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C is for Critics - Excerpt from The Artist's Suitcase · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider starter kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, all this week we are doing something a little different here on the show.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be sharing excerpts from a book that I published a few years ago.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: This is actually my second book.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: The book is called The Artist Suitcase 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: It is a short, punchy book with 26 very brief chapters.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: And all this week, I'm just sharing a chapter per day here on the podcast.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: This book is written for all kinds of artists, not just writers.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: So, but because you're listening to this show and you are a writer or an aspiring writer, probably you do other kinds of creative work as well.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: I bet that you do other sorts of things, maybe like painting or drawing or music or other kinds of creative pursuits in your life.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: So no matter what kind of art that you do, including writing, this book I think will really be fun and helpful for you.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: If you'd like to grab the full book, you can do it by going to KentSanders.net slash suitcase, but where you could just listen to this week's episodes and get a few chapters for free if you want to.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: So today we're talking about the chapter C is for Critics, one of my very favorite chapters in the book.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: So here's an excerpt from the artist suitcase.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: C is for critics.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you enjoy it.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: C is for critics.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: The 2007 movie Ratatouille tells the story of Remy the Rat, an unlikely chef at the renowned Gusted's restaurant in Paris.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: The food critic Anton Ego pays a visit and shares a great insight about criticism in his newspaper review.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: In many ways, the work of a critic is easy.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Critics have their place, and you can often learn something from them.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: Even criticism offered in the wrong way can be helpful if you approach it in the right way.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, how exactly do you learn from your critics?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: When someone criticizes you, there are four key questions you should ask to maximize your growth and learning.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, what is the source?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Alt criticism is not created equal.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: If your critic is a negative person, you may just be the latest target in a string of verbal assaults.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: But if the critic is a friend, sit up and take notice.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Proverbs 27, 6 says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: A true friend is someone who cares enough to point out a flaw you need to correct.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Number two, what is the issue?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Have you heard this criticism before?
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: Is there a pattern of behavior you need to address?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a college teacher, and at the end of every semester, I ask the students in each of my courses to fill out an evaluation form.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know what I can improve the next time I teach each course.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: If several good students say the same thing, I know I should listen carefully.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, is there a kernel of truth?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes there is truth in what a critic says.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: If it's delivered in a loving way, it's much easier to accept.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: But if someone criticizes you in a hurtful way, it's difficult to admit there might be some truth to it.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Number four, what can you learn?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Criticism can be a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: It all depends on how you use it.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's a stumbling block when you don't learn from it, and try to discover whether there's any truth to the criticism.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's a stepping stone when you swallow your pride and learn something.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: The lesson may not be pleasant, but it can make you a better artist or leader.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: One of my favorite quotes comes from one of the greatest American presidents, Teddy Roosevelt.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strongman stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: But who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Learn from your critics and let them help you become a better artist.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: But realize that in the end, it takes a lot more guts to create art than to criticize it.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Questions for reflection.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, when was the last time someone criticized you?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Was there any truth to the criticism?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: What did you learn from it?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, why do artists tend to take criticism so personally?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Number three, do you think the work of a critic is easy?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: As Anton Ego said in Ratatouille?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Why?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Or why not?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Number four, how can you become better at giving constructive criticism to others?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: You can grab a copy of it by going to Kent Sanders.net slash suitcase if you want to read the whole book.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Now, before I close up shop on this episode, I want to give a very special shout out to today's sponsor, Total Life Freedom School.
• 6:53
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• 7:02
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• 7:13
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• 7:19
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• 7:28
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• 7:34
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• 7:35
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• 7:38
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• 7:41
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• 7:42
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• 7:52
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• 8:02
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• 8:05
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• 8:16
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• 8:23
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• 8:28
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• 8:38
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• 8:42
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• 8:49
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• 8:53
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• 8:55
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• 9:00
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• 9:04
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• 9:06
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• 9:09
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• 9:13
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• 9:15
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• 9:16
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• 9:19
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• 9:22
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• 9:28
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• 9:32
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• 9:32
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• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: All right, my friend, as always, thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.