As was its intent, this article got me thinking about criticism within my personal creative process.

Mine is a cycle where the pivotal moment is hypercriticism. Criticism happens throughout the process (I never stop being critical of my work) but it’s secondary except for one stage in the cycle where self-criticism is the primary activity.

So, I get excited, I start making stuff—I’m on a roll. Then, I burn out, my “creative tap” goes on drip and I get hypercritical. I hate everything I’ve made. I have to recharge, then get excited again… The recharging bit can be tricky—everyone has different methods of recharging. Mine is cross-disciplinary. I like to switch between something creation-based (ie. design) vs. interpretation-based (ie. classical music).

This cycle is usually within a one large project or a few short ones. I try and work my lifestyle around this cycle so it happens in the most efficient and useful way for the project(s) I’m working on—which means keeping my life fairly routine-free and subject to change.

This is the micro version. I recently noticed this exact same cycle happens on a mega scale too. The mega version seems to happen on a 6-year-ish cycle, and the self-criticism step can be downright depressing. It needs to happen a few more times before I have anything truly useful to say about it, except that recognising what’s going on helps.

I try and recognise my patterns because understanding a cycle like this can be a useful barometer; it reflects change in my emotions and opinions. The barometer is a rational yardstick for the things we seek in design: efficiency, originality, quality, longevity. Next time you start criticising, check your barometer and measure in context.