Who are those Medium elite few who have criticised your writing I wonder? We should be trying to encourage and inspire each other. I have not had many criticise my writing, but those that do really tend to hurt.
I know where you are coming from with the lack of motivation. This may seem weird but when I want to reinvigorate the spark I write some children’s stories. Whether or not anyone except my grandkids read them doesn’t’t matter. But, I find it helps ignite that childlike enthusiasm.