paint something that i am proud of

I love to paint, but I have no formal training (damn art school only for art majors!) and I am scared to put myself out there and have people go “wtf…that’s ugly!”

I doubt anyone would do that, but when you put yourself out there artistically the possibility of harsh critisism is always there…and I don’t know if my love of painting would be able to withstand a “you suck”.