Criticism vs. Creative Process vs. David Byrne
David Byrne blogged a response to a negative review of his show in New York Times yesterday, and he mentions something I think about all the time. I’ve italicized the relevant parts, and bolded what hits the hardest:
I still haven’t read the review, and don’t intend to. While taking criticism on board can be constructive, it can also be detrimental to the creative process if it’s considered while that process is still under way. It undermines one’s enthusiasm and will — which is OK, beneficial even, but only after a tour (for example) is over.
I agree with all of that except for the “which is OK” part. How can it ever be OK to let anything undermine “one’s enthusiasm and will”? I’d go even further and say your whole musical existence is one big, never-ending process and it’s pure treachery to your craft to seriously consider any criticism unless the critic reveals to you what you already knew but you didn’t know you knew.
