"Some of your friends praise you, and others blame and criticize you; be closer to those who blame you and further from those who praise you."

Hi criticism, my name's Brian. Nice to meet you. Let's be friends.

Many startup companies, entrepreneurs, artists, etc. fear criticism. After all, who likes people saying negative things about your work? Yet, rather than run from our critics, why not embrace them?

Why not accept discussion and feedback as an indicator that people care about what you're doing. Would "great art" be "great art" if everyone loved it? How many aesthetically pleasing paintings hang in our offices blending in with mediocrity? Art isn't about creating the song, painting, product, that nobody takes the time to talk about. Great art is an expression and evokes emotion from its audience. 

Positive or negative, I welcome the criticism.