The Morton Salt Girl. Image courtesy of blogspot.com.
It’s all too common to receive bad reviews in art school. We call these bad reviews “critiques.” Sometimes it feels like the word ‘critique’ is just a nicer form of ‘let’s cut you down publically and hope you don’t self-medicate later.’ But it isn’t just our written work or drawing and design projects that get picked apart and shot down; it’s our persona that takes on the most blows, and it’s usually behind our back to which we never take notice of it happening in the first place. Realize this: everybody has a mini Blair Waldorf in them. We’ve all talked sh*t at some point in time, or held a grudge, or belittled someone, or have thrown a Nairtini (see: Urban Dictionary) in a girl’s hair for trying to hit on our man.
Maybe not that last one, because who carries Nair with them to a bar?
Regardless, we’ve all been sh*theads before, whether or not we’re willing to admit it. But whether or not you’re the one trash-talking, or someone else is trash-talking you, they both have one culprit: a person who’s salty. People who are salty are not to be trusted; the water may be drinkable but it will only dehydrate you i.e. saltwater. What I’m saying is, the information may hold some truth (H20), but in the end it’s not the entire story. You’re being “dehydrated of information.”
I’m sorry if that analogy makes no sense. It’s pretty terrible, but I’ve been thinking about Tom Hanks and “Castaway” all day so that’s where that came from.
So when you hear a bad review about yourself or someone else, CONSIDER THE SOURCE! That’s a must! If your boyfriend’s ex says he’s a piece of sh*t, chances are she’s salty. If someone says you’re a crazy b*tch, you probably are, but it doesn’t matter because the source is, again, salty. Usually people saying negative things about a particular person are only saying them because they have unresolved issues with said person.
Would I talk badly about my ex?
Ultimately I’d want to, but that’s only because our drama has been unresolved for years. If things had ended on a more decent note, I probably would’ve left out the spiteful details I’ve so relentlessly included whenever his name came up. Even I can be salty about things, we all can. But it doesn’t mean we can’t consider the source. Even if that source is you, be mindful of your words and how they can devastate a person’s reputation. You might not like so-and-so, but that doesn’t mean others can’t either.