Thanks for the Feedback—But No Thanks.

You Aren’t Doing Enough

"You aren’t doing enough on Instagram."

A so-called music industry expert told me a few weeks ago after I asked him to brainstorm with me some actions to promote my upcoming EP.

An empty, unconstructive remark.

As I sat on Zoom, listening to him go on and on, I won’t lie—I was raging inside, not just because of the patronising tone but because 3 minutes in, I already knew where this conversation was heading: Google-search-level advice as if it were some golden key. I wanted to sing over him with an annoyingly loud melody, but I didn’t. I played the nice girl: I shut down cause I couldn’t be bothered to say:

“I already take these actions; I don’t think they are effective. I want to brainstorm something else”

He probably thought he was giving me a great lesson on music marketing.

I have a deep understanding of what makes feedback effective.
Vague, negative, unconstructive remarks don’t cut it.
As a sensitive person and trained life coach, I know how critical it is to provide constructive, detailed feedback that leaves someone empowered. Everyone has different visions and goals, and listening is one of the first things to do before giving feedback.

I also teach design and constantly give feedback to my students. As an educator, I had to learn what works and what doesn’t. So, yes, I am picky. And yes, bad feedback gets under my skin.

But in that moment, I was proud of myself for not reacting (although inside, it wasn’t peaceful for sure)

Instead, I calmly responded:

"Thanks for sharing. I publish 2-3 reels a week, plus a post, and I engage daily with my followers. What does ‘enough’ mean to you?"

Silence.

Then: "I know it’s frustrating, but you can’t stop."

Did he even hear me?

I tried again. "Actually, my focus has been on my newsletter. That’s where I connect with the people who truly care about my music and creative process."

He cut me off before I could share how much my newsletter has grown in the last few months.

"Well, surely you need more people at the top of your funnel."

Ah, funnel—the industry’s buzzword of the moment. That’s when I stopped listening.

The call dragged on too long. I should have ended it sooner, but my people-pleaser self stayed. Until finally, I said:

"I’m sorry but this feedback isn’t helpful or constructive."

I wish I had added the following:
"You know what… I came here to strategise my EP release, but I’m getting generic comments with no genuine empathy, no listening, and no actionable insights. I am really clear on my content pillars, values and brand, I was just looking for some help around prioritising some key actions.”

But I didn’t.

And just before I hung up, he left me with one last gem:

"Well, you’re not going to be Chappell Roan with millions of streams anyway, right?"

I was done.

Not just with him, but with the entire system that hires cynical people who don’t even seem to like their job—people who throw out copy-paste ‘advice’ that does nothing but undermine indie artists.

Because there are so many incredible, passion-driven, marketing-savvy people out there who actually help artists grow—who offer insight, direction, and a space to refine their message instead of regurgitating ‘more, more, more’ like a broken algorithm.

We don’t have to give power to people like him.

But after the anger dissolved, something else surfaced—clarity.

I know who I am. I know where I’m going. I know what I want to say and how I want to share it.

And the real frustration? Not his words. The fact that I wasted 30 minutes of my precious time—out of fear.

Fear of being seen as ‘too defensive.’
Fear of looking like someone who ‘can’t take feedback.’

When all I really wanted to say was:

"Thanks for the feedback—but also, no thanks."

We don’t have to take every piece of feedback.

Not even from so-called ‘experts.’

If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be this:

Trust yourself. Trust your art. Trust your voice.

Build your audience your way. Share from the heart. Create a strategy that feels authentic to you.

Surround yourself with people who challenge, expand, and elevate you—who help you grow, not shrink. Who is happy to brainstorm with you ideas that haven’t before been in line with your brand?

Most importantly, be selective about who you take feedback from.

If you want to carve your creative path, seek advice from those who’ve walked it—not those who only observe from the sidelines.

Not every opinion matters.

Not every voice deserves space in your creative process.

So work hard. Rest hard.

Give yourself time to integrate the learnings.

To recharge your batteries.
And stand firm in who you are.

Share your experience with feedback below, would love to hear!

Lots of love, 🧡
Leti

P.S. I am running a FREE workshop for creatives called Dare to Create on Wednesday 26th, February. Check it out and see you there!