"How to [Give and] Take Criticism"

[Mario]

Here's an article I found today that I think would be pretty interesting for MFGG considering some recent discussions:

How to Take Criticism

It's specifically aimed at designers but I think there's enough that can apply to anyone.

Here's some key bits:

I firmly believe you can be a critic while being kind and open-hearted.

I don't even care if that sounds naive.

Most people think the number one goal of a critic is to judge whether work is good or bad.

They are wrong. #imo

The number one goal of a critic should be to make things better. That's it. None of this binary good/bad stuff. Lots of people would disagree with me on this. Like maybe these guys:

[photo] Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, film critics and former hosts of At the Movies.

Criticism only succeeds when everyone wants things to be better. The moment you sniff out that a critic's goal is not to help you make things better, BOY BYE.

How do you know if they don't want to make things better? You know when a troll is a troll. They reveal it through their lack of curiosity about your work.

Leading up to an Apple event, I once saw a prominent tech writer and critic tweet, “Can't wait for another boring design from Jony Ive.”

Why wouldn't you want Jony Ive to do the best he can? Why wouldn't you want the next iPhone to be the best thing of all time? Why wouldn't you want everything to be amazing? It might not be, but give it a minute. As a critic, if I'm not open to the possibility of my mind being blown, what's the point?

Here's a critic who wants things to be better:

[photo]

Mary-Alice Pomputius doesn't go anywhere without her dog. She keeps a personal blog of all the pet relief areas in airports. I love this blog. Don't ask me how I found it, I couldn't even tell you. I don't even have a dog.

The author writes thoroughly about her experience. She questions the choices made by airport management. And she makes suggestions for how the airport could improve. Turns out there are a lot of airports that want to make things better too. Many have approached her to act as a consultant to improve their pet areas.

To be a good critic, you don't have to start a blog or write essays. But you must stay curious and look for ways to make things better.

Usually, when we face criticism, we concern ourselves with one question:

Is my work good or bad?

You've got to stop asking yourself this. It is torturous. It will make you sad.

Instead, focus on this question: What is the next step I can take to make my work better? And then, focus all your efforts on taking criticism that helps you answer that question.

Of course there's a lot more to it. It's an easy read and worth your time I think!