Art without criticism

What is art without criticism? Is it anything more than masturbation? If the purpose of art is to express one's self, then should there not be someone to whom to express?

Too often I find that we as a society feel that criticism is somehow wrong. People should be able to express themselves without being judged. Okay, I can understand that sometimes you need to speak for your own benefit, but, well, isn't that just masturbation, then? Stroking your own ego so that you can feel good about yourself.

If, on the other hand, you want to express yourself to others, then you must accept that there will be criticism. In fact, you should desire criticism. After all, you've already shown that you have a keen interest in someone receiving your message and you should want to know if they've received that message. That doesn't mean they have to like your message, and they can say all sorts of things about it. That's the other side of expression: you aren't the only one who can do it. The important thing is to know whether the critic is your target audience or not, and if your message got across. If they aren't, then there is no reason you should care.

Hmmm... I'm tired. I'll stop now. Maybe later I'll have something more constructive.