Someone else: “That sucks!” Me: “Wow, thanks!” Or, the joy of criticism.

The other day, I posted a link on Twitter and Facebook urging any and all to visit this blog and check out two new tunes, Water Under The Bridge and Yo Yo.

Most comments were positive, but one was highly critical. Now, I’m a sucker for criticism, can’t get enough of it, and I’m always much more attentive when someone is telling me how bad I suck rather than singing my praises. I’ve been this way my whole life, not gonna change. Oh, and I also dish out criticism like a military cook dishes out slop. I’ll give it anybody, all you can eat. In fact, back when I ran a creative department in an ad agency, I was ridiculed for always responding to new ideas by rubbing my chin and saying, “You know what the problem with this is…?”

So when a note popped up in Facebook from a former co-worker, and said note pulled no punches, I felt… home. Criticism is deep in my comfort zone, praise, not so much. Of course, the criticism has to be valid (and, yes, I determine what’s valid and what’s not) for me to welcome it with hugs and smiles. But if I know the criticism comes from an honest, informed soul who knows I mean it when I say I want the truth, well, it’s a love pat -- albeit with a brick.

The criticism was of the song Water Under The Bridge and it pointed out that the chorus failed to punch hard enough, giving the song a monotonous quality. I AGREE. And before this criticism arrived, Water was gnawing at me for the very same reason. But, I was lazy. The job of fixing the song seemed so huge – is so huge – I could not rally the energy to redo it. I needed a kick in the pants. Well, I got it, and I thank the person who delivered it.

As someone once said, “If first you don’t succeed, revise, revise, revise.”