I Believe In Art By Victoria Lynn Hall: 30 Days of Holiday Cards

Groovy Peace Angel by Victoreeah
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Today's featured holiday card is my Groovy Peace Angel design. It was inspired by sixties pop art, something I am a big fan of. I am quite fond of this design and even used a version of it as my own Holiday card several years ago. The funny thing is that when I think of this card what I remember is the one person who didn't like it.

Of course this person didn't come right out and say they didn't like it but made a point of telling me that it was "interesting" in a way that very obviously conveyed their disapproval. I think many creative people encounter this kind of criticism. There have been a few times when someone has described my work as "interesting", "imaginative" or the ever popular, "wow that's deep" with a snicker or a roll of the eyes to make sure I know they didn't mean it as a compliment. As an artist, I know I can't expect everyone to like everything I do but there was a time when these sorts of remarks in particular would bother me.

What I have learned since, however, is that even when these remarks are meant to be insulting, they are in fact very high compliments. I certainly mean for my work to be interesting, imaginative and deep. Those words hold no negative connotation for me. The fact that they do for other people says more about them than it does about my work. If they had said, "wow, this is boring, trite and shallow, I really like it!", I would not be flattered. So now when I encounter that kind of criticism I smile brightly, say thank you and walk away feeling groovy, peaceful and proud of my work.