03 Nov Let’s talk about criticism!

Let’s talk about criticism!

It can be the hardest thing in the world to hear but if you can put your ego aside for just a minute, it can actually be extremely valuable.

I believe constructive criticism (cc) is essential for growth. How can you grow if people continue to blow smoke up your butt?

Let me tell you about the time someone cared enough to give me some CC…

I was lucky enough to start my photography career amongst a group of very talented photographers from all over Australia. Although daunting sometimes, it gave me so much to aspire to.

One day one of these talented photographers, Jennifer from NSW, emailed me and she said,

“I can see some big flaws that can be easily corrected with your lighting. I would love to have a chat to help you sort out a few things”.

My first instinct was to curl up in a ball and cry. No, not really. But I was taken aback a little. Then I realized that Jennifer was not saying these things to hurt me, she had no reason for that. I thought she must really care about helping me to speak up and be honest with me.

Let me tell you, this was such a huge turning point for me and my photography. This also lead to another big turning point for me – hiring Melanie Kellermann for 1:1 mentoring. I’ll save that story for another day.

So thank you Jennifer! Thank you so much for taking your time to help me and for your honesty. You really helped me to grow.

My advice…  

When somebody offers you a little bit of criticism, after you stop rocking in the corner sit down and think about how you are going to take that criticism and use it as a stepping stone to something awesome.