Chasing validation over truth

Chasing validation over truth is one of the quiet traps that can slowly drain an artist’s soul. Applause feels good, likes feel good, and approval can feel like proof that you’re on the right path—but it’s temporary. The crowd changes, trends shift, and the same people cheering today may be silent tomorrow. When your work is built only to please others, you end up adjusting your voice until there’s nothing real left to say. Truth, on the other hand, has weight. It may not always be popular, but it lasts, and it gives your art a spine.
Lao Tzu said it best: “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” When you live for validation, you hand over the keys to your freedom. But when you create from truth—from what you actually believe, feel, and stand for—you take your power back. The goal isn’t to ignore the audience, but to refuse to be owned by them. Make work that’s honest, and let the applause land where it may. Truth endures long after the clapping stops.