Attitude and personality are related but different. Personality is a range of characteristics which defines an individual and it can be shaped through time. Attitude relates to one’s feelings towards a person or thing and it can be actively controlled. A person should be defined by personality but not by attitude. They both affect everyone’s daily life to great extents, including social interactions, communication with others, thought process, emotion, decision-making and more. Whether in school or in the workplace, they affect all parties’ interactions and can change the surrounding and environment.

​

The public sometimes find artists to be hard to work with because artists have attitudes about their work. Artists should embrace constructive opinions while retaining their personal points of view, because it is important to be open minded to new ideas in order to improve and grow. Having a positive attitude and a distinctive mind are very beneficial in the creative industry, since personal styles are often shown in an artist’s work.

​

However, attitude may cause conflicts at work. If an artist’s work is challenged by peers or clients, one should reflect on the process and should not use attitude as an excuse. Also, they might not appreciate the time and effort spent. People experience ups and downs frequently, controlling temper becomes crucial at all times since attitude can be contagious. We should try to be considerate whenever possible to avoid unnecessary conflicts or issues. A professional should not let emotions take over. In fact, an artist needs attitude to support his/ her work at certain moments, for example, when things are taken personally. Overall, artists need to strike a balance between these elements.

​

Many people live in the delusion of grandeur and assume they are correct under most circumstances; therefore, they might feel offended or angry when they are being criticised. Learning from failures is a part of the process towards improvement. For example, Art & Design students periodically participate in critique sessions, where they present their works to classmates and professors. Their works are reviewed and questioned in a challenging manner, which train the students’ logical and critical thinking skills and responses. Rational discussions are especially beneficial because they are great learning opportunities and prepare students for future careers.

​

One should embrace criticism and pressure as motivations to excel. Accept your weaknesses so you can be a better self and go above and beyond. Be positive while encountering difficulties. As a human being, it is impossible to achieve perfection, but we can try our best to get close to it. Which means, there is always room for improvement. It is advised to be humble since Art & Design is highly diversified, although the industry is quite small at the same time. Being able to think independently allows us to discover our values and identities. Meanwhile we should continuously explore ideas and embrace change for the better.