For many of us, giving our work over to an
individual or a group to be analyzed is scary, but so much can be learned by
having someone not intimately connected to you evaluate your work. An unavoidable
truth in the art world is that all through your career all kinds of people are
going to say all kinds of stuff about your art.
Some of them will even tell you to your face. Others may write about it,
post about it or gossip behind your back. An artist not only has to learn how
to handle this nonstop blitz of feedback, comments, and criticisms, but also
how to gage and respond to what is said, and most importantly, how to not take what
is said personally. To get the most out of a critique, it is important to decide Before submitting your work to a
critique, what you really hope to gain from it. This is where some honest personal
soul-searching can be useful. Most of us always try very hard to create the
very best art we can. We put the total sum of our skill into every painting or
sculpture. Unfortunately, when we ask, “how do you like it” we do usually hope
for an endorsement of our efforts instead of an evaluation of what is
technically wrong. Evaluate the person doing the critique. An important
determination you have to make about responses to your art is whether a
particular comment is based on the individual's personal tastes or is instead
based more on their overall knowledge and understanding of the type of art you
create.
Decide
what you like about your painting before asking for criticism. The better you
know what it is you like or dislike before
receiving criticism, the better able you will be to evaluate what is being said.
Listen to what is said, make sure it applies, and then ask yourself: “would it be
better changed, or do I like it just the way it is?” Don’t get defensive! Remember;
a critique doesn’t have to become an argument to win the critic over to your
side.
Seek
the opinions of your peers whenever possible. The more respect you have for the
critic, the easier it is to accept the evaluation by the critic. It helps also
if you attempt to understand his or her biases. We all have them. Some of us
are technical sticklers and others like to see the breaking of rules.
Don’t
discredit positive feedback. Because we often feel guilty at accepting praise,
It is often easier for us to accept negative criticism than praise.
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