Picture from Maya Zankoul
I was very surprised to read Brofessional Review’s post on Maya, not because it was critical of Maya’s work, but because it was highly subjective, disrespectful and unfair. However, it’s their right to criticize the way they see fit and I will not bother reply as I am not fit to discuss illustrations and what makes someone a real illustrator, but I thought a word of support to Maya, who is one of BlogBaladi’s biggest fans (and vice-versa) and one of the nicest people you could ever meet, was the least I could do.
After all, it is not just Maya’s talent that got her to where she is today, but the way she was able to communicate her ideas in a fun and creative way. In fact, sometimes I would spend an hour writing a post that she would summarize in an illustration/doodle/WhateverYouWannaCallIt.
Keep doing what you do best Maya!
Update: I recommend you read BeirutSpring’s post on this matter [Here].
MAYA ZANKOUL YOU ROCK m/ and when someone critisizes in that way, that isn’t called “freedom of speech” because you should either have something worth say or shut up! people just misunderstand freedom all that time! there’s a big difference between freedom & being irrationally without-any-valid-reason disrespectful!
I could not agree more. Cheers to you, Maya and any Lebanese business person/blogger who does their work with pride and ethics. Sadly, only a few of you left.
Well, you just gave the article more publicity… I think it was best to ignore it in the first place.
I thought that was really disrespectful too. But then i read some more stuff on their blog and seems that they only have negative things to say so wasn’t surprised. Again, another reason why this is the only Lebanese blog I follow daily!
This comment is not about Maya herself (either in defense of her or in defense of brofessional review), but it is obvious that they have their own sense of aesthetics (anyone who is so fond of Jorj Bou Mhaya cannot love Maya). You know what? I recognize that the people at Brofessional Review might be harsh at times, but perhaps this is creating a healthy dose of discussion within the blogosphere. This alone merits our consideration as bloggers.
Tarek,
There’s nothing positive or healthy about what Brofessional Review wrote or has done in regards to Maya. It’s also not about being harsh or not as anyone can be harsh. It’s about respecting other bloggers.
Except the Brofessional Review wasn’t personal. They dislike her work, not Maya. There wasn’t any part of the post that personally attacked Maya. They just wrote about her work and obviously they’re not fans of her aesthetics or the fact that she hasn’t really tried to expand on her work.
Really? “Her work”. Then why the hell did they title their pathetic post “Maya Zankoul”. IMHO, this is bordering on defamation. The least they could’ve done was call it “The work of Maya Zankoul”. There are jealous undertones and personal attacks in their writing that one cannot miss, unfortunately. Also, as beirutspring brilliantly said, this is a purely personal opinion disguised as an actual critique.
Now, what our blogosphere is clearly lacking is respectful critiques. What this has created is an endless flow of personal and ad hominem attack.
Finally, I am surprised to see this comment by Tarek Chemaly, whom I regard very highly. In fact, those AUST students over at BR (Hady Fakhry, Imad Gebrayel and Nisrine Najem) are a cheap copy themselves of beirut NTSC. Except that they have a loooong way to go to reach Tarek’s level.
+1
If BR did not list their names on their blog, it is because I don’t think they are seeking personal fame but rather to make the message be more important than their own names. I am not here how to tell Najib how to run the blog, but maybe deleting the entry with the names (out of respect for the identity of the people behind BR) would be more wise. I am not trying to meddle into what is none of my business, but I think they have their reasons to remain anonymous.
Pat, I stand by what I said. If one day I start doing work which is repetitive, or uncreative or whatever, I shall rely on Brofessional review to cut me down to size. Brofessional review are NOT a cheap copy of Beirut/NTSC. They managed to get their own tone of voice, their own presence and sources of info (which I myself do not have!). Odd, as the “concerned party” I never felt that they tried to copy me or anything. Seriously, they inject a good dose of healthy discussion – still maintain that attitude towards them!
What? The title of their post was “Maya Zankoul: the doodle-fever” which basically conveys their opinion on her work.
Why would they be jealous of her? Not everyone seeks to be well known or famous hence why the writers of that blog are anonymous. It could have been really easy for them to become popular with their opinions of design and advertising in Lebanon.
They’ve said it time and time again, that post was about her work, not a personal attack. They might not have the greatest writing skills but it’s evident that they just dislike her aesthetics. I’m not sure why people think it’s a personal attack.
I think the way the community is defending Maya and the way Maya reacted to this post need to be adjusted. Instead of taking the critique (as rough as it was) and just professionally disagreeing with it or anything, Maya instantly said it was because they wanted page views (Why would they?). A friend of Maya’s started insulting the writers on their blog asking them what they accomplished and who they think they are (seriously?). Bringing up Maya’s credentials and how she’s a best seller.
Brofessional Review need to write better and take into consideration the kind of language they use when they write their posts. Obviously English isn’t their first language and so it sounds rough when you read it. Obviously they prefer artists with a little bit more substance and style than Maya, there’s nothing wrong with that except with some of the ways they stated it.
Look at it this way, if people knew who the writers of BR were, they’d be focusing on insulting them personally than they would on the actual articles they write.
Actually, I found her reply to be so well-placed and right. And it doesn’t mention page views. It’s very down to earth and made me love her even more.
Let me link you:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151437940130897&set=a.406196590896.169499.105914340896&type=1&relevant_count=1
Now, why would they want more views? 🙂 Don’t be simplistic, Patrick. A “professional” (not personal) blog with no views is like a business with no customers – a failure. They never dreamed to get to 90 comments in their life, hadn’t they mentioned Maya. As controversial as they tried being, the max they could get to was like 20.
Anyway, every one is entitled to their opinion, and the comments they received were simply a reflection of their own post. Same way they are free to write so badly, people are also free to comment in the same manner.
Thank you for your reply, Tarek. I respect your opinion.
Staying anonymous and writing this type of posts might mean that they do not have the courage of standing up for their opinions. Which decreases credibilty. Which is also ironic because I heard they also got paid to write some reviews. I know who they are from friends, and since they’re in the mood to publicly give advice to known and named individuals, it’s time to get their share as well.