Wednesday, 11 July 2012

baked byDan Eden

Of all the things I’ve learnt over the 12 months I’ve been in my work placement for University, dealing with criticism has been the most valuable.

When I first started, I was producing mediocre designs and mediocre code; very much still finding my feet in design & development. The only thing that has changed in that time is the thickness of my skin. I’ll never forget the day my boss turned to me and told me a mockup I’d done was—in her words—crap. I grinned like an idiot that day.

Similarly, I recently posted a shot on dribbble for a mini-project I was pretty happy with. Out of the blue, a friend told me I could do a lot better. I needed to hear that. All I’d had for a long time was the encouragement of strangers—it was refreshing to have someone (specifically, someone whose opinion I trust) tell me I can do better.

So encourage your colleagues and friends to criticise you. Do it yourself, too. Be honest. You can do better.