Statues of Critics

So a couple months ago, Mark Lee (from Third Day - who played two nights ago on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) made a great blog post entitled “There isn’t a statue of a critic.” Here’s some of what he said:

“Look for the good in the world and talk about that. Be an encourager. Take risks. … Try to make the world a better place. … Avoid being a critic at all costs. It’s no fun, and it brings people down. I’m going to say it one more time: find the good and praise it. If it’s not there, make your own.”

 That’s great advice! I also love the well-known lines from Theodore Roosevelt on the subject:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 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, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the 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 know neither victory nor defeat.”

For some reason, I’m often drawn to point out the exception, to play the devil’s advocate. I don’t care to be argumentative, and I actually don’t often look to start or join a debate. Maybe it’s just that I think bringing in another view is just part of the process of seeking out truth. Or maybe it’s the exception that proves the rule! ) Often, it’s not as much a matter of one thing being wrong and another right as finding an additional consideration.

This said, let me point out the one place where a critic adds value. If you are the “doer of deeds,” you must view your own work with a critical eye… at least at some stage in the creative process. This could extend to those near you as well. What about with friends of yours that are also producing art of some kind? All of us are probably pretty fragile in some ways – though perhaps we’d rather not be (and I think it’s good for us all to have at least one friend who think everything we do is great). However, it may be helpful to have some friends who are willing to chime in with other thoughts as well.

Do you think there is a place for critique among friends? If you’re specifically asked to give input on a work in progress, that seems like a pretty clear opening, but even these times should be treated carefully. Where and when and how do you think critique can be a good thing? Any suggestions on how to do this best?

Oh, and Mark… when I was looking on SXC.hu for a picture to use with this post, I couldn’t even find a *photo* of a critic… )

-= another Watercooler Wednesday post =-