Krista: Have you ever noticed how proud creatives are of their work? How it seems like they just love talking about their creations? They'll go on and on about how the shape personifies the audience and how the colors captures a specific emotion and how the type connects into the zeitgeist of a particular-
Jillian: Krista. You're doing it again.
Krista: Oh. Sorry. …
Jillian: There's good reason why creatives take such pride in their work. They're responsible for how the audience will view and respond to an audio, visual, or written message. It can be the reason why a consumer decides to purchase a product or not, and that can be a lot of pressure.
Krista: Now, some create for self-expression, not really looking for approval. Others must work to suit a client's needs. To do that, they must start the process by learning all the ins and outs of whatever it is they're marketing. In order to create in line with what the client needs, they must truly understand all aspects of the client, the products, and the service.
Jillian: During the learning phase, our mind is already working on turning emotion into colors, shapes, textures, and words. We take note of all of these responses until we feel we've hit on a combination of elements that best represents the product or service. The result is our personal response, our feelings, willingly put out for criticism.
Krista: That's why constructive criticism is a very important part to the creative process. It helps the designer and the client create the best work with an Optimus Prime.
Jillian: Optimus Prime?
Krista: It helps the designer and the client produce the best work with an optimal outcome.
Jillian: Unfortunately, not everyone is good at giving constructive criticism, and this can be detrimental to the end product.
Grace: That looks like my cat did it. She died three weeks ago.
Krista: You know what I'd say to that? First, take a deep breath. There's no benefit from retaliating. Then, ask questions to try to understand where the criticism is coming from. Once there's a better understanding, you can build on solutions.
Jillian: Before critiquing, you need to pinpoint what you don't like, why you don't like, and provide a potential solution. It's the same reason it's important for designers to be able to defend their own work. The "why" is crucial on both sides to produce the best work possible.
Frank: You will approve this.
Dave: We don't need to force anyone. The design was inspired by the common Boston fern. It's easily identifiable, and represents-
Frank: Obedience.
Krista: This episode definitely deserves five stars, but if you're thinking lower, make sure you tell us why.
Jillian: Thanks for joining us, and as always-
Krista: Keep it casual.
Episode 3 - Why Creatives Are So Sensitive
Taking pride in your work is natural. But if you're a creative, it's everything. Which could prove troublesome.
That's especially true when applied to our industry. And necessary to keep in mind if you ever, let's say, post an episode of your agency's sitcom on /r/advertising only to receive a great deal of negative criticism shortly thereafter.
Your feelings are important, but your results are overriding. That's what makes having the ability to constructively give and take criticism essential. And in a Shyamalan-like-twist, it's also the topic for Episode 3 of Casual Fridays.