Criticism
“the necessary evil”
Learning how to take criticism is one of the hardest things artists and designers will learn how to do, so hard that many will avoid it at all costs. But if I had a dollar for every time my southern momma told me to grow some thicker skin, it’s like God knew his plans for me 😉. Now, I could simply just say that statement to you, but unlike what my momma thinks, I can’t just snap my fingers and grow thicker skin. Unfortunately, it's going to take time, tears, and trials to accept that criticism is a necessary evil, but remember you are not alone, and understand…
IT AIN’T GONNA FEEL GOOD
It never feels good when you work on a project for an un-Godly amount of time just to have your client say they don’t like it. Or you have your final critique in class, and nobody votes that they like your work. We have all been there.
THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
You know that saying “the customer is always right”? Yea, it’s annoying and useless, but unfortunately makes an appearance every now and then. My answer back to this is, “Do you tell your doctor how to examine you when you're sick?” I hope not, Karen, because all that is asked of you is to provide your list of symptoms, sit down, and let them do what they do as long as they are a competent individual (and if not, get another doctor). So even though designers don’t save lives, we are professionals who provide a service. That service that your customer or client can’t do. So why would we let them dictate our ability to design?
So if you are a professional with experience under your belt and you are having a hard time processing criticism, you always need to evaluate who is criticizing you. Personally, I have managed to reprogram how I process critiques from my clients; I remind myself that when someone doesn't like something I have created, it is not a reflection on my ability to create but a review of their personal preferences. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it is shit. And we can’t forget that everyone is a hater of something.
YOU NEED TO HUMBLE YO’ SELF
One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Pride produces disgrace, humility produces wisdom, I mean, how powerful is that? I’ll be the first to admit when you are confident in your work there is an ease about the way you perform, but boy is it a reality check when God pulls that rug out from under to remind you who gave you those talents but also to tell you there is always more to learn. So allow me to share one of my many humbling stories -- this one being my first as an aspiring designer…
While in high school, my digital media teacher took our class to visit my DREAM college. Not only did we have a day full of exploring the campus, but we also sat in on a graphic design class. Let me tell you, I had the confidence of Miss Universe going into that room -- after all, I was the only person in my class that had any interest in pursuing this as a career. So my cocky adolescent self went and sat up in an empty seat in the front of the room, star-struck as the professor greeted us. She begins by telling us that her students are currently working on a logo for a donut company and she asks us, “What would be a good thing to include in the logo?” And without even thinking, I said, “A DONUT!”. She quickly responded, “No, think bigger!” and her class began to laugh. At this point, I was redder than ketchup. Between the laughs and being critiqued, I was mortified. However, because of that very moment, something changed within me. Even if I felt like Steve Harvey when he crowned the wrong Miss Universe when exiting the classroom, it was the humbling experience I needed at that moment. Fast forwarding two years later, I am sitting in that exact professor's class at my dream college, paying her to tell me no and to think bigger.
Just like the criticism that resulted in the humbling experience, none of it is an easy pill to swallow. However, just like the verse says, without humility, there is no wisdom, and if you can’t accept that very thing, then in the words of my mother, “you, my dear, are going to have a rude awaking.”
So to conclude this lesson, I challenge you the next time you are presented with a nice lump of criticism and are thinking about jumping ship and finding a new career, just remember…
Who is criticizing you?
How are they criticizing you?
From that criticism, how can you grow in wisdom?