When I went to film school, one of the biggest things I had to deal with was how to properly take open criticism. It is not easy when an entire class gives you pointers on something that took you 5 months to write. Some will say they don’t like it, others will be more specific. But how do you know what is right?
Ego plays a bigger role in all our lives then we would like to admit. We all have different levels of Ego and it affects our every action. One of the toughest things I have noticed for people to do is to properly take criticism. People can get defensive, annoyed, distraught, hopeless, and all sorts of terrible feelings from just a simple piece of criticism. So today, we are going to learn a few simple ways on how to take criticism.
STEP 1: File it Away Unless You Hear it 2x.
This step is simple. One of the things I learned during my four years in film school is how to file away criticism. Let’s take a simple example. Pretend I wrote a script about a boy who rides his bike for the first time and brought it in for a class reading. After the reading, a girl responds that she thought the boy achieved his goal of riding the bike too fast. He only fell once, and after that it was okay. She claims that this did not sit well with her.
My rule of thumb for all criticisms is if you hear it once, simply file it away in your head. However, if during another class reading (or even the same one), someone says something similar, well now it’s time to take that criticism out of the filing cabinet and deal with it.
If one person tells you they don’t like something, so what? But if you hear it more than once, it is probably true. It does not mean you are wrong. It just means that people are interpreting something differently then you are. That’s it.
STEP 2: Always listen, accept and digest.
Because of our ego, sometimes criticism takes a while to settle in. It is not our fault. Picture it like a big meal. You just need time to digest. Until that meal is properly digested, you are not going to fully appreciate it. The reason is we can sometimes hear a criticism that maybe we kind of knew was coming. Or we hear something we thought might be brought up. Due to the anticipation, our ego automatically defends our decision.
But the important thing is to always digest the criticism. After all, it is just a critique. It is not law, or a judgment. It is simply someone else’s interpretation of your work. Sometimes we just need a few moments to let the emotion subside, and think clearly about it in our heads.
STEP 3: Picture yourself in their shoes and be open.
Have you ever been on the opposite end? Giving criticism is not so easy either. People tend to walk on egg shells because their last intention is to hurt someone’s feelings. They actually intend to help. Remember this when you are taking criticism. They may be helping, or they may not. But their intentions are good.
Don’t sit their with a stern face, staring through their soul as they speak their words. Smile, relax and take it for what it is worth. If you are not open, then a person may hold back. No one wants to be told something is perfect if it is not. Make them comfortable, and get everything you can out of it
…Follow these simple steps on taking criticism, and watch your work improve drastically. Remember, criticism is not a judgment. It is simply necessary to push ourselves in the right direction. Their is nothing more valuable then understanding how people will interpret your work. Instead of fighting the criticism, take that energy and work with it. Make sure you get over the emotional attachment and listen. You may be surprised just how much better that work becomes.
I saw the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across … “Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.” The mortality among pianists in that place is marvellous.
-Oscar Wilde, Impressions of America, 1906
