Why Feeling Cringy Means You’re Growing as an Artist

If you’ve ever looked back at your early content — a podcast, a YouTube video, a blog post, a social media clip — and cringed, you're not alone. But that discomfort doesn’t mean you failed. In fact, it might mean you’re doing something right.

According to insights from creator and cinematographer Danny Gevirtz, feeling awkward about your early work often means you were ahead of the curve, not behind. In creative work, cringe is often a sign of progress.

Here’s why that uncomfortable feeling matters, and how creators in any medium can use it as fuel to keep moving forward.

Cringe Isn’t a Red Flag — It’s a Milestone

Gevirtz talks about how his behind-the-scenes videos made him squirm when rewatching them years later. But at the time, few people were documenting their creative process. What once felt awkward is now expected. That’s a powerful lesson: if you feel cringy about what you shared, it often means you were experimenting, pushing boundaries, or showing up authentically before it was trendy.

Whether you're a writer, musician, designer, podcaster, or educator, that awkwardness means you took a risk — and risk is where growth happens.

Why Cringe Happens in Creative Work

Here are some common reasons creators cringe at past work:

Your skills have improved — and that’s a good thing.
You showed vulnerability — sharing publicly is inherently uncomfortable.
The internet never forgets — older formats or opinions may not age well.
You took risks others didn’t — and that might have looked weird at the time.

The very things that make early work feel awkward are usually the same traits that help creators stand out.

The Internet Changed — So Should Your Mindset

Ten years ago, sharing unpolished behind-the-scenes content might have felt self-indulgent. Today, transparency is a creative currency. Whether it’s building in public, showing your workspace, or talking through what didn’t work, audiences are drawn to creators who let them in.

This evolution has opened the door for creators of all types to build meaningful connections by documenting rather than performing. That shift benefits anyone willing to show their work-in-progress moments — not just their polished highlights.

Cringe ≠ Bad Work

It’s important to separate emotional discomfort from poor craftsmanship. Feeling cringy doesn’t necessarily mean your work was bad — just that you’ve grown since then.

Cringe = Growth signal. You’ve evolved.
Bad work = Lacking intention or effort.

Many creators mistake cringe for failure. But often, it’s a sign that you’ve refined your skills, clarified your voice, or learned to edit more effectively. In short, it means you’ve progressed.

How to Turn Cringe into Creative Growth

Rather than retreating from the feeling, use it as a signal to keep building. Here are a few ways to reframe and respond:

Document your process: Share how you create — not just the final result. It builds trust and relatability.
Embrace feedback loops: Use discomfort as a prompt to assess what you’ve learned.
Create often: Repetition sharpens your taste and execution.
Review old work intentionally: Look for patterns of improvement, not just flaws.
Celebrate the courage: Every post, video, or release was a choice to show up.

Creative growth doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens in public, with a record of your evolution left behind. And that’s worth being proud of, not ashamed.

The Creative Takeaway

For creators in any field, feeling cringy is often a marker of momentum. It means you’ve left the comfort zone, shared honestly, and tried something new. As the digital world increasingly rewards transparency and experimentation, the creators willing to show their process will be the ones building lasting audiences.

Next time you wince at your older work, take it as a quiet compliment from your future self: you’ve come a long way — and you’re still moving forward.