Productivity – Page 137

The Art of Taking Criticism

Being able to stand (or sit) there and ~~listen to your work be, um, crapped on~~ get notes on your work is essential for anyone wanting to write TV. This article isn’t about writing, or TV, but, hell, it works. Highly recommended:

How to Take Constructive Criticism Like a Champ – by Nicole Lindsay

I’ve always envied people who can graciously accept constructive criticism. It seems I was not born with that trait, and throughout my career I’ve struggled with receiving feedback, even when it was entirely accurate. At the moment I hear the words of critique, my heartbeat quickens and my mind begins to race—first in search of an explanation for this assault on my person and then for a retort to rationalize whatever actions are in question.

And I’m not alone. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, many of us react with defensiveness and anger or—even worse—attack the person giving us feedback. But the truth is, we need to get over it. We know there’s value in constructive criticism—how else would we identify weaknesses and areas of improvement? Being able to handle it calmly and professionally will only help us maintain relationships and be more successful in everything we do. read article

Been Rejected Lately? Awesome! You’re Even More Creative Now

For some reason we find this very disturbing:

rejection pencils — How is a pencil like a rejection? @#$!ed if we know.

News: How Getting Rejected Fuels Creativity by Laura Newcome

The Study

Researchers conducted a series of three studies in which students at a university were made to believe they’d been either “accepted” or “rejected” by a group. Participants were then told in person that they’d complete additional creative tasks as individuals (if they’d been “rejected”) or would join their group after completing some tasks (if they’d been “accepted”).
In Study 1, participants were given seven minutes to complete word problems designed to assess creativity. In Studies 2 and 3, the researchers repeated the same procedures but accounted for variables like positive feelings and verbal reasoning. They found that these variables weren’t responsible for individual differences in creativity (meaning rejection likely was the cause). In the third study, participants were asked to draw fantastical creatures. These drawings were used as a barometer of creativity if they looked unlike pre-existing animals on Earth.
Ultimately, social rejection didn’t always return negative results, it all depended if the person identified more as independent or interdependent. Researchers speculate that because more independent people already feel “different,” they’re more willing to explore unusual ideas and abandon traditional ways of thinking post-rejection.
In contrast, interdependent people are more motivated to fit in and maintain harmony within a group, making them more likely to respond to rejection with efforts to repair and strengthen friendships. For these folks, rejection can have some pretty pronounced negative consequences. But for individuals whose need to be independent is stronger than the need to belong, being rejected might end up boosting creativity. read article