How thick is your skin? (y'know what I mean)

[DokiDokiTsuna]

• Very: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
• Somewhat: My feelings get hurt once in a while, but I can usually hold my own
• A Little: I'm pretty sensitive, although I don't always show it
• Not at all: Please don't be mean to me... ;_;

Show results

I think about this a lot...mostly because I'm not exactly sure how I would rate myself.

I want to have thick skin; I feel it's a valuable quality to have as an artist and as a person who at least intends to use the internet to make a living.

Most people have been pretty good to me these days, though, so I haven't had many chances to assess myself...and back when I was younger and things were messier, I either (a) didn't notice when people were being mean to me or (b) completely overreacted. At least, I made it sound that way...I didn't really know how to make myself look 'subtly' mad, so anytime I got annoyed all any observer would see was straight fury. If you think I sound aggressive now you would have hated me when I was 14... ^^;

Anyway, yeah, so I think my early years on the internet don't count (although for the record, I'm pretty sure I had extremely thin skin back then). All I have to go on are my more mature years, living in relative obscurity; mostly interacting with fans...the worst I usually have to deal with are people just on the edge of creepy/clingy, and those people are rarely insulting, so...

I think I've learned some patience over the last couple years, though, and some strategies for dealing with malicious behaviors that have really helped, especially IRL. I like to think that if/when the going gets tough I'll be able to handle things with maturity. I suppose time will tell...

Oh, and to give the poll some context: I consider 'Somewhat' to be the "normal" response. I feel like only certain types of people are 'Very'; not everyone can react that way to criticism/harassment, and that's okay.

[GoldenHoneydew]

I get her sometimes but even when I do get hurt I tend to try and not express it- if it's over text I try not to hint at it and if it's in person I just go completely monotone to avoid getting too worked up

[Rhonder]

Voted "somewhat". Most things don't bother me much at this point but I can definitely be caught off guard still @u@;;

A recent example was in a discord server I recently joined, there's an art share channel and a regular had posted a picture there. I went to compliment it (as was the norm on said channel... usually people post a pic and everyone else goes "nice!") and commented on how I liked a line art rendering technique that they used, and how I had started recently trying it out too. They asked me to post an example from my work so I did and then... just like low-key tore into it with random criticisms LOL I got a little defensive since I was caught off guard and wasn't intending on getting feedback, just sharing... but I didn't realize how much it really got under my skin until a day later when I realized I was still like a little upset with that user and thinking about the ways I should have responded

Thing is tho, this particular server member is a little younger and didn't mean any harm I can tell (especially by our interactions afterwards) and I remember how I was online as a teenager so... I just tried to let it go afterwards lol. But yeah, skin's pretty thick but not as much as it could be, I guess

[SleepingPoppy]

I picked "not at all". I think I'm pretty thin skinned, but I do make a point to not take it out on other people. If I get criticism I didn't ask for on my comic, I still try to be respectful and polite. If someone says something rude that's not real criticism, I'd rather say nothing or kill with kindness.

But I will obsess over things I say or things other people say. It comes with having anxiety, I imagine. So any conflict, even conflict I willingly participate in (like forum drama), has a pretty strong effect on me.

I like to think that if/when the going gets tough I'll be able to handle things with maturity. I suppose time will tell...

I think just being thoughtful about how you will respond to other people is a huge part of the battle.

[migxmeg]

I was giving interviews as content for a Youtube channel and when I met the film-maker I was working with, he promptly informed me that I was the first person he'd ever met that looked better on video than in person. Later on he said that I was so great that I could be a professional if I would get a tan and lose some weight lmao. He meant them both as compliments . That's when I realized that only very personal insults from people I am very close to will really upset me!

[DasIstWunderblyat]

It depends on the other person: how I perceive them, and how they are supposed to carry themselves in that situation.

A nobody Wattpad commenter or fellow amateur writer telling "Your writing is pretentious bullshit and you should learn English before you even try to write, go quit!" is laughable and easily dismissed.
If a professional author or a big established author said the same thing to me, that is when I got pissed because 1) That's not how they supposedly behave 2) They might send bad example to their audience 3) Isn't it an arrogant act to pick on a small fry. I am more offended by how they think they are big and mighty to shit on other people work and tell them what to do, how little that they think of me, rather than my English sucks.

I actually think it is ideal to not respond to such things unless it could besmirch your reputation or there are benefits you could gain from clarifying it. Do not even think they exist, because they are too worthless to exist.

[Caro]

I think it depends on the day for me. For the most part I can shrug things off since usually the only people who have ever said anything actually mean to me were children and I don’t really want to engage with children oti so I just ignore it. I’ve run into a problem the past couple years where a troll will leave a weird/angry/generally troll-y comment and I’d usually ignore it but now my followers will retaliate for me in a way that makes the troll leave MORE comments and lash out against not just me but the commenters too and that’s the only time it really, really sucks for me BUT I’ve only had it happen a few times.

