The Golden Opportunity of Horrible Suggestions

Danny Rubin, writer of my favorite film, Groundhog Day, sporadically maintains an interesting blog. One entry offers advice about coping when non-creative people make inane changes to work you've polished to a tee.

Most such discussion analyzes the psychology of Suits, and how, being uncreative themselves, their place in the system is to torment and disrespect creatives (old joke: studio exec reads a script and says “I love it! Who can we get to rewrite it?”). Others suggest learning to let go, and be less hung up on your creation (indeed, resigned indifference is a time-honored means of getting along and getting ahead...and of enabling the forces that make things suck).

But Rubin makes a very good and non-obvious point: whenever someone makes a really stupid change to something you've created, the smart move isn't to go ballistic about the alteration, but, rather, to examine the problem they're clumsily trying to solve. Because there inevitably is a bona fide problem! Then solve it yourself...better. And be grateful for having had the problem pointed out for you!