Yeah, that’s right, I said it!
You suck, and you always will!
And so will I!
That is, to somebody in the world.
Actually, we’ll suck to hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Why?, because we can’t please everybody.
Guess what? Nobody can.
You know, the one thing that gets me is when I don’t agree with someone who thinks a particular person( writer, film maker, actor, etc) is good, great, or as people love to throw the term around, a genius, and they look at me like I’m crazy.
“What?” they exclaim. “How can you not like his/her work?”
I shrug indifferently. “I just don’t. It doesn’t appeal to me.”
Now, I’m not saying the person’s work isn’t good. I mean somebody likes it, right? I just don’t like it, and there’s nothing wrong with that, or at least there shouldn’t be. There are those whose work I love, who I’m sure some of you might wrinkle your nose and ask “Really? You like them?”
What’s my point in all this? While trying to figure out this whole “writing thing”, both Novel and Screenwriting, and how it effect a writer’s life, something hit me.
I realized that for every writer, film maker, singer, musician, artist, dancer, or whomever you think is a genius, there’s somebody out there who thinks they suck!
So, what does that mean for me? What does that mean for you?
For me, it’s a reminder that even those hailed as greats in a field are still human. With all their talent and/or connections they still cannot please everyone. That realization opened my eyes to my own work in a way. Though I strive to become the greatest writer I can be, to master the tools of my craft, I will never be able to please everybody.
Some just will not get it.
This helped me to look at rejection and criticism in a different light. It forced me to really look at WHY someone doesn’t like my work. Does their rejection, criticism, or lack of interest have merit? Is it their personal or professional opinion? Could the story just not be for them? Or could the story just really suck?
I take criticism well, I think, ha HA!. I line it up, analyze it, and absorb it. I really try to see what someone’s trying to point out, to see if it makes sense to me. After all, if it doesn’t make sense, or I can’t understand it, how can I act on it?
As they say, everybody’s a critic, true, but not everybody’s a good one. If I’m able to see and understand the critique, great, let me see what I can do to fix that. Let me see what I can do to become stronger in that area.
Sometimes though, a critique can be more opinion than fact. Sometimes, people can knock you for things that they personally don’t like, that doesn’t mean your work is not good, it just means THAT publisher or producer doesn’t like it, but guess what? They’re not the only publisher or producer out there. There’s a whole world out there. Why base the outlook of your own work on a handful of people?
Plenty of now famous and acclaimed authors and film makers met rejection hundreds of times before reaching their goal. Now, either they grew stronger in their craft, finally got their work to the right person, or both. Regardless, there are two things that will always be certain about any and everything you do. From dancing to cooking to singing to painting, to writing: Somebody’s going to hate it, and somebody’s going to love it.
Millions of people HATE Star Wars because they think Star Trek is worlds better. Some can go on for days about how they detest the love-sick, glittery-skinned vampires of TWILIGHT, but love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, or Anne Rice’s Lestat.
So, who do you focus on through all this madness? No one, I say.
Well, in a sense.
I believe ones focus should be on perfecting skills, mastering the craft, telling stories, and sharing them with the world. You already know some will like your work, it’s a given, just as some will hate it. For me, the real goal is to be the best writer I can be to effectively tell my stories the best way possible. That in itself, your product, will get you published or produced, or guess what? You can go the Indie route and do it yourself if you don’t feel like waiting for someone else to tell you you’re good enough.
In trying to achieve any goal we will always face obstacles, rejection, and negativity. The only way to overcome these things is to absorb them, analyze them, consider them, accept or dispel them, and take action. But even after we take action, grow stronger, and conquer that hurdle, just remember:
WE STILL SUCK to somebody out there, and we always will, lol!
Are we going to let that stop us? No. Not at all!
Anyone care to share their outlook on things?
How do you view/deal with the mountains of rejection and criticism thrown your way?
scribereglyph 
Well said! I think it’s an important thing to learn – be it in a critique group or getting rejection letters or getting bad reviews. We can’t please everyone.
I especially like that you brought up all the questions. We’d get nowhere if we only shrugged and thought “oh well, who cares” in every case. Finding out whether there are valid reasons behind the dislike is important and we can learn from it. It’s all right to disagree, but it’s good to know the reasons.
