It
is often said, when you fall off a bike you should get straight back on again.
Get back on the bike* |
To
be able to get back on the bike you need to dust yourself down, work out what
went wrong, maybe practise a bit, and make sure you do it better next time.
As an adult, going back into studying is hard. You have to remember you’re opening yourself up to a level of criticism that you probably don’t experience in your professional working life. Yes, you dealt with your work being marked when you were a kid at school, but it’s quite different when you’re used to doshing out the instructions and telling people how to do things!
It
feels like this copywriting course is less about the actual marks
received and more about feeling like you’ve really got to the bottom of the
subject. And that’s how it should be. It’s no longer about just getting a good
enough grade to get to the next stage. It’s about gaining enough confidence to
be able to go out and sell yourself to a client, and then to deliver on your
promises!
So
I think that’s why it felt like I’d fallen off my bike when I received the
feedback from my last assignment. I mean, it wasn't terrible per se, it was
just a particular element of the task that let me down - I basically missed the
point of it. The part that upset me the
most was the fact that I was pretty
pleased with what I'd written!
What's that they say about pride and falls? Ahem.
My
initial reaction was a mixture of annoyance, frustration, and upset. And yes,
I'll admit, for a moment I wanted to chuck it in the bin and give up, citing it
as proof that I would never be able to make it as a copywriter...
Instead,
I chose wine. And the final episode of Breaking Bad!
While this didn't bring me any closer to my copywriting goals, it did give me a
little more perspective on things.
Receiving
criticism is one of the hardest things to do, but I know if I want to become a
copywriter and write for clients, it is incredibly important to learn how to
accept it with good grace. After all, you have to deliver what the client
wants. It doesn't matter whether it's Pulitzer prize-winning writing (and I'm
not in any way trying to suggest that mine was!), if the client sticks their
bottom lip out and says, "Don't like it," it's back to the drawing
board.
You
gotta be able to get straight back on the bike and try again…As many times as
it takes!
A lesson in attitude
I decided to use this as a lesson in attitude.
I
sat down (ever so maturely), re-read the assignment, read the feedback (nodding
maturely at all the salient points), and re-wrote it. I then sent it to my
tutor (very maturely) and, slightly cheekily, asked her to cast another eye
over it to check whether I was now on the right track.
And,
do you know what? I immediately felt so much better...I had taken positive steps
to make it better…
Until
I got my response which was, essentially, “Better, but still needs work!”
Gutted.
Deep
breath.
One
more try I thought. So I sat down (ever so maturely)…Etc...Etc…Sent it off...
And
got the message back, “You’ve cracked it…”
Phew.
Nemesis defeated. Right, on with the next assignment.
Oh well, at
least Hubbie was able to offer some ‘sympathetic’ advice in the face of my abject failure:
"I think it validates the course - it's proof
that your tutor knows what she's talking about and means you're getting value
for money. There's no point in just
getting good marks all the way through, you won't learn anything. Now can we
watch Breaking Bad?"
*Counts to 10 and downs large glass of wine*
“Yes,
dear.”
*Whisper it*
He’s
blimin' right, you know. I learned FAR more from this assignment by going
through the process of revising and improving the assignment, working on the
bits that weren't quite right. And I feel like what I learned will stick. It’s
difficult to stomach, but criticism (as long as it’s constructive!) really should
be seen as a learning opportunity.
For
the first time in my life I get that. And do you know what? I'm actually quite impressed with myself - this is so
NOT the behaviour I have ever managed
before in the face of criticism - maybe there's a new, mature, me emerging!
*Whisper it*
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If you have any tips for dealing with criticism, I would love to hear them below.
Follow my #copywritingjourney on Twitter @weenixlen
*Photo Credit: Unknown. Found here.
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