The role of a critic is, at its core, to be able to share an experience with other people. A critic’s job is to interpret and evaluate a form of art whether that be a film, dance, music or a product and inform their audience of their analysis. They must be honest and accurate as they can be and use their experiences and expertise to guide them in their work. Critics should use their knowledge of other works to place and connect whatever they are reviewing in context of the other works in that field. They should also place the work they are reviewing in context with society and politics if applicable. Critics should offer insight and detailed explanations from their understanding of the work, especially when it comes to things that their audience would otherwise miss. This should also include expressing what the subject of the review actually is versus what it was likely intended to be or what people should expect from it. A critic should give voice to both the work they are reviewing and also a voice to those who are reading their reviews. Because the general public rely on critics opinions to make decisions on where to eat, what to watch, etc. the role of the critic is to help them make informed decisions on what to spend their time, money and energy on. It is also the role of the critic to help validate the work and bring to light the ways in which it succeeded and also its shortcomings.

Personally, when writing my reviews I want to be as honest and fair as possible. I strive to give credit where it is due and to shed light on parts of my experience of the work that I felt could have been better. With my writing, I want to be able to give people new insight into whatever I’m reviewing. I try to be as detailed as possible to make my reader understand my thoughts and experience as I was experiencing them. I want to be able to share with people what I love, hate and am indifferent about and explain to them why I feel this way through my work. I want to bring to my reviews my experience as a minority and as a woman. These aspects of my life define and shaped who I am, and therefore my experiences with art forms. It is important to me to be able to give voice to other people who are like me and are underrepresented in media.