THE ART OF WRITING Free Course Part 6 Functional Feedback

6. Functional Feedback

We must respect our efforts and potential and be the guardians of our enthusiasm. Take care not to let anyone with impure intentions affect our progress and confidence. The place our unique artistic expressions come from is delicate and can be easily disrupted by those who do not have our best interests at heart. Some are unaware of the unhealed wounds they carry and the pain they inadvertently pass on. We must protect our tender imaginations and our vulnerable confidence. No one is immune to negativity. Most have had negative, even cruel, things said to them. Some do not try again after experiencing painful responses from others. It takes enormous strength and detachment to rise above the dark others may project on us. I constantly remind myself if people are unkind, not constructive, and not careful with their feedback, it is about them, not me! Let the unhelpful responses simply pass by like an unpleasant smell.

Finding a sacred witness who wants to help us get better is necessary. Protecting our sensitive spirit to create is as important as guarding our creativity. Our inspiration to be creative can be as tender as our artistic expressions. We must guard it as carefully as our creations. Finding someone who only wishes to assist us in improving can be as arduous. This can be as difficult as perfecting our art. We must keep searching until we find trustworthy, compassionate feedback. We must not let those with impure intentions dampen our spirit. We must find someone who unconditionally supports our efforts to do our best work. We cannot afford to risk a safe environment to create by letting those who are not conscious and not cooperative close to our beautifully vulnerable place. Finding trusted feedback can be as tricky as doing good work, but we should be patient until we do because those with agendas can diminish our enthusiasm and confidence. We live in a competitive world where few are confident enough in their own accomplishments and kind enough to not compete with others. Wait to share your vulnerable spirit and its tender creations until you find someone worthy of your trust. Patience in this regard will be well worth the wait. When you are fortunate enough to find a sacred witness to share with an open mind and listen with an open heart, this is how we improve. When you find someone you can trust, trust them to improve you. We can only know what someone else will hear or take away from our writing once we share our truth. When we listen without shutting down, we can become more precise, authentic, universal, and accessible. Only feedback without selfish interest can improve us. Keep searching until you find such a trustworthy person to respond to your work, and then take in their truth to your heart of hearts and use it to improve your work.

Ways to find THE RIGHT PEOPLE to get feedback from:

1) Peers: seek out other aspiring writers/authors who would like to give and receive feedback. A mutual relationship where you help them and they help you is a great way to start cultivating these connections.

NOTE:

Before you share your most tender writing with someone new, always test them first by sending a small piece of writing that your heart is not wrapped up in. Something that was purposely written to see how a prospective test reader would respond. Maybe even throw in a few typos to see if they catch them. If you are very sensitive to criticism and disrespect and you are worried about having your trust damaged, then make sure the first piece of writing you send to this test reader is something you are either emotionally detached from or absolutely certain is solid gold writing. Then after they read it, ask for their feedback and see what they offer un-prompted (meaning don’t ask them any leading or specific questions.) Then after they’ve offered their initial feedback, ask what do they remember most? What did not make sense? Or what took them out of the story/distracted them?

Next lesson in the course coming soon!

Read my memoir ➡️ https://www.incandescencebook.com/

See my videos ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/@The_Creativity_Show

See my art ➡️ https://clarecooley.com/shop/

This 10-week course is FREE.

Clare Cooley is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant
from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

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