You've probably heard the saying, "Everybody's a critic," but have you ever thought about what real professional critics do? When you watch glib movie critics on television giving a thumbs up (or down) to the latest blockbuster, do you wonder how they got that job? Did you love a book only to learn that a reviewer hated it? Do you ever think that you could give your opinion of a movie, a book, an art exhibit, a play, or the latest video game - and get paid for it?

With the proliferation of new media that begs for critics to fill up space and time with opinions - entire cable channels, for example, devoted exclusively to entertainment - the field of arts criticism is enjoying a free-for-all that means that everybody, in fact, just might get to be a critic. It seems that anyone who has something to say about art can find an outlet to say it without too much effort. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. The fact is, a professional career in arts criticism requires educational background, hard work, long hours, discipline, critical thinking skills, the ability to write well, and a passion for your subject that keeps you studying it forever. The arts and literature reviews that are the most respected and have endured over time were written by people who gave considerable thought to what they were saying, much like any other form of journalism. Being a critic can be exciting and rewarding, but it's also a great responsibility that can change lives and careers.

The best criticism both teaches and entertains. The best critics are insightful, thought provoking, and bring to life a performance, a concert, a recording, a movie, or a book, both for those who have experienced it and those who haven't. Reading good arts criticism should be the next best thing to experiencing the original work firsthand. American poet Karl Shapiro (1913-2000) summed it up like this: "A good work of criticism is a work of art about another work of art."