope is a flip-side to disappointment and a key sign of life. Without hope we settle for second best. We go with the status quo. We reject the possibility of transformation.

As tempting as it is to run away from potential disappointment; to hide our work and ourselves from potential opportunities that involve hope, risk, and trust. The world needs us to make that choice, to take that risk, and to put ourselves on the track along which disappointment travels.

Embrace the challenge that it presents for it is a friend, an ally, and a companion to all creative people.