SOME “GOOD” ADVICE THAT I HATE

A thread by Dr. Wes Molebash, Esq.

For many years, I’ve heard well-meaning people dispense with advice that sounds something like this:

“When it comes to responses to your creative work, you must ignore the harsh criticism AND the high praise.”

My question is ,”Why?”

If a person walks up to me and says, “Wes, you’re awesome” and another person walks up to me and says, “Wes, you suck”, I’m supposed to ignore both and stay at a balanced zero?

Screw that noise!

I *think* I understand the sentiment behind this advice. I *think* the advice-giver is encouraging the advice-taker not to let others drag you down or make you arrogant.

If that’s the case, I think it’d be so much easier to just say, “Don’t let others drag you down or make you arrogant.”

That’s good advice.

The problem with ignoring harsh criticism and high praise is this:

Most creative people I know are depressed. We’re all battling some form of depression or other.

I have creative friends who struggle with “cloudy days.” I have creative friends who, like me, struggle with very dark and negative thoughts about themselves and their work.

I have creative friends who experience entire seasons where they can’t get out of bed because they are so depressed. It costs them work and damages they’re reputation as freelancers.

The struggle is real.

To these people I say this:

Ignore harsh criticism and HOARD HIGH PRAISE!

If someone criticizes your work harshly, forget them. Not everyone can be a reputable critic, but it is super easy to be a jerk.

When someone gives you high praise, copy and paste it into a Word document! Print it out! Write it in a journal!

PRESERVE IT!

That way, when someone acts like a jerk about you and/or your work, you can go back through all your high praise and be reminded that you DON’T actually suck and your work DOES actually matter.

In summation:

DON’T ignore praise.

DO take harsh criticism with a grain of salt.

Godspeed.

FIN