Critique. Feedback. Direction. At the end of the day, these words are interchangable. It's just semantics. Feedback is almost always critical. Direction is communicated feedback. So how do you swallow the feedback you receive as an artist and still maintain your confidence?
Entertainment attracts one type of person -- the emotionally vulnerable. From agents to producer and directors, every person working in entertainment has a creative gene and an emotionally vulnerable side. That can make receiving feedback, critique, or direction challenging. The key is perspective!
Allowing fear to take over in a moment of direction leads human nature to become defensive -- it's in everyone! But becoming defensive about feedback is dangerous to your long term career. And that's what we all want, right -- the long term career? Of course you do!
Critique, feedback, and direction are all one thing only despite how they are delivered -- it's communication. And generally speaking, we have a choice about who we communicate with, right? If that's the case, then we can agree that we frequently choose to only communicate with those whom we like, enjoy, or want to get to know better. Like, enjoy, and "want to get to know better" are all positive feelings, which is encouraging. So the bottom line is that no matter what the cirtique is, someone is reaching out to communicate only because they like us, enjoy our presence, and want to get to know us better. Those things should make you feel pretty good!
So the next time a casting director tells you that you haven't given your best read in an audition, for example, thank them and know that you're getting that second chance because they want to see you succeed and are in your corner!
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