Criticism

     Anyone and everyone will critique what I do. Isn’t that true for everyone though? What you wear, what you say, what you do, how you do it, what color you do it in. You get the point.

     Wednesday night services are mixed differently than a Sunday morning or evening. It’s a little quieter, a little more subdued in treatment, more vocal heavy, and less electric guitar and drum driven.

     I’m not exempt from an off night, weekend, week, or month. Okay, that is excessive. An off night or service can definitely happen though. The hard situation is when I get critiqued while I thought it was a decent night.

           It was a dark and cold night. Well a dark night because what night isn’t dark and it won’t be cold during a service for very long. After mixing what I thought was a decent evening I was assaulted on my way out of the booth. The culprits were two older women. The mix isn’t necessarily catered to one group, but if you are over forty it will start to be further than what you crave. You might be too mature for what is offered. They proceeded to tell me that it seemed as if someone training must have been mixing. I asked what they were unhappy with, to which they responded, it was just an off night.

     That’s like saying I didn’t like that movie, you ask me why, and all I say is “I just didn’t enjoy it”. Lame. Think about it. Don’t just pass by the moment. Decide who you are, what you like or don’t like, and why you like or don’t like it.

            After the Twisted Sisters were done harassing me about my mix in training I continued on down the aisle. To my disbelief I had a husband and wife approach and tell me that it sounded amazing in service, and continued to explain why.

     Once this happened I was dumbfounded. How can one person so passionately hate the mix and another person love the mix in the same experience? Then I realized it was all about preference. It was subjectivism and not objectivism.

     I called a friend for counsel instead of opinion. He split it up the middle like myself. Wasn’t the best, wasn’t the worst, it was just plain good.

            I’ve found that with criticism I take it for what it is. I always listen, but then decide if I agree, which helps when it is clearly explained. I try not to get defensive; I don’t hold anything I do as perfect or right. I’m open to advice and suggestion, but non-solution oriented criticism I hold at arms length.

     There is a saying: those who can’t, teach. I’ve added to it: those who can’t, critique.

If I write a song, I’m going to care more about what Chris Martin and Bono think than I’m going to care about some beat writer in a magazine or unknown blogger. And yes, I’m an unknown blogger, which is why I’m not using this to review music, movies, and books.

     There is a difference when you are being paid to do work. That’s not criticism, but expectation. Each year the White House hires an artist to design the Christmas card they send out. (Stephanie has said that I have to add that the only reason I know this is from watching “A White House Christmas” on the HGTV app for the iPhone. And I enjoyed it.) Although that artist will make what they want, they still have to have the concept and final piece approved by the First Lady. POTUS and FLOTUS will and have asked for changes before they accept the final card.

Although mixing and production work is art (this topic is a different blog), it is atypically a service role. I’m here to facilitate what is desired from those paying me. I have the ability to voice an opinion, but if it isn’t their preference I move on and do as told. If they can’t decide what they don’t like, I have to figure that out for them. That’s why I’m paid. If I don’t agree, it doesn’t matter.

I've also had to dissect work criticism from personal criticism. When something work related is critiqued I used to take it very personally. I had to learn on my own that they were criticizing the product, not the person. I will not be defined by what I do. I will be defined by who I am. Once I let go of this, it made my work so much more enjoyable.