AllenaMae wrote:
I think there is a big difference in helping someone do what they are trying to do, and telling them it's wrong..That's not helpful...They did that to us in college and it's very good because if you are going to be thrown to the dogs you have to be able to take the stuff that will be said about your art. People in galleries can be the meanest...its not nice but it's life as a professional artist, you have to deal with the public. I can say I'm not terribly upset to have left that world. That is a world where people say things that are mean, just to feel superior in a pit of vipers. It can be very ugly for sure, I'm glad none of us are like that.
Being able to take criticism is a good skill to have, even better if one can take something away from it to improve. I find that especially on the internet people sometimes come across as rougher than they really are. The tone depends on the forum of course, but I find that much perceived crudeness is often from confusion by people from different cultural backgrounds and from people whose native language is not English. I tend to always assume the kinder interpretation of an ambivalent statement - helps keep the blood pressure down.
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That has been good for me, because I have to take that from my clients and make what they like, not what I like. Critique is a big part of that, I don't often make much that is what I would do if it was me. LOL I would not make the money I make if I got all offended when they said, "I don't like that, it looks wrong". So that's another idea to consider, as I am sure I am not the only artist here who works on commissions and with clients. If a person wants to move into that...you have to listen so you can give them what they want.
It's always best to be gentle, kind and helpful or shut up.
Critique during a commission process is slightly different. As you say, you are then doing something on behalf of someone else rather than for yourself (and hopefully getting paid for it). Also, clients need not care about you improving or about your feelings - they care about getting their money's worth. Heeding critique in that circumstance is a matter of doing something the client will be happy with. The artist should still try to not be a particular push-over though; supposedly the client wants the artist because they like that artist's previous works or particular style; it's up to the artist to diplomatically defend that against too-silly client input.
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Critique can/should be positive, parts of things I've read make me sad, because it is such a great thing when done well. A person can say - "I really think the color in this piece is well done, because it really ads depth and feeling to the mood being conveyed. I also think that you could apply more detail to this area to emphasize that strength in color and bring it all together more effectively"
A good critique leaves a person feeling good about what they have done, and excited about where they can go from there. Either on the existing project, or the next one. When that is the goal, it usually comes off well.
Disclaimer: This is just my personal way of viewing criticism of my own work, not anything I expect or wish for someone else to do.
Those are excellent points, and I say similar things in the first post of this thread. Critique is an exchange - when you receive it you must make sure to see it as something intended to help you. When you give it you should do it in such a ways as to help rather than just bring someone down. I don't think you need to put a disclaimer, in an art forum at least, these are things to take to heart.
Carlos Diniz wrote:
I try to limit my opinion to the times when it is requested.
I try to understand when someone asks for approval only. [...]
For this reason I try to explicitly put "feedback requested" on my works whenever I remember to.
I might not always agree with people's feedback but I will certainly take it in. Some of my best artistic advancements have come from listening to great critique.
I must admit I don't quite understand those that asks for people's opinions but really only wants to hear "it's great". If you do your art only for some sort of therapeutic purpose, mark so clearly in your post - "I don't want critique on this, please". That's cool then. Otherwise, what value are positive comments if you have explicitly banned (or react badly to) those pointing out things to improve?
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Griatch