I don't think criticizing their art is at all not wishing them well either, but I assumed what they were talking about was going to forums where people are wishing them death (metaphorically), saying "this guy's a hack" etc. etc., the extremes of the way people just go off on the 'net.
I'm quite possibly giving them too much credit here, but that was where the metaphor worked for me. Like intentionally going to sites that are going to drive you crazy. If they're really taking the position of "Mere mortals have no business giving their negative opinions of my work" then yeah, that's ridiculous.
Likewise, maybe I'm giving too much credit, but I thought the "patterning" thing to not be about people who aren't allowed to do anything new, but people who have already done that. Like in the William Peter Blatty thing where his previous career disappeared because now everybody thought of him as horror guy. Some people are only known for one thing for a reason, and nobody really owes them to like something else that they do. The audience isn't like your mom who should read everything and say something nice.