Self-Criticism
Have you ever heard of the composer Paul Dukas? Neither had I. Dukas was so self-critical that he destroyed most of
his compositions. The score I heard last week only partially survived.
Another composer had written parts so the music could be played as originally
intended. Feeling that Dukas was a kindred spirit to many of us authors, I
listened with interest and liked what I heard. How sad that he’d destroyed so
many of his other works!
Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The
Power of Positive Thinking, also struggled with self-criticism. He threw the entire manuscript to The Power of Positive Thinking into the garbage. His wife rescued it from destruction. What a waste that would have been! Because he
published that book, millions of people have learned to think more positively
and blessed others’ lives because of it.
My latest issue of
The Humanities at BYU shared the account of the
African American singer Sarah Vaughan:
Frank Sinatra, always the one for colorful descriptions,
said “[she is] a singer who sings so good, I want to cut my wrist with a dull
knife and let her sing me to death.” But despite her achingly beautiful voice,
she suffered from persistent racism much of her life. On tour, she had
difficulty finding hotels or restaurants that would allow a black woman. She
later said, “They’re memories not easily erased, and at the time, I was ready
to quit show business.” But instead, she transformed the pain and humiliation
into a voice like warm honey poured over the soul.”
Discouragement seems to be a common thread in the life of
artists. As I talk to writers who haven’t yet published their works, they often
tell me they’ve been working on a book for years. Often they haven’t let anyone
read it.
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