How Creatives Deal With Criticism

Lately I've been thinking about the different ways people internalize and externalize feedback. I know I tend to rationalize critiques. (Ex: "This is how my boss said to do it" or "I intended this to be more poetic than literal...") OK, I make excuses. BUT there's actually good reason for that... See what I mean?

I spent eight years studying singing, and for a long time I planned to pursue a career in musical theatre (yeah, I took acting and dancing too). But it was too hard for me to get criticism and not feel totally deflated. I'd spend hours and hours in my room perfecting each nuance of a song and working towards the interpretation that my director wanted, but sometimes in performance I'd go into auto-pilot and revert back to old, easy habits instead. And then I'd feel like a complete failure for not incorporating the director's notes. I still sing, but it's more fun now that it doesn't define me.

I know a lot of writers get those same failure feelings when someone critiques their work, but thankfully I don't. Writing is a healthier outlet for me than performing, because even though I consider myself a writer, I see my writing as external. It's something I do (and do well, in my opinion), not what I am. If someone enjoys it, great. If not, we can still be friends. Poets & Writers has a great article this month about evaluating criticism. It's geared towards (duh) poets and writers, but I think it applies to anyone in a creative pursuit. Enjoy, and as my Dad would say, "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"