Fear of criticism - an excuse for wimps or a real problem for designers
There was a designer in the world. And all he had was good: both his arms were straight, and the Vakomovsky tablet, and design education. Yes, only pursued his attack - he was afraid to show his work to people, and the boss in particular. He will start working on the next task - he rejoices, gushes with ideas, inspiration overwhelms his design soul. But the closer to the deadline, the more sad thoughts overwhelm him, the shaking hands and the less he likes his own work.
Since ancient times, designers, like many creative individuals, are afraid of criticism. This greatly spoils their lives, because limits imagination, reduces self-esteem and adversely affects the initiative. And for a creative worker this is death like. Agree to engage in creativity, when your imagination does not work, it is difficult.
Designers (especially young) - people are easily vulnerable, often have a moving psyche and are able from an enthusiastic soaring in pink clouds to fall sharply into deep depression and apathy. Criticism of their work is one of the most reliable ways to permanently plunge the designer into the abyss of despondency. Most often, such a reaction follows if the designer himself, “deep in the soul,” realizes that his work is not a masterpiece, but he is afraid to admit this to himself.
')
Determining your fear of criticism is pretty easy. If you occasionally are shy, often nervous, hesitate in making decisions, easily agree with someone else's point of view, are not sure of your position and do not like to admit your mistakes, then you are likely to be subject to it. A lot of useful information about the fear of criticism (and about other fears, too) is written in the book of Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”, I strongly advise.
Fear of criticism is inherent in not only designers. Do not think that we are so special, fragile and vulnerable, and all other people are insensitive boobies. This is not true. Fear of criticism has deep roots. Long since people united in groups with similar individuals and opposed themselves to others - dissimilar. For centuries, those who think like everyone else look like everyone else and behave themselves to be considered respectable, the right members of society, and the rest are not. At one time, dissenters were generally taken to burn at the stake. Therefore, to fear that your actions, views, your work or you will be personally criticized and opposed to the standards adopted by the majority is quite natural. It sits deep in each person, and influences his attitude. Another question is how useful it is for survival now, whether it is necessary to fight it, and how to do it.
I'll tell you a story from my own past. My first job was a fairly large web studio for that time. All colleagues were older and more experienced than me. And I behaved very modestly and was afraid to once again go to the art director to ask a question. I, of course, also rarely decided to express my opinion and offer ideas. They seemed to me stupid, banal and not worthy of attention.
Going to come to a new job in a few years, I began to fear that I would again fall into a similar situation. Despite the fact that there was already a decent experience in the background, the habit of fear did not give me rest. Therefore, I went all in and from the very first day I forced myself to speak with a confident voice what I think. Honestly, it was scary, but it had an effect! From jungle, I unexpectedly turned into an experienced designer, whose opinion is listened to. A start was made. It became clear that the problem is solved if it is solved.
Of course, at times it is still uncomfortable. Of course, there is still something to work on and even more than it seemed before. But I understood a lot of things from this story and made some simple conclusions that I want to share with you.
Step 1. Recognize that there is a problem.
- Hi, I'm Olya and I'm afraid of criticism.
- Hi, Olya!
As popular wisdom says, awareness of the problem is half its solution.
Step 2. Believe that the problem can be solved.
Need to understand the main thing. The fear of criticism is only a state of our consciousness. Therefore, we can control it, fight it and direct it in the direction we need.
Step 3. Consciously deal with the problem
If we understand that fear lives in our heads, then it becomes clear how to deal with it. There are two global methods: the first is to do as much as possible what is terrible and the fear will decrease with time, the second is to analyze the situation itself that causes fear and try to change it (or change attitude to it).
Let us examine in more detail the third step. How can a designer reduce his fear and organize the process in such a way that the very situation of putting the work will become less stressful.
Show work in the process to as many people as possible. First of all, you will practice this way and eventually you will be less afraid, and secondly, you will test your work on someone less terrible than the boss. Use for this your colleagues. Look at their reaction. Ask to criticize and honestly say that they do not understand or what is embarrassing. Do not argue, do not rush immediately to justify their decisions. Thank them when they find mistakes or make comments and motivate them to continue.
Do not expect colleagues to tell you in detail how to make the perfect design. Most likely, many of the statements will be very private and related to people's personal tastes. But the general nature of the comments and their focus will help you look at the layout with a fresh look. Listen and analyze, match the words with what you think. Often, people notice exactly the inconsistencies that you yourself did not want to admit.
Treat your job show as a way to test a decision, not as a trial of you and your talent. Ask to find mistakes, say you do not like. Strive to benefit from this procedure. Try to learn everything. Treat everything as an experience from which you can draw conclusions and become better.
Yes, this is the worst, I know. That is why it should be done.
Consult with the boss, show him the intermediate versions of the work, and not just the final version. First, one head is good, but two is better. The look will be more objective. Secondly, the boss will always see that you work hard and are interested in the result. Thirdly, the situation is not excluded that you misunderstood something at the very beginning, and, seeing your work at an early stage, the boss will be able to correct you. You will adjust the layout without wasting energy on drawing unnecessary details. It will be much easier for you psychologically to accept the adjustment at the initial stage, and not at the final version of your own and close to your heart.
