There is conflict and harmony between doubt and applause. The art would not be so interesting had it been expected.
The audience seeks novelty and wants to be awed. The creator, therefore, goes beyond predictability and dances with the fear of disapproval.
When we’re making something, we’re almost always uncertain how it might be accepted. But we can’t resist the urge to be unique. That’s why it’s always easier when we’re constructing something for ourselves.
Authenticity propels confidence; the rest takes care of itself. As Francis Bacon reminds us, “We do with our life what we can and then we die. If someone is aware of that, perhaps it comes out in their work.”
Keep anything locked up enough it eventually explodes. There is no way to know if anyone cares about the work, but we at least we can say it’s the least bit derivative.