I know, I know, it's another "serious" post.  What can I say?  My mind's been in a strange place as of late, and I really felt like this was something I wanted to share.As those of you who have been following me for some time know, being an author is not my "real" career.  I spend my days working as a board certified psychiatrist who treats children, adolescents, and adults who are dealing with stresses and difficulties in their lives as well as those who suffer from mental illness.  I only recently discovered writing as a second career (I hope!), and had written in the past primarily for pleasure.One of the topics I deal with a lot in my regular job is bullying.  We're not only talking about the stuff you see in the news all time time, but all sorts of physical, emotional, and psychological bullying.  It isn't just children or teenagers that are affected, but grown adults as well.  We all experience bullying in some part of our lives, whether we recognize it or acknowledge it as such.  Being the victim of bullying can have widespread consequences; at a minimum, it damages our self-esteem and our self-image and creates doubt and insecurity.  At worst, as we have seen publicly, it can drive people to take very serious action and harm themselves or others.There is a lot out there about bullying, and I'm not going to rehash it here on my blog.  I think there are people who have given it a great deal of thought and have expressed themselves more eloquently than I possibly could.  However, there is one type of hidden bullying that I would like to speak out about, and it's one that I feel everyone faces at least once in their lifetime: creative works bullying.The reason why this topic came to mind was actually something I saw on my FB feed a little while back about Corey Feldman.  As someone who does not follow him, it was a surprise to me when I heard that he had gone on the Today show to perform his latest single with his band.  I'll admit, I only saw clips of it and it wasn't really my cup of tea, but the backlash and shade that was thrown his way immediately afterwards was shocking.  Yes, perhaps it wasn't the best thing anyone has ever seen, and maybe he was never going to be the next Elvis, Prince, or Michael Jackson, but I believe that the vitriol that was spewed in his direction was completely unnecessary.  The comments on social media, the internet, and the media was astonishingly disrespectful, to the point where he had to release a statement asking for the public to stop harassing him over it.I understand that when you choose to put yourself in the public eye you open yourself up to others' opinions, but when someone choose to use their words to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose their views, this is bullying.  Picking on someone because they do not meet your standards - bullying.  Singling someone out because they don't fit in with what's accepted or "normal" - bullying.  Using name calling and foul language to describe someone or what they do - bullying.  Each one of these acts tears down the victim and makes them feel unworthy, useless, and unaccepted.  Meanwhile, it brings the bullies momentary feelings of superiority, influence, and dominance, but it does not take away the reality that they feel insecure about themselves in some way.  Bullying is a spectrum - it's not always black and white, but the results are the same.  No matter how severely someone is bullied, it is hurtful and damaging.Why does all of this mean anything to me?  Well, one of the things that I was told almost as soon as I decided to publish my work was that I had to have a thick skin.  Why, you ask?  I'm sure you've all seen Youtube comments, mean tweets, and FB comments from people who want to put their two cents in.  Many are shocking, and it's hard to imagine how anyone with such negative thinking could live their lives without backlash.  Sadly, we know that these individuals would never say the same things to someone standing in front of them (or even over the phone), but a computer screen provides just enough depersonalization to take away the fear of retaliation.  For creative artists, it's bad enough that you're putting your heart and soul into something and taking the risk of being rejected, but everyone who feels they are entitled to an opinion abuses the anonymity of the internet to push past the boundaries of criticism to downright hate.I am currently a self-published, or indie published, author.  Bullying, especially in indirect and mild forms, is present all around me.  Whether it's agents, readers, publishers, or even other authors, there's an unspoken acceptance for bad behavior because "that's how the industry works."  For example, when I started looking for agents, I distinctly recall contacting a local one with the naive belief that I would receive a warm reception.  What I got instead was skepticism with a hint of distain as this agent informed me that she rarely took self-published authors because (and I'm paraphrasing here) "pretty much everyone can publish nowadays."  The implication?  I could not possibly be a decent writer because I chose the self-publishing route.  She spent the better part of the next 10 minutes essentially trying to met me know in no uncertain terms that success was highly unlikely in my situation (having NEVER seen my book).  This was coupled with a recitation of her credentials and experience, used to justify her opinion of me based on one phone call.  Did I feel bullied?  Honestly, yes.  I felt like I was back in elementary school, being told that I wasn't "cool" enough to hang out with the popular girls.  Interestingly enough, she did give me her address to send a book to her, and three months later I received a voicemail telling me that she was "pleasantly surprised that she loved the book" and wanted a call back.  I felt vindicated, but also saddened, that she had such low expectations of me based on generalizations of self-published authors.Remember, some of the most celebrated people in history were not popular in their time.  Galileo, Gregor Mendel, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, and Emily Dickinson were just a few whose works were ridiculed or ignored all together during their lives.  Even some of the most successful people now have stories about when they faltered while starting out.  Oprah Winfrey, Stephen King, and JK Rowling, just to name a few, have all talked about how their bullies made them question their worth and their abilities.  Yet, all of these artists went on to create beautiful things and inspire others to follow in their footsteps, and I believe it's because they had someone in their lives who balanced honest criticism with encouragement.Here's the deal.  I'm not looking for world peace, ending hunger, or even an end to bullying.  I am merely asking each one of you reading this to take a moment and put yourself in someone else's shoes.  When you watch, read, or listen to something, take a moment to remember how much courage it took for this person to put themselves out there.  If you have criticism, be polite and respectful about it.  If you want them to be better, then give them advice on how to do so.  Do not tear them down and make fun of them.  If you don't like what they have to offer, don't give them any more attention.  Let others who enjoy their work take over, and move on to something that suits you more.  Think of yourself like your parents did when you brought them your first piece of art as a little kid - did they make fun of your rudimentary drawing skills, or did they shower you with praise and insist on putting it up for all to see?  Humans grow and develop with positive reinforcement, and it works no matter if you're two or seventy two.So, after all of this babbling, what do I want you to remember?  What is the point of this lengthy diatribe?Be respectful, be encouraging, and most of all, be kind.Until next time, luceat lux vestra!