Thoughts on public feedback
Opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one and everyone thinks everyone else’s stinks.
Simone Elkeles, How to Ruin a Summer Vacation
If you’re doing anything in the public space, from building products to putting out content, you’re going to get feedback in a variety of different ways, from reviews to comments to discussions on social media platforms.
Statistically, this also means that you’re going to get very negative, sometimes downright crappy, feedback. And it sucks, especially when that feedback makes assumptions that aren’t true, or is operating without the relevant context, or is just plain wrong or any combination of the three.
I’ve dealt with my fair share of feedback over the years, and I’ve found that the best way to process the negative is to share it with someone (or a group of someones) who has your back, allows you a space to vent about the feedback, in order to get it off your chest, and then find a way to move on. The more you’re able to do this, the more resilient you get at receiving negative feedback, and you learn to either find an opportunity for improvement or ignore it if it’s not relevant.
Dwelling on negative feedback is just a horrible spiral into the depths of imposter syndrome, and believe me, it’s not worth it.
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