I will admit that positive reinforcement like a drug to me. Hearing somebody ooh and ah over my work is one of the many reasons I love doing what I do. I don't kid myself that I'm the most talented or skilled painter out there, but I recognize that my work is a fair bit above average. It's not uncommon for people to say nice things about my work - and I never tire of hearing those comments.
Every now and then I get recognized in a more public forum. For example, today the guys at Beasts of War decided to devote almost 15 minutes of their latest Weekender show talking about the Myth Miniatures project that I completed this month. Needless to say I'm a bit overwhelmed.