When I teach writing, the first thing I ask my students is this: do not ever speak poorly of your work in my class, it will hear you.

Creativity is an act of trust, a covenant with oneself. It is not about what others think of your work, it is about what you think of your work. Creativity is a leap of faith, a jump off the bridge, a plunge into icy water, and most of all a coming out, an affirmation of identity and self.

If you cannot trust your own work, how can you ask others to like it and trust it? When I take a photo, write something, I never know if other people with like it, get it, approve of it. It is not my concern, really. What matters is that I like it. I send my work out into the world, some of it good, some not so good, some fine, some not very fine. Some of it vanishes without a trace, some is cheered and praised along the way, some returns battered and lonely, never to be heard or seen again.

Some years ago I resolved to trust my work, to trust myself, it is the foundation of creativity. It is not good or bad work, it is my work, I am proud of it, I respect and trust it, I will never speak poorly of it, even as I know some people may and will. That is our contract with the world, those of us who chose a creative path, we do our work, close our eyes, take a breath, take the leap. We trust ourselves and our work.

This is a coming out, it is an act beyond the work itself. It says I am important, I deserve to be heard, my story, my photo, my idea is important to me and I want to share it with the world. It is an affirmation of the self, the building of ego and soul. I am never so arrogant that I think all of my work is good, only that it is my work, it is a part of me, and I will not speak ill of it. It may be listening.