When I started judging a lot of us referred to the program as a “Cult of Self-Improvement.” We worked together to make ourselves better, and we helped those around us get better as well. It’s stuck with me over the last 7 years of judging major events. Other people’s ideas and observations of our work on the floor give us an extra set of eyes on what we’re doing. Those perspectives give us guidance to improve.

Feedback is the power to help yourself and the people around you be better, we have to keep learning how to use that power.

Eric Dustin Brown is a Level 3 Judge from Richmond, VA. He’s spent most of his time as a judge focusing on community building and judge development.  After really digging into judge reviews he was invited to write for The Feedback Loop. In September 2017 he took over as the “face” of the blog, helping bring new writers to the blog that share a desire to keep improving the Judge Program’s feedback culture.

Feedback is everything to me. Without the feedback from the people I love, I would not be the person and judge that I am today. Feedback is the compass for my ship. Without it I am lost at sea. Feedback is the feathers on my arrow. Without it I cannot fly true.

I give back to the Judge Program in the form of feedback because I want everyone to experience what I have experienced, to achieve what I have achieved, thanks to the support of others. There is no greater honor than to contribute to the growth of your friends.

Now in the twilight of his career, Riki Hayashi looks forward to seeing what others do with the Judge Program.

Feedback cuts through the fog.

I often say my thoughts get stuck in spin cycle. I am introspective, constantly mulling things over. Introspection is often a good thing, but sometimes I get lost in my own thoughts.

And then sometimes I remember to pause the spin cycle to take a thought out of my brain and hand it to someone else. I ask for feedback. Almost always, that feedback has helped me to find solutions, to move forward, to be better.

Feedback is one of the resources I value most, and it’s usually free, just waiting for me to ask.

As a former educator, Angela Aliff came to the judge program with a strong belief in the power of feedback. Her tendency to take copious notes and provide constructive feedback led to her joining The Feedback Loop, where she has planned and edited content since March of 2016. At events, Angela specializes in scorekeeping, customer service, and improving communications.

Feedback is a process that starts from the heart. A dialogue between mentors and friends. Through sharing and caring, we sharpen one another, as we evaluate each judging endeavor. When we do well, the praises we sing, and when we need help, advices we bring. Through each iteration and each interaction the relationship strengthens with new information. As we travel together down our judging roads our companions we influence when opinions are told. And while receiving criticisms can sometimes be tough not seeing our flaws can be even more rough, so embrace it my friends, the feedback journey never ends.

Erin Leonard combines her passions for writing and judging to produce advice and entertainment for the Magic community. As an active L2, she can often be found working at Grands Prix, SCG Opens, and local PPTQs. She also organizes and presents at regional judge conferences. Recent topics have included diversity and writing about judging. In addition to her work on The Feedback Loop, Erin also maintains a personal judge blog A Judge’s Journey.

Feedback is an essential structure to the human experience. Without feedback, we cannot learn, grow, and become better. With feedback, we are united in a singular mission to improve – improve ourselves, improve others, and improve the world around us. Through feedback, we are driven to always be better and expect better from our peers. No matter how large or how small, feedback is omnipresent, a driving force behind our actions. It pushes us to confront our greatest weaknesses, and to let our strengths shine. It lets us shoot for perfection, and even if we should miss, we will hit excellence.

Elliot Raff is one of the Area Representatives for Greater Boston. His goal is to improve transparency and communication in all facets of the program, and is always ready to provide feedback.

Feedback is a challenge. It’s a challenge for me to do better, to find new limits of my abilities and to conquer them. It’s a challenge for me to dig deeper into the process of other judges and help them figure out how they can improve. It’s a challenge for me to not only be better as a judge, but to improve myself outside of judging. It’s a challenge for me to constantly strive to be worthy of the praise I receive and to learn from the critiques.

This challenge is what keeps me coming back to the judge program.

Lurking in the background, Jonah Kellman is the Gatekeeper and Content Manager for The Feedback Loop and Mystical Tutor. This role allows him to (try) to figure out how people learn, and to learn more about himself in the process.