Filters

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

—James 3:17

Some people take all criticism equally. They don’t differentiate between internet reviewers and actual critics—people who are educated and experienced in evaluating a particular kind of work. They hear the words of a best friend and the words of a nasty blog commenter at equal volume. They have no filter, no protective skin, and everything travels straight to their heart.

I know people at the other extreme: they never read reviews, and they shut out critical words from family and strangers alike. They alone understand their art, and everyone who disagrees is a fool who doesn’t “get it.”

I don’t think either extreme is helpful or healthy—either all the voices bulldoze us, or we spend our energy building a wall against all of them. Either way, we’re still driven by the voices.

The only way, I’m finding, is to develop a set of filters: Whose voices are the ones that matter to me? Which ones matter more than any others, and which ones matter just a little?