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What Every Creator Secretly Craves… But Never Admits
There’s No Denying It
Any writer, designer or artist of any sort knows what I mean. Once upon a time, there was only one way to publish your work. You had to win over the gatekeepers. The gatekeeper refers to anyone who serves as a filter to prevent subpar work (in their eyes) from making it past the velvet rope before it reaches the world.
The gatekeepers were once all-powerful. Either you made it past them, or your work would be relegated to a dusty box in your attic. That’s no longer true. We can self-publish, distribute our work online. We can sell Facebook ads and drive traffic to our site without approval from any critic.
Gatekeepers have lost much of their power and some of their relevance. Despite the shift in power, gatekeepers still exist. We still seek them out — not always but some of the time. Why? Because gatekeepers fulfill a basic human desire. Do you know what that is?
Validation
Your intelligence, sophistication or level of self-awareness make no difference. If you’re human, you crave validation. It takes a lot of time, sweat and effort to produce a work of any substance. It means something when someone you respect says, I want what you made.
