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Dangerous Compliments #1

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As a person who creates, you’re bound to get feedback. Both good and bad.

But over the years I found that there’s a type of feedback that falls in a gray area between these two extremes. They’re called compliments. Although they’re usually well meaning, some can be deadly to one’s sense of self and productivity.

Over the next several blogs, I want to delve into dangerous compliments that can kill creativity, how to spot them and what to do with them.

Here’s #1: “You’re so lucky”

Why you may hear this: It’s sexier than saying “You’ve worked hard”

How to reply: Smile

When it comes to the arts, for some reason, people like to disregard things like work ethic, perseverance, determination and drive. They see success in the arts as something ‘other than normal’ so if you succeed it really has nothing to do with your effort just the stars aligning or magic fairy dust.

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