I hear the word “validation” thrown around a lot lately. Usually, the context is in a person, usually a creative, in the glow of recognition, thankful to “finally have validation” of their craft, or their journey.
What is “validation?” And, do we need it as writers? Is it healthy to seek validation from others? Does a lack of perceived validation necessarily make us “less” as creatives?
External vs. Internal Validation
Like motivation, validation comes in internal and external flavors.
Internal validation is the type that you receive for simply having done the thing, even if no-one is watching, or seems to “care” that you’ve done it. It’s that warm, fuzzy feeling at the end of a hard day of manual labor. Or that personal-best mile you just ran. This is that first draft novel you just finished. This is the feeling of satisfaction that you get from doing a productive thing that added value, even if it was just to your own day.
External validation is the type that is exemplified in the introduction to this article. This is the kind of validation that we get from someone besides ourselves. An agent requests a full manuscript after a query. Our piece is accepted for publication. We win an award. Someone else is basically telling you that you did a good thing.
External Validation and Being Seen
External validation, while not problematic in and of itself, can be a dangerous thing. Especially with creative work, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and “value” can be incredibly subjective. History is littered with writers and artists who never witnessed their work receive acclaim, or even readership.
It’s okay to want to be seen, to share your work with the world, and to want to know that people see your creative efforts as “valid” and valued. Maybe you feel guilty for spending an hour at the keyboard instead of doing another load of laundry. Or maybe you face social or family pressure to pursue a fast-paced and prestigious professional career, and the fact that you’d rather write gives you feelings of guilt or failure. Your biography likely includes an obstacle that makes you feel like you’re behind the 8-ball. External validation might make all the effort and sacrifice seem worth it.
The trouble comes when you have thoughts like “if only X Magazine would print my story; that would really give me some validation.” Or “There’s another contest I wasn’t even shortlisted for… now my work is invalidated.”
Risk of Resentment
External validation is never guaranteed. Sometimes that’s a good thing. The external world can be mistaken. Examples abound of horrible humans with terrible ideas, the infamous of history, have had lots of positive external validation. And brilliant humans with fantastic ideas perish in anonymity, to be celebrated posthumously, if at all.
The dark side of seeking external validation is the risk of becoming resentful in its absence. It is easy to take rejection personally, or to blame a lack of external recognition of your art on something other than the subjective preferences of any audience. This simmering resentment, over time, does no one any good. It sets the mental stage for bitterness and blame of others for a simple feature of, well, reality.
Healthy Validation
Despite these pitfalls, validation is something that people, generally speaking, need. Given the issues with seeking it outside ourselves, what about internal validation?
Because it comes from inside ourselves, internal validation, naturally, doesn’t depend on anyone else. The internally-validated is necessarily independent in their pursuit. As described above, they keep producing whether anyone else notices or not. The creation itself brings joy. Or you revel in the challenge of creating, or of sharing your work with the world. Recognition, awards, and accolades are the cherry on top, not the goal in and of themselves.
Internal validation takes a lot of security in yourself. It isn’t easy to disregard the apparent apathy of the universe. Especially in our current situation with the ability to observe the apparent uber-successes of millions online. “Just not for me, today,” are hard words to hear from a person or a publication, especially day in and day out as you work to break into a market. A strong sense of self and purpose is critical for feeling that sense of internal validation.
Healthy Feedback
I’m not suggesting that all external validation is unhealthy. Nor that you should not query that agent or enter that contest. I just urge you to not hang your self-perceived validity as a creator on the outcome.
Similarly, I don’t want to suggest that you should toil away in a silo. Feedback on your creative work is important, too. Unless your goal is pure personal consumption of your own work, the feedback you get from sharing will help you improve. The people around you, the agents and editors you query, will help you grow in your art and craft. Improvement is certainly valid, and needing to improve doesn’t invalidate your practice. Honest feedback, even it is true and constructive critique, has no impact on your value as a creator. Other people don’t imbue you with value, or create it within you. You create the value in you.
What do you think?
Do you find yourself creating for the purpose of external validation? Is all of your effort and creative you-ness a waste if no one applauds the outcome? Or, would you still create, and find joy and value in the act, even if no one ever saw, or shared your work forward?
Share your thoughts in the comments, or find me on Twitter, Instagram, or via regular old email! I’d love to hear your thoughts and perspective! And for monthly musings on the writing life and updates on my journey, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, Writing On Spec! Exclusive first-look news and updates, straight to your inbox, every month!
Until next time, may your coffee be strong and the Muse be with you!
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