How Do You Deal With Critique?
The Finished Piece
Something that’s common in the artistic community is critique. This can be solicited or unsolicited, but it’s always present.
One thing that I sometimes invite are critiques from my peers, teachers or even friends. Especially if I’m stuck on a certain piece…
It’s not always pleasant. However, if you’re open they can be enormously helpful.
By inviting the views and thoughts of others you’re offered a different perspective on your work in progress.
Some might come at it from a technical perspective, others from an artistic one and then some might be purely relating to their emotional response.
Inviting too much critique can become confusing or overwhelming as there are so many people pulling you one way and then the other. But then at other times, it can become illuminating as you are privy to so many different inputs and ideas. And then there are the times you don’t care for the critiques at all.
But I do believe that it’s all these inputs that can allow you to expand your thinking and your approach
I’ve found when I receive critique I need to sit with it for a week or so to really let it sink in. After I’ve assimilated it I can start to choose which - if any - pieces of the critique resonates with me and the parts that I’m happy to ignore.
When I think about the world of critiquing I often think of a specific piece - Groundswell.
I was working on this piece for 6 months, on and off. I would work on it for a little while, then set it aside as I didn’t know what to do next. I would struggle to find inspiration or a solution to a problem I couldn’t even fully identify but I was also unwilling to give up on it.
So I put it up for critique, hoping that someone would help me move past my logjam.
As you can see below I had used a lot of swirls and romanesque shapes - this style is somewhat unusual for me. There were also a bunch of circles at the bottom of the piece.
As I was going through the critiques some people suggested enlarging the circles, removing some of the shapes or even changing the color of a complete section.
In the end, I decided that enlarging the circular shapes at the bottom of the piece was something I wanted to do
Once I did that, other ideas gradually started to build.
The piece prior to critiquing looks completely different from the finished piece - you might even be forgiven for thinking it is a completely different piece.
But being able to see where I started and the progressions I made as I assimilated the suggestions is really kinda fun!
To be able to accept, hear and act upon critique is an important skill to have in any walk of life. Whether you’ve recently had a performance appraisal at work or a friend has offered an unsolicited comment, the ability to listen and objectively assess what you have been offered can make an enormous difference in your growth.
I can also say, that the various art communities I am a part of are always incredibly generous with their time and their suggestions. Their help and differing points of view allowed me to move forward with this piece.
Often, you only have to work out how to take one step forward and then the rest of the road becomes apparent.
How do you deal with criticism?
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P.S. Here are two of the groups I’m a part of where critiques are sought and offered. They also offer a warm and supportive community for artists.