I used to spend a great deal of time and energy trying to craft my critique for performers and collaborators. At some point, I found it exhausting and hard to do well. So I stopped doing it. I began to use the power of vagueness. Instead of saying I didn’t think something was working and then giving all the reasons, I began to say, “That’s not happening...let’s try something else here.” It wasn’t a permanent rejection of the idea because it may very well work at another time, in another place. But it also kept us from wasting any more time on it at this moment. No feelings got hurt. No egos were involved. It just wasn’t happening for now and we could maintain our momentum and flow in the studio.
The long pause that happens as one tries to let someone down easily is very painful. It makes the creator feel weak and self-conscious as they wait with bated breath for a verdict. Creativity is a river - it has to be moving and inflow to work.
Pretty soon, performers and collaborators began showing me what they were working on, asking, “Is this happening?” And I could say, “Yes” or “No” or “Let’s try this…” or “This part is happening…” Or “Holy shit that is sooo happening!” “That is it.”
When they got an air guitar serenade, then they knew we were definitely keeping it and the room would vibrate with laughter and excitement. We liked ourselves. We liked each other. We liked what we were making together.