This isn't the first time I've brought the subject up but every so often I stop and think about what it really does mean to me to be a fan. As a teenager it meant that I HAD to enjoy every single piece of work an actor/singer did but as I got older my thoughts on the matter changed.

It’s okay not to like everything an artist does does and it’s okay to have an opinion on their work but to me being a fan is to accept that they are human, that they can’t be perfect all the time and that they have feelings. No one likes to have their work ripped apart and it’s quite upsetting if that criticism is coming from someone that calls themselves a fan. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of constructive criticism, but it has to be written very carefully as things can easily be taken the wrong way. This is something I don't think many people have the skill to be able to do very well and in this past year I have seen a lot of evidence of that and also the upset that poorly worded criticism can cause. It seems to be the 'in' thing these days to look for negativity in everything in order to prove that they can be subjective but I feel that there is no shame in admitting that you thoroughly enjoyed a piece of work.

Being a fan means that I look forward to each new project and that I consider each contribution on its own merits. Just because I don’t like one song on an album, or a particular album, doesn’t change my overall feelings about an artist.

I enjoy learning about the artists I admire, what has made them the people they are today, what influences their music, what other interests they have but it doesn't mean I want to know everything about them. They have their rights to privacy just as anyone else.