Avoiding the Emperor's New Clothes
Long hiatus from this blog. Why did I stop writing? I've always known to be a better communicator with written word. Talking, not so much. And sure enough I still kept a daily log - Some will call it diary.
The medium of written word has been my way of self reflection, and it extends outwards- yes it's been critical here and there. (Or as my friends say it: "You know, I know, don't be the one saying it.)
The problem with "what to publish" must subject to a lot of self-censorship. I am(and most of us), after all, a small player in this industry and will always be reminded of my(our) place to be. We are small and crowded and toe stepping possess a huge risk.
This reminds me. Recently I've had an interview and one of the questions touched on criticism. It's a question mark if it will eventually be published.
But here is my response:
"... the culture of criticism is scarce in Singapore. This is ironically much more prevalent within the creative circles. Perhaps this is an extension to the local culture of compliance, or a reflection of how small and competitive the creative industry is, where everyone is afraid to step on anyones’ toes. The adoption of “little praise equals to bad news” seems to be the general policy in peer artistic support. This is perhaps ironic because a large part of artistic education encourage open cordial feedbacks and criticism. Discussions and unreserved criticisms happen in closed circles. One must go to great length to receive them and I do actively seek feedbacks from my peers and friends whose opinions matter to me and is not afraid to tell me when I’ve made a blunder. This is, I believe, an extremely important process of creativity. We must be careful to avoid the “Emperor’s New Clothes” phenomenon.
A creative creation must operate in a pull-push relationship of between honest criticism (from yourself and elsewhere) and creative resolution. "
