The Penned Critic

THE PENNED CRITIC

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” - Winston Churchill

Any thing that is 'produced' on the basis of one's creativity will always be a subject of discussion & shall be looked upon as either the best or the worst illustration of that person's creativity. This creativity can be anything ranging from a painting to a film to a book or any other invention. Those who are or like to call themselves as a 'critic' for that particular field is always the most hated person of that industry. As I had written several times in the past that we're always too critic of others, I noticed that there are two types of critics: (i) One who speaks his 'critique' thoughts, (ii) One who writes his 'critique' thoughts. The critic who uses his strongest muscle to deliver his critique observation is widely seen on screen. They will act as one of the 'Steve Jobs' of their fields & will 'try' to analyze & give the 'in-depth' review i.e. their opinion. And people choose 'speaking' critics over the 'reading' critics as they get a quick review of the invention in a nice 'animated' way. When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical. A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.

However, those critics using 'pen is mightier than sword' theory are the most feared by the inventor. In a recent study it has been found that people are more afraid to read negative comments about then rather than listening to them. Most people may disagree with this. But let's try to elaborate more on this. If I write a post & ask my friends to read it, would I prefer their vocal review? Yes, if I may say so. I've personally found that when a person is kept under scrutiny, he/her wishes to listen to the words as they don't leave 'much' impact. Our auditory memory depends on our condition. If someone swears at me, I'd just need a booze or a serene good-night sleep. But if someone mails me negative comments regarding my work or uploads it to some website, I'm bound to go into depression. The reason being simple, when a review is 'written', it stays forever. And no matter how much I'd try, the paper or the text is bound to catch my attention & when it does, I'm gonna read it again! Therefore, the cycle goes on forever. Social networks play an important role in this as it helps people to connect with each other &  spread the 'word of mouth'.

Now people will ask, 'why don't you just tear/delete the text already?'. Here too people must also try to understand the psyche of the recipient. Our character is what we're under pressure not who we want to be. We might think or boast infront of the mob of our 'knight-eous' acts but when we're left intimate with ourselves, our brain processes each & every memory that the person went through the day. Again, if it were for the spoken words it'd completely depend on the manner in which they're spoken but still if no option works, booze is a blessing in disguise. But if you read the paper again & again, you're literally going to re-live 'that' negative feeling over & over again until extremities. 

But what should one do after getting such depressing reviews? The person would surely be hoping to beat up the critic but that's not the way to handle it! The person must remain calm no matter what. I know I sound naive writing this but this is the only resort, except accepting our own mistakes. Merely .5% people will choose the latter. Other than that, and my personal favorite, we must remember to forget the review & must 'go on' doing what we'd like to keeping in mind what went wrong in the previous act. For that an unbiased, honest introspection is a must! Sit alone with yourself & try to figure out, without trying to empathize with yourself. Then if you think that you were wrongly criticized, you may fantasize of sending that critic to hell along with his review. Whenever you're angry, never sleep! Fantasize the murder, kill him & then have a sound sleep. This really helps when you think you're left alone in this never ending world. With every review you get, regardless of it's negative or positive prospects; try to find out the weak points or loop holes & in the next act, simply don't use it. If you're determined to use it then you must be strong enough.   Don't lose hope. Hope can be as powerful as tears, as positive as a smile & as tormenting as insanity. A review helps us to stay put on earth rather than flying on the seventh heaven. 

And we must also learn that creativity is an argument & sometimes we lose it! You cannot always expect to be in the winning corner. If I create a light, someone will create a potable light. Due to hugely increased competition amongst us the quality of the outcome has dramatically increased & thus has the sharp vision of people(including critics). What a critic must remember before reviewing anything of their expertise is that what have 'they' contributed to the society in their field & who're they trying to mull with someone's invention. We're always looking for some appreciation from others & want some of the 'spotlight' on us, some of us just don't know how! I remember a great quote that I'd like to share with you guys:

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.” - William Arthur Ward

I'd like to conclude by stating that 'Life is beautiful & must not be wasted on petty things that contempts our life.' It is upto us & us alone shall we decide our own fate. If our invention impacts others in a non-helpful manner then we must immediately 'catch' ourselves but if we truly believe that our invention can be looked upon as a milestone for humanity, then it'll be appreciated anyhow regardless of the financial aspects.

“Technique is really personality. That is the reason why the artist cannot teach it, why the pupil cannot learn it, and why the aesthetic critic can understand it. To the great poet, there is only one method of music -- his own. To the great painter, there is only one manner of painting -- that which he himself employs. The aesthetic critic, and the aesthetic critic alone, can appreciate all forms and all modes. It is to him that Art makes her appeal.” - Oscar Wilde