A funny story (at least I think it is) about a critique one of my pieces
received at the 2002 Symposium in Providence.

Ray, I think you are mixing critique with acceptance and even sales. They are
quite distinct. You asked the man with the gray beard for a critique and you got
one. It must have been good, it encouraged you to try new things. He never said
the piece wasn't any good and he never said he wouldn't buy it or add it to a
museum collection if given the chance. Just because he had a suggestion to make
doesn't mean that the piece had no value. That was something you decided.

One thing I've noticed about myself, and this may be true of your critiquer, is
that I tend to be more critical of work as it gets better. I'm not sure why and
its probably a fault of mine. Perhaps if I see a piece that was almost perfect I
want that last smidgeon of quality. Maybe he works the same way?

Here's the deal. EVERYONE criticises other peoples work. EVERYONE judges the
value of a turned piece. EVERYONE sees flaws. SOME will say this outloud. Even
FEWER will say it to you. Lucky YOU if they do. Dan