11/02/2026
One of the harder parts of putting your work out into the world is learning how to receive criticism.
When you’re a small business owner, or a maker that creates their own art/products, so much of what you create is personal. There’s time, money, creativity, and a whole lot of yourself invested in it. So it’s understandable that criticism can sometimes feel like a personal attack.
But I think there’s a real difference between criticism that’s meant to tear you down and feedback that might actually help you grow. We don’t have to agree with every opinion, and we certainly don’t have to take every comment to heart. But there’s something valuable in being open to hearing perspectives outside of our own, even when they’re uncomfortable. I’ve def gone through this many times and I think it’s helped me be more confident and also not take myself so seriously.
I’d love to hear from other small business owners and makers: How do you handle criticism of your work? Have you learned to separate feedback from your feelings about what you’ve created?
I’d love to hear different perspectives on this~
