Are You A Creative or A Critic
As appears on http://ahscribbles.com/creative-or-critic/
Are you one of those people who can be seen typing furiously in response to a youtube video or a facebook post? Do you have fifteen one-star reviews on amazon because some things just don’t match up to your expectations? Are you always disappointed by the books and movies you consume, always giving people within earshot a piece of your mind? Are there people within earshot left given how much you complain about everything?
If you answered, “Yes,” to all of the above, you’re most likely a critic. I was listening to one of the episodes on the school of greatness, and the guest — Michael Port — was saying, you’re either a critic or a creative but you can’t be both. How things work is that the harsher a critic you are to other people’s work, the harsher a critic you are to your own work, so you’re less likely to produce.
And it really hit me how most of the people I come across are critics,and yet it is true their creative output wavers around the zero line. They complain about how everything is horrible or has room for improvement. And funny enough they are the ones who are more likely to care so much what others think about their lives.
But if you’re a creative, you’re too busy learning your craft, and producing work to leave a comment on someone’s youtube channel. You’re too busy producing work to care what other people’s response to it is. You’re too busy ignoring your inner critic — and your outer critic…
And yes, maybe there is room for critics in this world, since after all, reading reviews before spending time and money on a book or other piece of art is not a bad idea, but does the critic have to be you? There are many critics in the world already…give them space to work while you work on your own art.
So which one are you? Decide today; are you a creative or a critic?
Let me know on social media, by tweeting @ahechoes #CreativeOrCritic and if you like this post, support the work by sharing it on Facebook and like the facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/AH-Scribbles-1699410536954329/
Also, check out my short story collection, “All Bleeding Stops and Other Short Stories from the Kenyan Coast,” and the non-fiction book summarizing a lot of ideas in the personal development field if you want to change your life but don’t know where to start, “Mine your inner resources”.
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December 6, 2016 at 11:44 am
It is quite possible to be both. I struggle each and every day with my inner critic and when I am really unhappy, spend a lot of time biting my tongue about other people’s work. But your point is well made. When I’m working on my own stuff, in my own happy world, I could give a toss about what anyone else is doing.
December 6, 2016 at 11:47 am
I agree with you. Creating is a very engaging activity that there’s no energy left to criticize others, let alone care about what others are doing. I also try to empathize with writers of books I don’t like, I just say, “It’s not my type…” Maybe someone else might enjoy it more, and at least, they tried to put their work out there. Thanks for your comment, and I wish you would visit me at my primary blog; http://ahscribbles.com and subscribe to the weekly newsletter as it’s the fastest way to get my work and I don’t spam …
Love your work at the Green Study by the way…