Why is it so difficult to objectively judge the quality of your own work?

Question

Say, you write something, or paint a picture, or take a photograph, or put some degree of effort into any given project. Something tells you it's "really, really good" and you're bursting with pride, anxious to tell or show someone your 'masterpiece.' Just think of all those sad souls on American Idol. Now, one of two things happen. Either you receive a lukewarm reaction to your masterpiece--not qute what you expected--or, alternatively, when you look at it again a few days later or even the next morning, you've no idea why you thought it was so good to begin with. You see all sorts of mistakes and confusions and errors that, for some remarkable reason, were invisible to you immediately after your creation. It's easy to say we're 'delusional' or 'narcissistic' but I think that's too simple an answer. In my career I work with very talented people who have the same difficulty in distinguishing their best from their worst immediately after completion. Any thoughts or theories on this?

Answer 1

Our passionate investment in the work gives us a different view.

Answer 2

With me, it often seems to be the other way around. For example, I'll paint a picture, then I'll think, "Oh, this is crap!" and leave it.

Then someone else will come along and say something like: "Wow, that's really good!" O_o

I set very high standards for myself... I guess you could say I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my own art. I want to be as good as oh, say, Michaelangelo, (not really, but you get the idea) and I try to bring each detail to perfection. But after a while of over-analyzing, I back up and look at the whole thing, and I think, "No, this isn't what I want." So I kind of give up.

On the other hand, my favorite pictures aren't always considered my "best work" by other people. I still haven't found what it is that they don't like about it. :-\

But the second thing (my enthusiasm about something drops once I've taken a second look) happens a LOT with my writing. Even when other people seem to like it, I can't help wanting to edit and reedit until it's right.

Why do things like that happen? I don't know. Maybe there's a bit of laziness thrown in; once I "finish" something, I know I definitely don't wanna do it again. I have a serious phobia about re-doing artwork especially. So I elevate the work in my own eyes and tell myself, "This is done. No more work to be done." That's one theory.

Answer 3

Dear Alberich, pondering this for the last few minutes but have to agree with everything Malcolm has just said choosing three that exemplify a composers genius above any other is quite the impossible task. I like your choice of Beethoven's D major Symphony, it is the master at his most wackiest but I think an equal case could be made for the supreme perfection of the A major (7th). Just the development of the 1st movement alone is one of the most magical and inspired. I could venture to say I consider Beethoven, Mahler and Sibelius as the three greatest and arguably most influential symphonic composers of the Romantic era leading to the 20th Century, of course I'm probably being a bit biased but it just seems that a musical landscape devoid of those twenty five essential masterpieces of the genre would leave a gaping hole that is too horrid to imagine. Cheerio

Answer 4

It's a process of discovery on many fronts. One cannot judge oneself too harshly for having "inspired" feelings towards their own work, especially if one's body of work is limited. Over time, one develops a more objective view because of internal maturity and external experience. Objectivity comes from continuous comparisons to existing works (of others', not just one's own), and life experience. There is a certain spontaneity of wanting to share something "right out of the oven," but as you know, cookies are the most fragile at this point.
Better to let them cool a bit first.

Answer 5

I would say that first - we are automatically biased. When we go back and look, our feelings are mixed because we are biased - but see mistakes.

I tell my students to look at their writing like a clay sculpture. They should go back again, and again - and revise and edit, until they are truly happy with it. I encourage them to have other people give them feedback to consider. Once they are happy with their work they have a better chance of others liking it. But if some people don't like it as much - others still might. That is why writers send their work out to sometimes hundreds of publishers.

Answer 6

Easy one wants to believe that every time they do something they did their best. One on removes that factor they can then see the flaws. Honest is never easy even with ones self.

Answer 7

People lack the facility for criticism when thinking in terms of their own work. People must be honest indeed to be able to criticize their own work honestly.

Answer 8

I guess we are all overly harsh on ourselves.