Maybe it's not about pride, or appreciation, or even praise, and not about critique or any other sort of negative review. Maybe it's about honesty: how honest you are with yourself, how honest you are with others and how honest they are with you. Those three are intertwined, so that if you aren't honest with yourself, you can't tell with precision who's lying to you; being lied to is being willing to have been lied to, even if it hurts our ego to accept that.

It's not about being pompous or grandiose in your appearance, either, and neither it is about appearing humble: it's about how you act, honestly, without social censorship. If you like the thing you've achieved, it's only natural that you'd like to share the pride of achievement. Go for it! Find people you trust and tell them with honesty what you feel; let them cheer with you: it's the base of good social contacts to be able to share good and bad. Don't brag: tell them precisely what you feel, without exaggeration, like you would tell a story about you going to the shop one day. When you don't like something, be honest as well: it's not about how you appear to others - this matters even less than you think - but about you being true to your feelings, which is far more important than not disturbing someone's pink bubble. How others perceive you is their concern, and you should leave it to them. Do your best and relax about the rest.

If you feel like writing - keep writing, even if no one will read it. If they're willing to praise their way to your heart, it's their choice; yours would be whether to let them.