I have recently discovered the world's second oldest profession. We need many things and have our own jobs to do, but these jobs are more "self-appointed" careers. Without these people holding these very responsible positions, how would we ever know when we are doing dumb things?

I am talking about the critics. They may or may not have participated in the particular body of work, but they do participate in the portion where we tell the creator what we think of their creations. What is interesting about the critic is that they often fail to really give us complete information on why the situation is in good or poor condition.

For several years in my working career, I was a teacher. Because I taught Computer applications to adults in a workplace environment, I was critiqued almost on a daily basis. That situation tends to make you feel like a pin cushion.

At any rate, I was looking for a design on the Ann The Gran site, and I noticed the ratings information. ATG's system is an interesting and good reflection of the average rating system. There are 1 to 5 stars with 5 being the best and a place for any comments you want to share.

I advocate learning in as many venues as possible. Believe me, a rating system, used correctly, can be a great place to learn new things. Are you a skeptic? Well, here is my take on reviewing someone's work.

Criticism, like its cousin, discipline, have come to generally mean negative activities. The facts are that these words mean both sides of a situation. Criticize means to positively appraise, assess, and make commentary in addition to objections, zapping it or finding flaws or inaccuracies.

Discipline means to educate, practice and prepare in addition to being strict and incurring rules that come with consequences. 

And don't forget constructive criticism wherein something might be better served by an alternative approach. I usually use such phrases as "may I suggest . . . " or "a possible alternative might be . . ." so I am attempting to be less unpleasant and more helpful.

All of my suggestions can go with any rating system. Here are some ratings that educate, apprise and even inspire. And, as an added bonus, if you decide to reproduce your project in the future, check back to those ratings/tips to remind you of special tip or trick.

Make sure that your ratings have some benefits for others from your own experience. You don't need to be a professional writer to do this, just write as you would relate information to a friend over coffee. Use words like "I noted . . . " or "I felt that there could be . . . " or "use of this item can . . . "  If negative issues have occurred, use phrases such as "in my personal experience. . . " or "your results may differ from mine . . ."  None of these suggestions makes a bragging or gloating comment, rather, it expresses a first-hand opinion.

You already know that in embroidery, situations can vary. One person can feel very strongly about a stabilizer and another person may feel it is a totally unworthy product. But that is how we learn and grow. Here is to expressing yourself today!! You could even leave a Comment rating this blog.

Lastly, here is your freebie Easter Design -