Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker, Shirley Frimpong Manso has shared valuable insight into handling criticism, particularly the negative kind. In her view, it is advisable for individuals to pay less attention to such criticism, emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus on one’s creative vision and goals.
Her perspective comes from years of experience navigating the intricacies of the entertainment industry. As a trailblazing director and producer known for her critically acclaimed films, she understands the pressures and challenges that come with public scrutiny.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Doreen Avio, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sparrow Productions, highlighted the need for individuals to neglect harmful messages on social media and how they can overcome them. She made known that these messages are mostly targeted at media moguls in their fields of work.
“You have to learn the act of closing your ears. People will come to you if you are a celebrity or a personality. Those that support you and even those that do not. It is one of the toughest lessons I learnt over the past few years.
“You cannot dwell on the negatives; you do need to imbibe more on the positives. I close my ears and when I realize it’s full of negative energy, I don’t go around it” she said. Shirley also cautioned individuals to stay clear of the influence of social media,” he said.
The movie producer and director, however advised consumers and users of social media to be critical of the content they share and consume.
“When it comes to social media, we have to turn it off at some point. I don’t let it rule my life. I come there when I need to, and I don’t live or abide by the ‘rules’ of social media,” she added.
She further asserted that sources of these hurtful messages sometimes come from unknown individuals or children and that individuals should not allow it to hurt them. She clarified with an experience she had with one of the comments she read.
“I remember one time when I clicked on the profile of someone’s ‘nasty’ comment and it was a kid! I realized many of these people were just kids playing, so you cannot take it so seriously. You cannot completely rely on social media. Switch it off! It’s really good,” she emphasized.
Credit: Ameyaw Debrah
Comments