Critics and Critiques

Recently I received a less than flattering review of IMPRINT, a novella I self-published. 

To give you a little background, Imprint started as a short story submission to The Writers of the Future. You can go HERE to check out the contest and its rules if you like.

Here is the short review of Imprint:

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Disclaimer Won in Goodreads Giveaway. Less than 2 hours invested in reading a book that did not have any initial background development nor explored deep enough character development. However it is short enough to be a guide to authors that have never written a book on what not to do - hence one reason why I did not give it 1 star. The epilogue question posed is the only other reason why not give 1 star. 

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I have to admit, my first reaction to the review was "who the hell does he think he is?"
Which quickly turned to "I'm really not at good at writing as I thought!"
And after processing my internal feud of insecurity for a while I gratefully came around to "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but obtaining their praise is not why I write."

This review, and the subsequent process reminded me of another time in my life when criticism from peers and superiors caused me to question my abilities as a designer.
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The Master's Program

I attended the University of Utah's Master's of Architecture program from '03-'05. I graduated with a 3.75 GPA. I like to think my claim to fame whilst there is my Master's Thesis; a design idea that polarized the faculty and staff when the time came for them to decide on Design Achievement awards at the Master's Exhibition.

Several of my classmates designed libraries, schools, etc. (building types that are traditionally done for a master's project because they're known and, well, safe. I happened to choose a different route. 

I love the water! And, though I haven't done it much in my life, I love SCUBA DIVING! Submersing myself into a world of wetness with only a tank of air on my back to provide the breath of life is an experience I feel everyone should try at least once.

My Design Concept centered around ISOLATION. You, as the diver, are isolated from your natural environment in a bubble of air similar to a goldfish in a bowl. You have your natural environment within immediate grasp, but you are also surrounded by an atmosphere that can kill you within minutes.

So, I designed a DIVING SCHOOL. A floating structure located off the coast of Texas for Divers. The school was also designed to submerge beneath the surface to avoid the hurricanes that frequent the Gulf Coast. Hence, it is a DIVING school; a school that DIVES!

Here are a few photos:

I'd dreamed about this design for years before I ever got into the Master's program. So, when I presented the concept to my thesis adviser I was told "it's not architecture". I had to do extra research and provide additional sources of existing structures (above and beyond my peers) before I was "allowed" to proceed with the design phase of the project.

One of the faculty, who I considered a mentor, told me after the awards ceremony how my project caused a polarization among them. They either loved my thesis or they hated it. They believed it was either a true thesis (a challenge to the status quo and pushing the boundaries of what 'architecture' means) or they didn't.

I'll admit I'm still a little miffed 10 years later that most of the awards were given to libraries. ​

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So, what's my point you ask?

What have I learned from this experience, along with the recent review of my short story?

Everyone has an opinion, and all opinions are subjective in nature. No one has a complete world view. No one has "seen it all" or "done it all" and therefore no one can give a truly Objective review or statement as to the quality of another's work (myself included, which is why whenever I'm asked to give my thoughts I preface with "this is just my opinion")

My professors, albeit had many years of experience in teaching architecture, hadn't seen everything so my thesis (being so different from anything they'd ever seen) seemed to question their authority. And, in my experience, authoritarians rarely like to have their authority challenged.

However, now that Saudi Arabia has pushed the boundaries of how buildings should be shaped (and whether or not they can be underwater) I feel a little vindicated knowing that my ideas are not that far afield after all.

And, to those who don't enjoy my work I can only say this:

I will continue to improve. I will continue to learn. I will get better. But, I'm not out to please the world.

I write for myself first.