creative work, self critique and staying positive

Do you ever get caught in that, "Everything I do is terrible!" mindset? Well you're not alone. I think one of the hardest things about working in a creative field is how subjective my work is. Great design seems to lie somewhere between beneficial self critique and harmful self doubt. I am always wanting to push myself further, to bring out the best, yet sometimes this can feed into a negative train of thought. I came across this video by Derek Sivers over a year ago explaining that what's so obvious and ordinary to us is amazing to others. Take a look:

In addition to reminding myself that, here are two other things I have found that help me stay positive and creative:

1. Step away. When I really feel like I am not designing anything worth while or I just don't feel creative at all, often all I need to do is to take a break. When I step away it allows me to get out of my head and come back fresh and refocused. 
2. Avoid the comparison trap. One easy way to do this is to not read the blogs of people that do the same thing you do. So I don't read/follow/search for other great letterpress designs, instead I look for inspiration in great photography, fashion, interior design, and paintings. Not only does this help me to stop comparing myself, it pushes my work and creativity further. 

photo credit saboskirt