In my recent experience as a street performer I have realized that people make snap judgements based on very little information. Like Seth Godin said in All Marketers Are Liars people decide before they buy whether they will like something or not. For me as a street artist before people “push play” – the sign I wear on my chest, they have already decided. I can see that by the look on their faces, their attitude and body language.
A few play the role of the critic and immediately cross their arms just as the performance is beginning. They haven’t even seen anything, but they have decided. On the other hand my favorite people to perform in front of are the happy ones. They have smiles on their faces before they “push play”. They have decided as well.
Then there are those who make a snap judgement based on a piece of information. Just a piece. Miss one beat and then suddenly the average joe says, “even I can do better than that.”
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Your first impression is like one page in a story. You don’t know the whole story by looking at one page, so if your first impression is poor keep your critic to yourself.