MAC Wk 3 Blog 2

John Harvey had a very honest and open post about how difficult rejections and expectations can be. Check his post out here, and see my comments below. Thanks John.


John,

I agree, on several levels.

First, we are faced with rejection from an assortment of daily sources. I have a whole cadre of friends like you: artists, filmmakers, musicians, and other creatives of one ilk or another who are continuously faced with criticism.

However, it seems that despite this barrage of feedback, many of these same keep creating. My guess is that the initial motivation for creating in the first place had nothing to do with feedback or professional acclaim, but a need to share an idea, concept, feeling, or even message.

Your blog post is a perfect example therein. An initial project idea didn't work out, but you went ahead and created something. Not only did you create something, you shared it with all of us while discounting some of the aesthetic and technical aspects. Clearly, the message, not the F-Stop, focus or other technical minutia was the central element you wanted to share.

Personally, I think that when a creative develops some content irregardless of inevitable negative feedback, that creative piece is often the most honest and welcomed by others.

And, to your point that now is the time to start something, I've found that often, "starting" is never easy. Its the most inhibiting process of any project. Our inner voice questions whether anyone will like it, whether we'll be able to repeat an earlier success, or whether we'll never get another gig again.

Yet if we never start, or try once again, we'll never know will we? Trying is difficult. Starting is difficult. But, it can be immensely rewarding, and generally, I've generally found that once I started something, I usually wondered, "what was I so worried about?"

Well done. Thanks for the post.