Force yourself not to be afraid of the manager. Think rationally - why would he want to humiliate or insult you? He is not a villain, not a maniac or a minor official. Evil he does not want you, that's for sure. The only thing he wants is for you to do your job well and benefit the project.
Of course, the head of the head of discord. Of course, there are tyrants and capricious tyrants, sputtering saliva and swearing obscenities. In this case, remember that the manager is not the younger brother, you choose him and can change it if you so desire.
Do not treat design as a work of art. In the end, the design will be evaluated not by the principle of the prettiness of the picture but by the effect it gives. Either it is easy and simple to use, or not. Either he performs the task well, or poorly.
For example, you make a business card. The task of business card number one is to show contacts and tell whose they are, task number two is to be remembered. If the card is beautiful, creative, original and memorable, but the phone number is written too small, without delimiters and can not be read, then the card is bad. Or take the landing page. Its task is to force the visitor to write an email and click on the "Register" button. Whatever it is fashionable and beautiful, whatever photos and animations are on it, if the button is hard to find (for example, it is far away "under the fold" or located on a non-contrast background) - the page is bad.
The less design solutions are based only on your personal taste and the more solutions are based on the problem being solved, the more confident you will feel when you show it to your boss. The easier it will be for you to defend him and the greater the likelihood that the work will be accepted.
Do not worry about mistakes. Everyone is mistaken. From the first, the ideal work in any field is rarely obtained. This is completely normal. The most important thing is not to do it ideally, but to do better every time, to take into account more, draw on experience, learn and improve. If you grow and improve the quality of work - you are a great designer. If you think, analyze and study - you are just a dream of any leader.
Review your old work. The fact that some of them may stop appealing to you is a good sign, this indicates that you have grown up - an excellent reason to raise self-esteem. And high self-esteem is the strongest weapon against the fear of criticism.
Fear of criticism is something that can greatly prevent us from achieving success in our favorite business. This is one of the main enemies of any designer.
Determining that you are subject to the fear of criticism is not difficult. Think whether you agree easily with someone else's point of view, are you shy, do you feel insecure when making decisions? If the answer is yes, then you have the fear of criticism in a running form.
Admit that he is and he is preventing you from reaching those transcendental heights you are capable of. Most likely, he will not be able to quickly get rid of him, he can sit too deep in consciousness. But if you learn to recognize its insidious manifestations and consciously deal with it, then very soon you will feel how you gain control over it, you start to feel much more comfortable at work and grow faster in professional terms.
Since ancient times, designers, like many creative individuals, are afraid of criticism. This greatly spoils their lives, because limits imagination, reduces self-esteem and adversely affects the initiative. And for a creative worker this is death like. Agree to engage in creativity, when your imagination does not work, it is difficult.
Designers (especially young) - people are easily vulnerable, often have a moving psyche and are able from an enthusiastic soaring in pink clouds to fall sharply into deep depression and apathy. Criticism of their work is one of the most reliable ways to permanently plunge the designer into the abyss of despondency. Most often, such a reaction follows if the designer himself, “deep in the soul,” realizes that his work is not a masterpiece, but he is afraid to admit this to himself.
')
Determining your fear of criticism is pretty easy. If you occasionally are shy, often nervous, hesitate in making decisions, easily agree with someone else's point of view, are not sure of your position and do not like to admit your mistakes, then you are likely to be subject to it. A lot of useful information about the fear of criticism (and about other fears, too) is written in the book of Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”, I strongly advise.
Where does this problem come from?
Fear of criticism is inherent in not only designers. Do not think that we are so special, fragile and vulnerable, and all other people are insensitive boobies. This is not true. Fear of criticism has deep roots. Long since people united in groups with similar individuals and opposed themselves to others - dissimilar. For centuries, those who think like everyone else look like everyone else and behave themselves to be considered respectable, the right members of society, and the rest are not. At one time, dissenters were generally taken to burn at the stake. Therefore, to fear that your actions, views, your work or you will be personally criticized and opposed to the standards adopted by the majority is quite natural. It sits deep in each person, and influences his attitude. Another question is how useful it is for survival now, whether it is necessary to fight it, and how to do it.
I'll tell you a story from my own past. My first job was a fairly large web studio for that time. All colleagues were older and more experienced than me. And I behaved very modestly and was afraid to once again go to the art director to ask a question. I, of course, also rarely decided to express my opinion and offer ideas. They seemed to me stupid, banal and not worthy of attention.
Going to come to a new job in a few years, I began to fear that I would again fall into a similar situation. Despite the fact that there was already a decent experience in the background, the habit of fear did not give me rest. Therefore, I went all in and from the very first day I forced myself to speak with a confident voice what I think. Honestly, it was scary, but it had an effect! From jungle, I unexpectedly turned into an experienced designer, whose opinion is listened to. A start was made. It became clear that the problem is solved if it is solved.
Of course, at times it is still uncomfortable. Of course, there is still something to work on and even more than it seemed before. But I understood a lot of things from this story and made some simple conclusions that I want to share with you.
