Why You Shouldn't Take a Flamethrower to Your Feedback-Giver

Whenever I get feedback on a creative project that I have really worked hard on, my first instinct is to be disappointed by all the negative comments I receive. It’s only natural that after spending a lot of time and effort on something you want other people to like it. But, after I let the first wave of disappointment roll over me, I remember something very important – this is what I asked for. I wanted feedback. Constructive feedback. And how constructive is it when someone comes back and says, “Oh, yeah, I liked it. It was perfect”? You might feel good, but your project won’t get the opportunity to grow and expand and become better. So, when I get feedback, I plan to always take a moment and remove my personal pride from the equation. Then, I can accept and consider any and all suggestions and employ them in making a better product.

The reading talked a lot about how to get and use feedback. I learned how important it is to find someone who understands your style, appreciates your work, and wants to help you by critiquing it. It’s important that you find someone who is on the same page as you – someone who you can see eye-to-eye creatively with. For me, that person is my roommate and good friend, Sarah. Whenever I write something or make a film or whatever, I usually show it to her first. She is really similar to me in terms of taste in literature and film, as well as in personality, and I trust her judgment. She also won’t hold back useful suggestions in an effort to spare my feelings, which is awesome. Her feedback is usually just the objective response I need to revise and improve my work.

My experience in class taught me that feedback is important because when you present an idea to a group of people, they are likely to think of things you never had. I liked it when someone would ask a question about logistics, or partialities, or other possible directions the documentary could take because it expanded the range of my thinking. It’s nice to have so many different minds consider the same thing and come up with multiple ideas about it. It keeps the process interesting and engaging and is very beneficial to the planning process.