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Thanks for stopping by, M
Yeah, in this field, and any other creative field for that matter, you get more criticism than anything else, especially praise. I think one of the best things a creative person can do is build a healthy mindset towards receiving and dealing with criticism, use it to their advantage, and not let it stifle their creative growth.
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I think you’re absolutely right. Realise what we’re good at and bad at and use criticism as well as possible to strengthen us.
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Well said! What a great attitude and you know, you’re 100 percent correct. In the end, we’re all probably going to end up offending someone with our work (I know I will…trust me on this) My boy is going to piss off all the “vampire purists” out there, oh yes…but oh well, what can I do, he is who he is 😉
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*glances at the not-so-average-and-very-non-glittery vampires over here* Aye, I second that, Alannah! 🙂
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Exactly, which is why I focus on getting better at the craft rather than pleasing people. There’s a market for everything. Sometimes that’s a bad thing because some people are deviants, but it’s also a good thing for us creatives. A lot of people have stumbled onto untapped markets just by putting their stuff out there and not listening to those around them who said it wouldn’t work.
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Good post, Jamal. It’s the truth and one that can give us perspective. No one pleases everyone. And the world of the arts is one full of disagreement. As an artists I believe you have to say what you have to say. Growth, for the artists is communicating that artistic message with greater clarity. The craft is a communication device; strengthen your skills and clear up the “phone line”. That’s my point of view as an indie artist. Let the staff writers deal with the please-the-producer game. It is a skill in itself.
There is something, then to be said about learning how to recognize the type of criticism that serves this objective. Knowing what to take and what not to take and how to apply it. What a great and vast art form it is!
William
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Taking and effectively using criticism is something you have to learn. You have to discern the technical facts from the personal opinion because some people would have you spinning your wheels for the rest of your creative life.
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Jamal, you are spot on. For a long time, I’d been waiting for someone to read my scribble and say, “stick to your day job.” Well, when I figured out that I REALLY didn’t want to hear that, I worked harder. I learned and am still learning. Not only have I been rejected and curbed, I’ve gotten way better with continued effort. While I can’t please everyone and I really don’t try to, I’ve grown confident. I intend to blog about that confidence this week too. Your post here reinforces that confidence too. Good post.
A.T.
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Thanks, A.T.
Glad you like the post. It all goes back to perfecting your craft. I mean, some people can’t stand Micheal Bay, they say he’s garbage and can’t direct, but on the other hand he’s a director that’s been hired to lead plenty of multi-million dollar productions, so he can’t be that bad, right? Somebody trusts his ability and is willing to bank millions of dollars behind him. So to say he can’t direct is purely ones own personal opinion. Either way, it doesn’t matter because in the the end he’s just an artist that’s able to get his visions shown to the world which I’m sure is all that matters to him.
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You are sooo right. People look at me crazy when I say I’m not feeling ‘Beyonce’. Don’t get me wrong, she’s very talented and a good performer but not the end all, BEY, all to greatness and I don’t think she’s that GREAT! that’s just an example of course, but still. And don’t even GET me started on some of these movies and filmmakers– still they are doing what I want to do, living their dreams or doing work they are gifted/ desire and I can’t knock that, in fact, I applaud them. It takes perseverance, determination and a thick skin to make it so ‘I ain’t MAD at them’. Besides, I’m sure someone is thinking the SAME thing about me right about now. LOL
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This was a great post! You are right. Some people with either take you or leave you. If’s a hard fact to face but you just have to keep moving towards your goals or you will never eventually succeed. I have read up on some of my favorite authors and most of them got rejected numerous times by the big publishing houses before someone FINALLY “liked” them and gave them a shot. That just gives me hope to keep it going.
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I know this is an older post but hey, it’s new to me because I just came across it. This definitely made me smile
It reminds me of when I do an artwork and I’m all like admiring my work thinking that’s one of my new personal favorites that came out of me. Then I show it to someone and they say “What’s that supposed to be?”
Well, I thought it was obvious that it’s an alien traveling in space with an atmospheric bubble on their head. I mean REALLY!…(-:
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I sooooo know what you mean, Sherry! Art in every medium is funny like that. ‘Tis a price we creatives have to pay I guess, lol.
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