# An Effective Critic By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-12-16 How does someone become an effective critic? It's pretty easy to be a critic. Just form an opinion about something, look for flaws, or wax poetic until people think you've got it figured out. However, being an effective critic requires more - it implies making a difference in some capacity. You are not just critiquing to critique, but are doing so with some intentionality. This intentionality must extend beyond yourself to be valuable to society. Otherwise, it's just self-serving mental masturbation. Thus, you must give a damn about the creator, fellow humans, and progress. An effective critic is a creator of new pathways and ideas. A virtuous circle emerges where the critic becomes the creator, who becomes the critic. Therefore, an effective critic is a socially and psychologically aware creator and advocate of human progress. The goal is not to tear down but to move forward - a subtle and important difference. #### Related Items [[Critique]] [[Art]] [[Creative]] [[Progress]]