How to Deal with Disappointing Reviews, Part 1

I’ve been a really crap video interviewer over recent months– shooting live at events, editing and uploading to YouTube same day– with no previous experience (‘always bite off more than you can chew’ is my motto.)  But here’s the question:

How do you deal with the disappointment when you get poor reviews?

–John from the UK

I was all ready to go with a long post about disappointing reviews and reviewers, and how artists are free to ignore criticism, and why should we have to put up with bad reviews when it’s hard enough to create, and…

…and then I re-read your question.

Let me instead speak up for anyone who clicked on your video. If you KNOW you are a “crap video interviewer” “with no previous experience”, why would you be “disappointed” with a bad review?  It seems like your real problem would be controlling elation when you get a good one!

I’m not, ever, going to tell you not to practice your interviewing and editing.  And OF COURSE your stuff isn’t going to be very good when you’re just starting out.  But I do want to speak out in favor of not inflicting work you really think is bad on others.  Teachers should see it, of course.  Maybe fellow students.  But even your spouse will be grateful if you spare him or her having to sit through your very early, very awful work.

The minute your internal narrative changes– the minute you ARE happy with your work– share your brains out!

Until then, please take this pledge and keep your work…yours.

Next time:  Part II (perhaps the least surprising “next time” tease in history.)