So what to do?
Step 1. Recognize that there is a problem.
- Hi, I'm Olya and I'm afraid of criticism.
- Hi, Olya!
As popular wisdom says, awareness of the problem is half its solution.
Step 2. Believe that the problem can be solved.
Need to understand the main thing. The fear of criticism is only a state of our consciousness. Therefore, we can control it, fight it and direct it in the direction we need.
Step 3. Consciously deal with the problem
If we understand that fear lives in our heads, then it becomes clear how to deal with it. There are two global methods: the first is to do as much as possible what is terrible and the fear will decrease with time, the second is to analyze the situation itself that causes fear and try to change it (or change attitude to it).
Drinking fear - fight!
Let us examine in more detail the third step. How can a designer reduce his fear and organize the process in such a way that the very situation of putting the work will become less stressful.
1. Show more
Show work in the process to as many people as possible. First of all, you will practice this way and eventually you will be less afraid, and secondly, you will test your work on someone less terrible than the boss. Use for this your colleagues. Look at their reaction. Ask to criticize and honestly say that they do not understand or what is embarrassing. Do not argue, do not rush immediately to justify their decisions. Thank them when they find mistakes or make comments and motivate them to continue.
Do not expect colleagues to tell you in detail how to make the perfect design. Most likely, many of the statements will be very private and related to people's personal tastes. But the general nature of the comments and their focus will help you look at the layout with a fresh look. Listen and analyze, match the words with what you think. Often, people notice exactly the inconsistencies that you yourself did not want to admit.
Treat your job show as a way to test a decision, not as a trial of you and your talent. Ask to find mistakes, say you do not like. Strive to benefit from this procedure. Try to learn everything. Treat everything as an experience from which you can draw conclusions and become better.
2. Show other designers
Yes, this is the worst, I know. That is why it should be done.
3. Take the boss to the team
Consult with the boss, show him the intermediate versions of the work, and not just the final version. First, one head is good, but two is better. The look will be more objective. Secondly, the boss will always see that you work hard and are interested in the result. Thirdly, the situation is not excluded that you misunderstood something at the very beginning, and, seeing your work at an early stage, the boss will be able to correct you. You will adjust the layout without wasting energy on drawing unnecessary details. It will be much easier for you psychologically to accept the adjustment at the initial stage, and not at the final version of your own and close to your heart.
4. Do not consider the head of the enemy
Force yourself not to be afraid of the manager. Think rationally - why would he want to humiliate or insult you? He is not a villain, not a maniac or a minor official. Evil he does not want you, that's for sure. The only thing he wants is for you to do your job well and benefit the project.
Of course, the head of the head of discord. Of course, there are tyrants and capricious tyrants, sputtering saliva and swearing obscenities. In this case, remember that the manager is not the younger brother, you choose him and can change it if you so desire.
5. Reduce the influence of personal taste to a minimum.
Do not treat design as a work of art. In the end, the design will be evaluated not by the principle of the prettiness of the picture but by the effect it gives. Either it is easy and simple to use, or not. Either he performs the task well, or poorly.
For example, you make a business card. The task of business card number one is to show contacts and tell whose they are, task number two is to be remembered. If the card is beautiful, creative, original and memorable, but the phone number is written too small, without delimiters and can not be read, then the card is bad. Or take the landing page. Its task is to force the visitor to write an email and click on the "Register" button. Whatever it is fashionable and beautiful, whatever photos and animations are on it, if the button is hard to find (for example, it is far away "under the fold" or located on a non-contrast background) - the page is bad.
The less design solutions are based only on your personal taste and the more solutions are based on the problem being solved, the more confident you will feel when you show it to your boss. The easier it will be for you to defend him and the greater the likelihood that the work will be accepted.
6. Allow yourself to be wrong
Do not worry about mistakes. Everyone is mistaken. From the first, the ideal work in any field is rarely obtained. This is completely normal. The most important thing is not to do it ideally, but to do better every time, to take into account more, draw on experience, learn and improve. If you grow and improve the quality of work - you are a great designer. If you think, analyze and study - you are just a dream of any leader.
“Only the one who does nothing is mistaken. Do not be afraid to make mistakes - be afraid of repeating mistakes. ” Theodore Roosevelt
Review your old work. The fact that some of them may stop appealing to you is a good sign, this indicates that you have grown up - an excellent reason to raise self-esteem. And high self-esteem is the strongest weapon against the fear of criticism.
Finally
Fear of criticism is something that can greatly prevent us from achieving success in our favorite business. This is one of the main enemies of any designer.
Determining that you are subject to the fear of criticism is not difficult. Think whether you agree easily with someone else's point of view, are you shy, do you feel insecure when making decisions? If the answer is yes, then you have the fear of criticism in a running form.
Admit that he is and he is preventing you from reaching those transcendental heights you are capable of. Most likely, he will not be able to quickly get rid of him, he can sit too deep in consciousness. But if you learn to recognize its insidious manifestations and consciously deal with it, then very soon you will feel how you gain control over it, you start to feel much more comfortable at work and grow faster in professional terms.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/244075/
All Articles