Ouch. 

So you’ve sent your creative baby out into the world and it received a bad review. It hurts - we understand.

But before you become too invested and woebegone about it, here are five ways to combat feelings of inadequacy, pain and anger.

It’s just one person’s opinion

Remember, it’s just one person’s assessment and their perspective is, of course, subjective - like all criticism. Obviously your work, for whatever reason, did not chime with their expectations. 

It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a badly written piece, unsuccessful work of art or failed theatrical production, just that it did not work for this particular reviewer, who came to it with their own set of prejudices, preferences and biases.

They are written for the public, not for the creator

If you want to protect yourself from any reviews - good or bad - just don’t put yourself in the position where you can read them. If you are a writer, avoid Goodreads, in particular, which is full of amateurish critics with an agenda. 

Avoid obsessively scanning the net, deliberately trawling for any reviews. Carry on with your next creative project and have the strength of mind to not allow random strangers’ opinions to affect your own art-making.

Reviews, even if unfavourable, can be illuminating

Properly written reviews, by professional critics, can teach you a lot about your work. They can contextualise and actually critique, pinpoint the areas where the writing or performance/staging is not as good as it could have been and explain why this is so. 

Consider their appraisal as feedback as you go about planning your next project. Give them respect for actually engaging deeply with your work. It can help you strengthen any potential weaknesses, so you are more aware of them next time round.

It’s not a personal attack on you

Try to remind yourself that once your work is out there for public consumption, it no longer belongs to you and you can’t protect it from any kind of commentary. You have no control over its interpretation or judgement. 

Though tempting, do not ever reach out to the critic to complain and kvetch about how they did you wrong. They are simply doing their job, even if you believe they are wilfully mistaken in their assessment. 

Remember, it’s your work, not you yourself that is the subject of criticism.

Accept bouquets or brickbats as they come

Chances are, there are others who will love your book, your show or your exhibition. Concentrate on them and luxuriate in their opinion. Not everyone will like your creative work and that’s perfectly OK. 

Even prize-winning, household name authors and blockbuster directors and actors have fierce detractors; no one is ever exempt from a critical swipe. 

So sniff the flowers that come your way and dodge the slings as best as you can. Be humble and appreciative your work is reviewed at all - in a highly competitive industry where public visibility and engagement are not guaranteed.

This story was originally published by our friends at ArtsHub Australia.

Written by Thuy On.