But yeah I feel like 9 times outta 10 someone being purposefully mean is usually a kid so I just disengage and let it go. And then if its an adult... well... its probably someone with some issues that have nothing to do with me and I hope they can resolve them if they’re resolvable. I hope they’re doin okay out there.

[TAMAnnoying]

IDGAF

Unless it’s a friend i take everything in stride, only listen if I agree on it such as art improvement.

Still waiting for my first hate comment

[vothnthorvaldson]

Very thick.
I take critics as a mean to improve if they are justified, and discard them without problems if they are not.
Obviously that may mean, in certain cases, a certain time interval between receiving them and deciding whether they are justified; this may be the less comfortable moment, but I certainly don't let it upset me.

[ar-ninetysix]

Kinda in between "Somewhat" and "A Little".. but my vote was for "Somewhat". Like you, most reactions I get to something I make tend to be on the more favorable positive side, so I can't really properly assess how I handle negativity directed at me either. I'd like to think I can handle those types of comments when I get to 'em with a calm mindset of accepting their opinions for what they are. I never tend to have the best idea of what my demographics would be so I can't get too upset whenever somebody doesn't like what I make.

That said, I can't say the same about what I think they might say. Anxiety's not really fun in that regard, my brain likes to imagine the absolute worst so something like "this is just (blank) but worse" might not even phase me. Tbh having no comments whatsoever is more damaging to me than just straight up insults to whatever work I make. I get into this thought process that says "damn. nobody cares to look at this, it's not even worth an opinion" and then.. well, yea. I know thick skin refers to others' comments and not my own but I kiiiinda feel like it's worth mentioning?

[skicoak]

I got some serious battle armor...(Art college critiques and being a heel wrestler hardens you)... doesn't mean I don't recognize when someone TRIED to get at me with their words.

Too often people mistake questioning why someone said something for caring that they said something.

[milejdyvan]

I would like to say very but uhm.... I'm a crybaby lol but I will say that words on the internet don't hurt me ever, so i am tough in that regard (I think) but when it comes to real life, nah, please don't say anything mean to me

[DualDragons]

Well over the past few years I did get a little more thick skin, I can take criticism and insults a bit better now than I used to. But when somebody steps over the boundaries they're still gonna get it.
Naturally though? No, I don't have a thick skin at all. I can snap at anything if it's grave enough.

(Voted for a little thick skin, enough to deal with daily situations)

[Kiweevil]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[MoseyP]

I am...pretty thin skinned ahaha I know that taking criticism is part of the creative process, but I somehow manage to take everything personally. I'm trying to get better though, otherwise I know I'm not going to cut it as an author.

[BitterBadger]

Pretty damn thick these days compared to even a year ago. If haters at work couldn't even under my skin, how could my haters on the internet get to me? Life is too short to give any of them a second thought

[Puck]

I´m 45 now my skin is thick when it comes to the "public" opinion,
I don´t read it and I really don´t care.
I like consulting people and learn from them and I´m good at taking critique
because I´m asking for it and want the person to help me.
My skin is thinner when I work with people but that´s mostly a problem of
communication

[AmazementComics]

As a young adult, my mindset is not nearly as impressionable as it used to be. Back in the days of middle school, I would blow up over every tiny mishap. My upbringing and environment caused me to grow up fast. I basically had to train myself to "wise up" and do better as I went through high school and afterwards, and still my brain isn't at the age where its fully developed. I don't say all this as if I'm completely perfect in the sense that I don't get irritated by some people in life, I still do. In those cases, I simply keep my distance. This pandemic didn't need to force me to stay six feet apart from people, I was doing that years ago and I give people double the distance . This is the case for insults, online debates, screw ups, you name it.

[NickRowler]

I said a little mostly because there are things that really get to me and drives up my anxiety. However, I think I am better at self control when it comes to avoiding arguing or attacking randos on social media. I have only blocked one person on Twitter, (it was a large political person and I was sick of him popping up in my timeline).

I also rarely get angry, I tend to feel frustrated instead of aggressive.

I think when it comes to people critiques of my work, my biggest annoyance is when people don’t understand how to write proper critique. Sometimes people focus too much on broad negative statements instead of picking out problems to focus on and improve. And I often get annoyed because I feel like I have to prod people to get more info. IDK I just generally hate critiques.

[feuersichel]

For online related stuff, my skin is very thick. Especially regarding my comic. I know very well it is beginner-work (created it to learn how to do comics). So I love constuctive criticism and for just negative stuff... I just don't care that much, but I haven't had that negative comments so far.

In real life, I have a lot thinner skin though as you are face to face with people.