Criticism

I am as usual reading 3or4 books at the same time. One to help me with my writing is
12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. She has a chapter on
Conquering Saboteurs in which she covers the subject of criticism which can be a "dragon".
Then today I received this quote.
"Criticism, like rain should be gentile enough to nourish a man's (person's) growth without washing away his roots." Frank A. Clark
And with it this example:

Unpolished Diamond
By: Author Unknown

How a person reacts to criticism often means the difference
between success and failure. Take the case of Ole Bull, the
famous Norwegian violinist of the past century.

His practical father, a chemist, sent him to the University
of Christiania to study for the ministry and forbade him to
play his beloved violin. He promptly flunked out and,
defying his father, devoted all his time and energy to the
violin. Unfortunately, though he had great ability, his
teachers were relatively unskilled, so that by the time he
was ready to start his concert tour he wasn't prepared.

In Italy a Milan newspaper critic wrote: "He is an untrained
musician. If he was a diamond, he would certainly be rough
and unpolished."

There were two ways Ole Bull could have reacted to that
criticism. He could have let it make him angry, or he could
learn from it. Fortunately he chose the latter. He went to
the newspaper office and asked to see the critic. The
astounded editor introduced him. Ole spent the evening with
the 70-year-old critic, asked about his faults, and sought
the older man's advice on how to correct them.

Then he canceled the rest of his tour, returned home, and
spent the next six months studying under really able
teachers. He practiced hours upon hours to overcome his
faults. Finally, he returned to his concerts and, when only
26, became the sensation of Europe. (And America)

I recently read about Ole in a book about Edgar A. Poe. when he was in America in th 1840's so it was interesting to learn more about him,