I just read an article entitled, "If You Don't Like Criticism, Don't Put Your Stuff Online" by Jody Thompson, and felt the need to respond. No, I'm not really going to go the ironic route and criticize her column about being prepared to take criticism when posting stuff online, but felt the need to elaborate a bit on what she wrote.
First off, nobody likes criticism. When asking a group of people what they enjoy (more than anything), you're never going to hear these people say this:
Chuck Denardo: "I enjoy rafting in baby-pools."
Lucy Pickens: "I like disco dancing on the interstate by myself."
Frank Buckets: "Every now and again, I can't help but like to skinny-dip in puddles after a big storm."
Sophia Ruiz: "There's nothing I like more than being criticized."
Sorry, not going to happen...
Granted, criticism kind of comes with the territory of, well, being alive. If one is working, one leaves themselves vulnerable to criticism. If one is married or has kids, again, they're left vulnerable to criticism. If one is in school or is a child at home, again, criticism is going to be all but inevitable at some point. This is also the case when sharing "stuff," as Jody Thompson termed it, on the Internet. How one handles criticism can say a lot about a person, especially if they struggled with it early but evolved over time. However, while I agreed with most of what Ms. Thompson wrote in her article, I think she forgot to touch on one important thing. As a critic herself, she said that she was always fair and respectful with her reviews and analysis, that she hopes all professional critics are this way, and those on the receiving end of such reviews shouldn't take things personally.
Again, I'd say I agree with most of what she wrote, but I also think it's pretty naive to believe all professional reviewers are fair and respectful, and that none of them get a bit too personal at times. There's a distinct difference between a person taking criticism too personally and a critic getting too personal. Now, granted, artists of all stripes tend to be their own worst critics. Being a writer myself, I know that as well as anyone. We also tend to be rather sensitive about our work, but our skin thickens over time (no, not literally). If we read an awful review of our work, which simply criticizes the book's plot, an album's inconsistency, or a film's direction, we may take that personally at first. We'll think to ourselves, "I put my whole mind, heart, and soul into that. That was my life. If he/she loathes this book/album/film, he/she loathes me as well!" Over time, we learn to divide the professional criticism from the personal criticism, but it can be difficult at times.
Artists perhaps should grow thicker skin and not be so sensitive to criticism, but being a writer for one, criticism often times feels different to me than it would for a lawyer or someone of most other professions. If a lawyer gets criticized for losing a case, that criticism is simply professional, When it comes to a writer (whether it be of books, music, or films), he or she tends to expose bits and pieces of themselves in their work, so when they're on the receiving end of criticism, those lines between professional and personal criticism can often become blurred in their mind. Regardless if the criticism was simply professional, however, there are some critics that do get personal. There's a drastic difference between a film critic saying, "Michael Moore's movie is awful," and saying, "Michael Moore's movie showcases just how big of a scum he really is!" With the former, details will be needed to elaborate on why the reviewer feels this way, but to this point, it's still a professional criticism. With the latter scenario, however, it's very much a personal criticism, and in my opinion, the critic is acting very unprofessionally and may want to seek another line of work. Yes, oddly enough, if critics post their "stuff" online, they too leave themselves vulnerable to receiving criticism. So I guess critics too, like Jody Thompson, should pay close attention to the title of her article, "If You Don't Like Criticism, Don't Put Your Stuff Online."
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jody-thompson/if-you-dont-like-criticism-dont-put-stuff-online_b_7547738.html
First off, nobody likes criticism. When asking a group of people what they enjoy (more than anything), you're never going to hear these people say this:
Chuck Denardo: "I enjoy rafting in baby-pools."
Lucy Pickens: "I like disco dancing on the interstate by myself."
Frank Buckets: "Every now and again, I can't help but like to skinny-dip in puddles after a big storm."
Sophia Ruiz: "There's nothing I like more than being criticized."
Sorry, not going to happen...
Granted, criticism kind of comes with the territory of, well, being alive. If one is working, one leaves themselves vulnerable to criticism. If one is married or has kids, again, they're left vulnerable to criticism. If one is in school or is a child at home, again, criticism is going to be all but inevitable at some point. This is also the case when sharing "stuff," as Jody Thompson termed it, on the Internet. How one handles criticism can say a lot about a person, especially if they struggled with it early but evolved over time. However, while I agreed with most of what Ms. Thompson wrote in her article, I think she forgot to touch on one important thing. As a critic herself, she said that she was always fair and respectful with her reviews and analysis, that she hopes all professional critics are this way, and those on the receiving end of such reviews shouldn't take things personally.
Again, I'd say I agree with most of what she wrote, but I also think it's pretty naive to believe all professional reviewers are fair and respectful, and that none of them get a bit too personal at times. There's a distinct difference between a person taking criticism too personally and a critic getting too personal. Now, granted, artists of all stripes tend to be their own worst critics. Being a writer myself, I know that as well as anyone. We also tend to be rather sensitive about our work, but our skin thickens over time (no, not literally). If we read an awful review of our work, which simply criticizes the book's plot, an album's inconsistency, or a film's direction, we may take that personally at first. We'll think to ourselves, "I put my whole mind, heart, and soul into that. That was my life. If he/she loathes this book/album/film, he/she loathes me as well!" Over time, we learn to divide the professional criticism from the personal criticism, but it can be difficult at times.
Artists perhaps should grow thicker skin and not be so sensitive to criticism, but being a writer for one, criticism often times feels different to me than it would for a lawyer or someone of most other professions. If a lawyer gets criticized for losing a case, that criticism is simply professional, When it comes to a writer (whether it be of books, music, or films), he or she tends to expose bits and pieces of themselves in their work, so when they're on the receiving end of criticism, those lines between professional and personal criticism can often become blurred in their mind. Regardless if the criticism was simply professional, however, there are some critics that do get personal. There's a drastic difference between a film critic saying, "Michael Moore's movie is awful," and saying, "Michael Moore's movie showcases just how big of a scum he really is!" With the former, details will be needed to elaborate on why the reviewer feels this way, but to this point, it's still a professional criticism. With the latter scenario, however, it's very much a personal criticism, and in my opinion, the critic is acting very unprofessionally and may want to seek another line of work. Yes, oddly enough, if critics post their "stuff" online, they too leave themselves vulnerable to receiving criticism. So I guess critics too, like Jody Thompson, should pay close attention to the title of her article, "If You Don't Like Criticism, Don't Put Your Stuff Online."
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jody-thompson/if-you-dont-like-criticism-dont-put-stuff-online_b_7547738.html
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