Self-denial is one of the most infectious diseases in the magic world. The fact that we choose our material, the clothes we wear, the words we say (most of it without a script), and may choose to keep a routine intact for decades without realizing that it’s dated, etc., makes us very little inclined to seek out qualified criticism or honest feedback.
How can we start questioning what we do? Look at it with fresh eyes and then decide what is working for us, and what’s not working.
In my magic world, when I was growing up I could not find feedback. I had to learn how to get it. In the magic school, if I asked, “Do you have any notes for me?” I was usually told, “It’s good enough, for being you.” That meant that, as the only woman in the school, no one expected much from me. They were basically saying, “Good job. You didn’t suck.”
It was infuriating.