Imagine for a moment that you have been working hard on a skin for hours. You have just finished putting on the final touches, and then you submit it to Planet Minecraft. Afterwards, you go to the chat room and post a link to your skin. Then, someone starts to list what is wrong with your skin and what you need to work on. Suddenly your pride in your skin causes you become defensive about your skin looks. You might try to justify what you did. Also, you might think to yourself: ‘Who is this person to say that what I did is wrong?’


Would you believe that what you received from that person is advice? Maybe not at first, but it is there. It is interesting to note, but to receive advice – and even criticism – can be the most beneficial thing to receive instead of just compliments on what you have done. How is that so? Well, let’s consider what advice is, and then later we will consider how to receive advice.

WHAT IS ADVICE?

                Advice, according to one definition, is a “recommendation regarding a decision or course of conduct” (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1983). Often when we receive advice, we expect truly good advice to be given by someone we regard as truly knowledgeable and has authority on the subject. For instances, in regards to skinning on Planet Minecraft, we would tend not to take seriously from someone whose level is Level 1, has never posted a skin themselves, and has just recently joined PMC.


With that said, what really constitutes good advice? Well, let’s compare bad advice to good advice in regards to skinning (This does not just apply to Minecraft Skinning – it can be applied to all advice):

Good Advice:

•          Your skin’s torso looks like you used random noise to shade it. You might want to work on that.
  
•          Your colors look bland. Try using hue shifting, or changing the contrast.
  
•          (Real advice I recently received:)
  

Bad Advice:

•          "Ur skin looks terrible! You should just give up. >:\"
  
•          "It looks soooo uglee!"
  
•          "I can do so much better than you"
  

Do you notice the difference between good and bad advice? Instead of just saying that your skin looks “terrible” and leaving it at that, good advice tells you points that ether need correcting, need improvement, or even mistakes that you made. It may not always be easy to stomach, but in the long run it allows you to see what you need to improve on and then become better. Even what may be criticism can help you improve, if you know where to look and how to react.

HOW TO RECEIVE ADVICE

As we just said, advice is not the easiest thing to face, especially if you might see what someone else considers advice as harsh criticism, or even “flaming” – a term that is used to describe those whose words are false. How can you sort out the good from the bad, as well as improving from advice?


First, identify what the person offering you advice/criticism is pointing out to you. If all they say is “your skins are terrible then stop reading their comment because what they are saying is of no benefit to you – it doesn’t help you to improve. Many who get upset by false words have to detach emotionally from what is said and move on.


Second, suppress the urge to justify yourself with regards to what they are talking about. By denying that something you did could be wrong will prevent you grow as a person, as well as improving your craft. This can happen all to easily, and is sad to see because people who react negatively to advice about one thing won’t react positively in other more important aspects of their life.


Third, take what they say to heart, and strive to improve. If what they seems vague to you, don’t be afraid to ask them questions about what they said. Often those offering genuinely helpful advice will be happy to explain what they mean. I personally have found this to be true in my life.


Finally, thank the person giving the advice!! It often is harder to give advice than to receive advice. Remember that when a person takes time to express advice, he or she is spending part of their lives to help you improve yours! That is true of all advice.

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Hope you enjoyed this blog. If you found anything I said to be of interest, then I am glad I could share it with you.