Cool about cringe: Content creators tell us about their creative processes and battling criticism on social media

A frame from singer Dhinchak Pooja’s latest single, Ek or selfie lene do

Every artiste or creator experiences imposter syndrome. They battle the crushing anxiety of not knowing whether their work is good enough. In a world of curated social media feeds and snarky comments, it can be difficult for new content creators to share their work in a public space and face the criticism that follows. Some, like Dhinchak Pooja, shake it off and keep going. While her latest single, Ek or selfie lene do, which released earlier this month, is being trolled, the singer herself is basking in the glory of another viral hit.

Yet, as singer Taylor Swift called it in her recent convocation address at the New York University, cringe is unavoidable. "Learn to live alongside cringe. No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime," Swift exhorted the gathered students.

Good advice, we think. Content creators and media influencers spoke with us to explain why ‘cringe' is a key part of the creative process and essential for growth.

Learn from cringe

Sonal Rana, fashion enthusiast, content creator, social media manager
Even the best of content does not get validation from each and every person out there. You have to be unashamed of what you are doing. Find a niche, and make an effort towards what you make, but remember that everything is cringe for someone or the other. There is no way to make
everyone happy, and it is never the goal.

For me, if I go back to my initial years and the content I was posting, to me, it was cringe. You have to be okay with it if you want to grow. Nobody is perfect and you have to make that journey.

People are often fed up with curated feeds. They want to see real stuff, which can be cringe for some people. As long as you are being honest with the content, it's alright.

Everyone goes through it

Ankita Kumar, travel blogger, content creator
You have to accept that not everyone will like the content. That's easier said than done. Unless it is a creator you look up to, your friends or family, I always take the comments with a pinch of salt. Also, if it feels right, go ahead and do it. Nothing else matters.

Everyone, every creative person at least, feels embarrassed about their past work. You are not creatively the same over the years. There are things that will surprise you when you look back. You will wonder what you were thinking while making it. But it is okay.

I remember loving Lamberghini when it came out, and suddenly it was cringe. I could never understand why? Amplifier and Lamberghini are still enjoyable at times.

Live and laugh at it

Iqlipse Nova aka Deepanshu Raj, singer-songwriter, co-founder BigBrainCo
I feel that there are two types of Cringe: One, where the artiste is trying to do something out of the box that a majority of the audience does not like because it's not too mainstream. The other is where something is so bad that people start talking about it and end up making it famous.

If I feel that the audience is unable to accept my work simply because it is too new, I keep working at it and putting out content till the acceptance comes. I'll get to learn if there is any scope of improvement. At the end of the day, if an artiste is ready to laugh about their craft - that really can take them far! Cringe art is really fun. It's just that people don't accept it publicly because of the fear of being judged. An off-tune song might be awful to listen to, but it can be just as fun to listen and laugh about with friends.