Shaw argues that creators across poetry, art, and open source software use personal tragedy as a shield against legitimate criticism of their work. He observes this pattern in cafe poetry readings, abstract art installations, and open source projects, where attaching emotional meaning to mediocre work makes it immune to honest feedback. Shaw contends this is unfair to audiences and users, who deserve the right to genuine reactions. He advocates for accepting criticism when you publish work publicly, handling abusive people separately, and taking responsibility when your work has real problems.
Aug 2, 2015 Culture & SocietyArt & Painting
