Validation

Submitted to: Mr. Costa

Submitted by: Nicholas Biancolin
ENG3U2
February 22, 2021
 We are all artists of our own kind. While others may create paintings or literature, the

way I create art is composing music. While I have a passion for music, I am by no definition a

professional. Some people may even dislike my work to the extent of calling it ‘useless.’

However, as artists there will always be someone who does not like your work. We must push

past this criticism and recognize how much we appreciate our own work, because true validation

comes from within.

When you first start our as an artist, all your work is your most proud work, as you are

trying your best, and giving it your all. However, as you create more and delve further into your

journey, you start to see the flaws in your work. When I first started composing, I was

immensely proud of all the work I had created. However, as I kept writing, I started comparing

my work to that of professionals, I realized the true quality of my work, and thought poorly of

my abilities as a musician. The only way through this slump is to keep going. Not everything you

do or create will be perfect. However, the more you practice, the better you become, and the

sooner you will be able to consistently create amazing works of art.

Eventually, there comes a point in every committed artist’s career where people will

compliment your work immensely, but you know that it can be better. By this point, the rate of

improvement has significantly lowered, but still, you keep practicing. After a while of little to no

improvement, frustration ensues, and once you take a step back, you realize the most important

message of being an artist; validation comes from within. After all, at the end of the day, ‘it is

the spectator, and not life, that art truly mirrors.’

We are all artists of our own kind. Some of us specialize in more traditional art forms,

like music, painting, or acting, but really, anything you enjoy doing is a form of art. Are you

good at a video game? That is an art form. Are you good at sports? That is an art form as well.
As artists, there is always someone who is better than us, and someone who does not like our

work. We must move past their criticism and work harder. But at the end of the day, those people

do not matter. You will always see someone who is better than you because we all need a goal to

work towards. And you will always see people who do not like your work as a source of

motivation to improve. The last two lines of Oscar Wilde’s Preface to The Picture of Dorian

Gray resonate loudly with me as an artist:

The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless.

Taken out of context, that last line can be confusing, but together, the message is clear;

validation comes from within. So, if you are stressed that you are not good enough, or that your

work is terrible, worry not! ‘All art is quite useless.’