I think there's some misunderstanding as to some of the things discussed in this thread, and the attitudes and motivations of the 'critics'.
Also, to anyone who says that Theory11 isn't open to criticism, reread the 20+ posts from Andrei & JB
directly responding to questions and criticisms.
It's the easiest task in the world to criticize those who work hard while forgetting how open they are to your feedback because it has been the norm for so long.
There's a difference between being open to criticism, and responding to questions and criticisms. When enough people step forward and say they felt a product was 'over hyped' they usually mean they felt mislead and betrayed by the advertising. That is a legitimate criticism, and if there's enough people with a similar message, then something for Theory11 to keep in mind next time.
The thing with criticism is: it's
almost never the intent of the critic to be viscous or negative. Obviously they care enough to tell you something is wrong. It's when you hear no criticisms that you should worry, like when a coach stops yelling at you, it means they've given up on you. It's your job as the creator to find the truth in the criticism, and if the intent seems viscous all the way through, THEN you can ignore it.
Earlier in this thread people that had (legit) criticisms were being unfairly attacked. This sends the message that people who think you can do better, can go pound sand.
Someone broke the rules earlier, and that's fair to punish. If someone has something incorrect, you may correct them.
However, if you ever find yourself getting defensive (or aggressive), it's usually because the critic has a point you're not ready to hear. If that's the case, you might not be deserving of the position you're working to obtain.
The easiest job isn't to criticize, it's to criticize critics.
Justin.Morris said:
The bad form is about criticizing the good works of others without taking actual yourself. I also wouldn't walk into a boutique and criticize the items on their shelf to the owner.
That's a false analogy. We're not logging on Theory11 and criticizing their products, they're actively trying to sell us something. At that point we can scrutinize something we're being asked to buy
and we have the right to question how they're trying to sell it to us.
So, if you walked into a boutique and the person pointed to a product and said, "you'll really like this". Is it bad form to ask, "why?". If they also said, "The purchase also helps children." Is it bad form to ask, "how so?".
Theory 11 is saying, "this is a cool product, right?". If we don't agree, we can walk away. I happen to agree, this is an awesome project and product. Then they have claims of value, and one of their main ones, is that it gives to people in need (Charity).
- Companies that use charity as a major selling point run into some hot water. It's a
major emotional appeal, emotions can cloud judgement and can be used to manipulate people with good intentions. We have every right to be critical and skeptical of someone that makes a strong emotional appeal, then asks us to give them money.
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Too Long Didn't Read: - It's the job of critics to ask important questions of people making claims, and it's not easy to do fairly or justly. There's a difference between walking the line, and crossing it. Some are oversensitive, crying 'foul!' to the slightest lean like eager referees. However, earlier it was noted that I questioned my own mental state when being critical of someone else's. That's because I would
never ask something of someone else if I weren't ready to ask the same thing of myself.
So if I'm willing to accept that I read too far into this product and project, I ask that Theory11 be willing to accept that they may have unwillingly mislead people in the hype and advertising.
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THAT BEING SAID: Let me take this opportunity to praise the
entire Theory11 team for several things they have (unquestionably) done here.
This project represents an acknowledgement, from a widely respected and successful figure in another creative field, that our art has substance. As much as we pretend not to care what other people think, it's always nice to be validated (from time to time). Everyone at Theory11, staff and customers, are united by the basic idea of "hey, there's really something unique to this whole magic and cardistry thing." How we communicate that out is really up to us, and when someone we respect outside the art looks at our art and says, "hey, that's really worth something!" is a great feeling.
Mystery and curiosity are part of the human definition. You can't bottle it and market it because you can't create it, you can only evoke it. Has this project created and sold it? No, they're selling a product. Of course the product falls short of the real thing,
everything falls short of the
real thing! Maybe they're doing it for the money, but I don't think money is a strong enough motivator to go after such a large idea.
If money is all they were after, they'd have gone for something easier. Just like if it was money we were after, we would go with an easier way to make it! We would have chosen a different profession or hobby, where we could see all our effort translate into money. But we don't, we're all trying to catch a small piece of a giant and intangible idea - just so we can share it with someone else.
Just as Theory 11 has tried to do for us, here.
Did they do it in the best way? Probably not. Are they doing it in the right way? Maybe.
But let me tell you something; Only those crazy enough to think they can catch a small piece of lighting in a bottle, are the only ones who ever manage to.
Thanks guys.