In this Notes episode, John reflects on compliments, and why people in live entertainment often struggle to receive them.

Part of that seems to come from how seriously people take their craft, and how much of their attention is placed on technical detail. That can lead to quietly judging whether a compliment is “correct” before accepting it.

What gets lost in that process is what the compliment is really about. Most people aren’t scoring technique. They’re describing the effect something had on them. And that effect is, ultimately, the point of the work.

That same distinction shows up in criticism as well. Not all feedback carries the same weight, and timing, source, and context all matter. But separating the message from the messenger can make both compliments and criticism easier to handle, and sometimes more useful.

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And thanks, as always, for whatever you do to make live entertainment happen.