Criticism: You Can't Touch This

Constructive criticism is about the lifting up of virtue, of helping to strengthen a person involved in a creative endeavor. To construct is to build; to be constructive is to aid in building. Nevertheless, I have found that most so-called constructive criticism amounts to fault-finding.

Most of us have have had negative encounters with critics--full-time fault-finders and know-it-alls who run onto the field after the game to tell you how it could have been rather than to say what they loved about your performance. Destruction is in the nature of these sideline visionaries, a steady diet of whose wisdom can cripple the mind.

As a teacher, I see the dangers of this all the time. It's easy to get into the habit of correcting rather than of constructing. In contrast, I see how far someone will go with just "yes" or "good start" as fuel in the tank.

I've been on the other side of it, too. I used to do work for a friend who did nothing but find fault. He said to me once, "If you don't hear from me, it's probably because what you did was OK." He wouldn't waste his dime on positive feedback. It wasn't long before this working relationship didn't work at all. It left me convinced that I couldn't do anything right and shouldn't bother trying. I became anxious and uncertain and--no surprise here--critical.

I'm grateful for the experience. It has taught me how to approach others' work and to respond to it in a way that is constructive and meaningful. I've found that meaningful criticism can flow from one person to another by considering 1. how you perceive the work and 2. the associations you make between the work and your life.

The first consideration is objective. By stating how you perceive something, you say what you think it means in the form of a synopsis. This allows the artist to decide whether or not his work reflects his inspiration.

The second consideration is subjective. By sharing your thoughts on how you make the work part of your own experience, you give the artist encouragement and insight into the places his work travels without him.

Such responses allow the artist to return to her work and develop it or revise it as necessary. Both the creator and the viewer become more articulate as they become connected in a meaningful, creative way. Amazing things happen in this process; errors and weaknesses seem to right themselves.

I think bloggers are very good at this form of interaction. None of us wants to be cut to ribbons. We want exchanges to be meaningful and in some way uplifting, even if our visitors don't agree with us. We want to grow, and growth is as much about being fed and living in the light as it is about pruning.

The Seventh Day