critical response

After writing about screening the new 65dos video to the band a couple of days ago I've been thinking alot about how I handle criticism to my work. My friend Dan was at a screening party in Manchester at the weekend and had a conversation with a guy from Sheffield who was not a fan of the Media Lounge. Apparently our work is "not very good" and we are placed somewhere up and inside our own intenstinal tracts. I also found this weird old thread which mentions our unsavourary characteristics and my (unnatural) height.

It's a difficult balance; on one hand I am very proud of our work and genuinely think that what we do is very good, but on the flipside (whoops, mixing metaphores there) I am aware that what we do is not to everyones taste and is guaranteed to not be liked by everyone. I suspect that, secretly, I like hearing the negative comments more than the positive - when I get complimented about our work I find it difficult and embarrassing, but when it is criticised I immediately become curious as to i) how that impression was formed, and ii) if there are any improvements that can be made. I've never taken it personally.

Opinion is, after all, a matter of opinion and any compliments or criticisms are the result of one interpretation. Saving Private Ryan really offended me, but that does not mean Steven Spielberg set out purposefully to offend me, or to make something that I would interpret as offensive - it is the result of a thousand different factors, non of which are controllable. Therefore when I hear of people who like or dislike what I do I find it more interesting to consider how that opinion was formed as opposed to take it as a personal compliment or attack.

I think the syndrome is called Anhedonia.

The 65dos video worked out just peachy, by the way. We have a finished cut and its being sent off to the PR people tomorrow. And only 9 days over the deadline. Yay! Go Dave!

I'm reading the John Peel autobiography at the moment; almost every page is making me sad.

.