I come from a family that doesn’t hide their love for art, whether it be music, drawing, writing, or even wood-sculpting. It’s not to say that we flaunt it in one another’s faces; rather, we collectively share the same love for a lot of the same things. And perhaps that’s part of why I continue to keep writing and playing music, well into my twenties when I’m supposed to have settled down in a stable 9 to 5 with a retirement savings account already set up, even though I’m still not that great at either things.

But I know people who are terrified of showcasing their art, and I totally understand why. It’s terrifying, having to bare yourself to a world that’s known for its harsh words and utter inability to suppress its disgust when it comes to disliking anything. Rejection and failure are tough pills to swallow when all you want to have is a sense of validation for your creation.

It’s easier to hide than to put up a tough front against the bullets that come from people who, for some reason, feel that their opinions about your art are completely warranted.

And there’s always that niggling fear that whatever you put out, will never be good enough. That there will always be a better artist, a better musician, a better singer, a better writer, a better triple threat, quadruple threat even. Why hustle and toil when you’re completely adamant that you will never surpass the likes of Tolkien, The Beatles; even looking at the statistics of how many people fail out of the entertainment industry is enough to scare you back into looking for a marketing job.

Nevertheless, I truly believe that art, first and foremost, is essential for the enrichment of one’s soul. Why was it created in the first place if it was useless, like what most well-meaning members of society might say? Art is akin to a language that transcends words and manifests itself in different forms; through songs and novels, the rhythm that rides an excellent beat and the words that speak into the darkest corners in us.

To prevent someone from sharing that is like cutting off a method of communication, because art speaks. It connects one person with another, and I can honestly say that I have been touched by so many kinds of music and fictional genres, all created by so many different people. If even one of those pieces of art didn’t exist, I would not have been the same person I am right now. Share what you have, because chances are, someone out there feels the same way.