Dealing With Constructive Criticism

As I come to the close of my masters in fine arts, and my book is almost out in the real world for real-life ripping and shredding by editors, I realize that I have gained at least one major skill over the course of the past decade: thick skin. If you have ever thought about pursuing a career as a musician, painter, writer, or any other type of artist, you assuredly got the questioning look from your parents, and the question "Well, what are you going to do with that anyway?" That was the start of it, that was the birth of the little inkling that is, or will assuredly become, your incredibly think skin. Having enough confidence in yourself to even describe yourself as an artist is incredibly strong, so if you've already done that take solace. As I moved forward through my MFA I realized that not everyone would love my writing quite as much as I, my friends, or my loved ones did. In fact, there were people who literally criticised almost every word I wrote...we're talking about twenty pages per submission, so that's A LOT of critique. But as I moved upward and onwards away from that first fateful "I don't like this," I began to realize that they weren't necessarily attacking me, just like my parents weren't with their original questioning. Instead, these naysayers were trying to help me to develop my piece into a final product. This method of thinking doesn't only apply to creative types, either. It can apply to people writing papers for colleges, reports for the boss, and in any other number of situations. Writing is tough, and if someone criticises you, instead of taking it to heart just take it with a grain of salt and think "Hey, they must really care if they are taking the time to tell me this should be better," and be grateful for what you have been given. After all, chances are they've had rough critiques, too.