Artists of all kinds can spend their lifetimes being unappreciated. They can create piece after piece, only to have them sit unsold, uncared for. We've heard this story a million times. But the story that is less narrated is how those artists cope. The truth is that artisans generally (not always, but generally) yearn to share their work with an audience. They see beauty or serenity or clarity in their pieces, and they want to share these expressions with the world, to make it more beautiful, more peaceful, more clear. So what happens when that artist isn't able to do so? Or worse, what happens when that artist hears--often from people who claim to support her--that her work is a waste of time? That it is useless? That she should give it up and exert her time in more beneficial causes, like orphan advocacy, or cancer research, or environmental advocacy? What happens to her then?

Of course it depends on the personality of the artist. Some become discouraged. Some may even become so discouraged that they give up their craft, abandon it, and maybe even pretend like it was never a part of them to begin with. And they move on, to more normalized, more acceptable endeavors.

Some become depressed, feeling their work is unjustly attacked, feeling dismissed. These negative emotions can build so intensely that they send the artist into mental health and/or addiction problems. Because, quite frankly, no one enjoys the feeling of not being seen.

And some artists manage to hold onto themselves. They manage to say to all those who do not appreciate them, "My craft is important no matter what you think." And they continue. And maybe one day they find an appreciative audience, and maybe they never do. But they refuse to let the world dictate their worth. They refuse to listen to anyone who tells them their work is unimportant. They refuse to let the world kidnap them from who they truly are.

I encourage you to be the latter. The one who may not receive validation from others, but who knows her art has a place in this world, even if that place remains for her alone.

Protect your craft, because it is a part of you. Protect it because one day it could be someone else's saving grace.

I don't think anyone would doubt that orphan advocacy and cancer research are--on the scale of life and death importance--higher up than art, in all its forms. But there are people who find themselves in that work. There are people who have a passion to make waves in those fields. And we commend them. But why not allow each person to focus on what fulfills them, whatever that may be? Because even though cancer research is more vital than making art, cancer patients find peace and hope in art. They need it, in a way that is different from how they need their treatments.

There is a saying in Arabic which translates to "Give the dough to the baker." It means each person should do the work that she is skilled at, that she excels at, that she enjoys. By doing so, we can address the issues of the world in a more wholesome manner.

Be the artist who stays true to herself no matter who opposes her. Be the artist who creates pieces that affect and inspire others, so that humanity can constantly be working to make positive changes in the world.

Be that artist even if you are your only audience. Our world will be a better place for it.