Why You Can’t Please Everyone with Your Creative Path

One big realization I’ve had lately is something quite powerful. The truth is, you can’t please everyone, and you don’t always have to be liked to succeed in life and in your art.

I was thinking about this because I was reflecting on how I was as a kid, and the kind of inner confidence I had back then. Even though I had a shy side, kind of like I do today, I was also very outspoken and had this unshakeable belief in myself and my ideas. I would question the people around me, especially if what they said didn’t ring true to me.

One early memory I have of that was when I was in a park with some other kids, and they had a clique which left me and my sister out. The group was led by a bossy leader who had all the kids following her orders. But that just made me more determined to make my own path instead, and I decided I didn’t have to follow that group. I didn’t bend to the pressure.

Later, one of the other girls came up to me and whispered she actually admired that I didn’t give into the clique. She said she just followed the leader because she felt she had to.

Even though I was only around 9 or 10 years old back then, I was already seeing that in-groups and out-groups are a part of human life. But I stuck to my guns and decided I’d rather not be part of a group that used unfair and exclusive tactics.

Nowadays, I want to return to that kind of confidence I had as a child. I think in some ways, I lost it a bit because of different life experiences I went through. As you grow up, you have to adjust to society in some form, and then you think about all these other things: how employers and institutions see you, how your peer group sees you, and so on.

But I’ve always felt that I don’t want to lose what makes me unique. I don’t want to completely lose myself in trying to please others and fit in. And the older I get, the more I’m starting to realize I never needed other people’s validation to live my life in the first place.

A creative person or artist who has the courage to be disliked has the real freedom to express themselves. They’re not concerned about trying to please their followers or even a friend group. They can learn from and acknowledge others’ opinions on their path while staying true to themselves, or even experimenting in brand new ways that could take some folks by surprise.

The Social Media Falsehood: Everyone Has to Like You

One falsehood that social media (and sometimes our culture in general) tends to promote is that everyone has to like you. I don’t think this was the original intention of social media, but it’s often built into the way it functions. People tend to agree with whatever is trending or popular on the platform, and they’re afraid of upsetting their followers by having a different or even just a nuanced take on something. Nobody wants to be lambasted on the internet.

But in the real world, you can’t possibly please everyone. There will be people who like what you do, people who dislike it, and people who are neutral about it all. That’s just the way it is.

What’s more, as you get older, you’re supposed to naturally start caring less about other people’s opinions. I remember reading in psychology that it’s a normal stage of human development to care a lot more about what your peers think of you in your teenage years and early twenties, but as you get older, you start developing your own view of yourself that is not as affected by others’ judgments. We were never meant to depend entirely on other people’s appraisal of us for our self-worth and peace of mind.

If you have a strong sense of inner validation, you won’t be dependent on the outer validation from social media or your peers. You’ll know you and your work have worth no matter how other people see it.

Denzel’s Wisdom

Denzel Washington, the great actor, had a powerful response when an interviewer asked him if he was worried about getting canceled. The interviewer said, “It means losing public support.” Washington replied, “Who cares? What made public support so important to begin with?”

When the interviewer said that followers are currency now, Washington returned that he didn’t care who was following who.

“You can’t lead and follow at the same time, and you can’t follow and lead at the same time. I don’t follow anybody. I follow the heavenly spirit. I follow God, I don’t follow man. I have faith in God. I have hope in man, but look around, it ain’t working out so well…

You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up. Don’t sign up.” - Denzel Washington

I think that’s a truly powerful statement. If your faith and validation come from within, and through following a Higher Power, you won’t let the judgments of other people consume you. You won’t sign up for that kind of drama and negativity in your life.

After all, the world and universe we live in is much bigger than just human society. We sometimes get out of touch with it, but there’s a whole world we can explore in nature, in connecting with the animals and plants, in connecting with the spirit. They don’t care about who’s the most popular or who’s fitting the trending perspective of the moment. And if you believe in a Higher Power or spiritual force, then it certainly doesn’t care only about what other people think of you. The love of a Higher Being is unconditional.

Take The Creative Chances

I want to wrap this up by saying I’m still learning how to get through my own doubts and worries about what other people think of me. But as I’m leaning more into that kind of confidence I had as a kid, I’m starting to see this is a real superpower. It kind of shocked me how much stress began to melt from my shoulders. I thought, “Wow, I can actually choose whether I care.”

So I encourage you to keep on taking the creative chances, in whatever you do in life. Don’t let the fear of others’ opinions or criticism hold you back. Free your mind. You don’t always have to be liked.

Sources:

Levy, G. (2025, August 16). Denzel Washington says ‘who cares’ when asked if he worries about being canceled: ‘You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up.’ Variety. https://variety.com/2025/film/news/denzel-washington-cancel-culture-for-highest-2-lowest-1236491156/

Montanaro, M. (2025, August 19). Denzel Washington fights back against cancel culture, citing faith in God, not man - “You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up.” That Park Place. https://thatparkplace.com/denzel-washington-fights-back-against-cancel-culture-citing-faith-in-god-not-man-you-cant-be-cancelled-if-you-havent-signed-up/