How To Survive Criticism

I have to say that when you are out in the public eye, promoting especially, you will get more criticism than praise. What I love, another one hates, and that is just the fact of life. But there is this one thing that people who are promoting themselves must do, and that is they have to let go of the control or you`ll make enemies and burn precious bridges. You cannot, I repeat ” CANNOT” wear your feeling on your sleeve.

When I promoted this one band, a country band, The leader would get so mad when I told him what the critics were saying. Once he called the chamber of commerce in this small town that always had BIG gigs and cussed out the lady that was over band selection!  Why? He was not chosen to do the battle of the bands. Needless to say he was not called to play anything, even after I called and apologized.

But, he was always happy when I told him about the radio stations across the USA and in Germany that were playing his songs.

So I learned as I went, do not tell the owner or leader what is really going on in the promoting and marketing because they are quick to snap other peoples heads off when they wear their feeling on their sleeves and are told “No.”

The next bad review the band received was from a gospel station that I submitted one of their songs to, for weekly air play. This station wrote letters of refusal. It read : “I would never play that song on this station! its not gospel enough and more of the country honky tonk cry in a beer song.” I did not tell the owner of the band. Why? Because I know that he wore his feeling on his sleeve and I did not need him calling this station and insulting someone that may or may not have pull in the business with others in his field.

When we put ourselves out in the public eye,especially when you  promote yourself, you need to learn to let it roll off your back, shake it off. Because there is a critic on every site, every newspaper and more. Everyone once and a while that bad critic can make you famous as well as if he/she said they loved you.

Just look where the criticism got Elvis Presley! Radio stations were banning rock n roll and T.V. was banning Elvis because the way he danced! This bad reviews made him who he was “The king of Rock.”

People need to not take everything that is written or spoken as an attack, sometimes they need to just smile and not answer at all. Some reviews will make you stronger, some will make you angry and some will make you smile.

In my 53 years I have met many people from many walks of life and I must say that not everyone likes the same music, the same authors and some just cannot live unless they control everyone and their surroundings as well as their own life, that is just people and how the world works. You have to get tough!

Flexible is the name of the game. Always be nice no matter what the situation because you can always walk away and you will find another critic on the next corner that will love you or hate you.

Whether it be writing, painting, music or soaps and Lotions.

By Andria Perry

Photos  By Pixabay