You can learn a lot by silencing your inner critic for a while. But I bet you could learn even more by silencing your outer critic for a while.
Every photographer has something to teach us. Technical skill is the easiest aspect of photography to criticize, so that's usually how we judge. But technical skill is just one aspect of photography; one that can be learned by anyone given enough time.
Storytelling is at the heart of great photography and everyone has a unique story to tell.