This is a question about criticism?

Question

I really try to take criticism gracefully (especially with my art). Sometimes I worry that if I tweak my art too much, for too many peoples' suggestions, then my work might lose what makes it Mine.

How do you know when to listen to a certain person and when not to? (Besides obvious stuff like "if they're your teacher they want to help you" because we're all human)

PS I don't know where to put this so if you have a suggestion for category please let me know.

Thank you so far! So as long as I don't feel a negative vibe, then it is safe to take the criticism into consideration? And I should choose the people I ask it from, not just seek it out in anybody?

Answer 1

Your art isn't subject to a popularity poll. Do choose the right audience for feedback on it.

If your inner response to the criticism is, "Wow, that's a great idea. I never would have thought of that," or, "This person is right", then it's useful. If your response is, "blah blah blah, who cares what this person thinks", or ,"This person doesn't get me at all", then discard the feedback.

Answer 2

Who do you listen to?

With ART then it certainly is an inner journey and there has to be a line you draw even when it comes to your teacher. That is some thing that you have to discern for yourself.

None of us want to be criticized, but with something such as Art it comes with the territory. EVERYONE has an opinion on ART but do they really have a right to comment on your work?

Certainly if you want to sell your work there is a certain need to feed into what the market demands. but how does one KNOW that your work will not be the next IN THING?

All I can say is go with your heart and if what people say does not resonate with you on some level then, do not give it much weight. It is a matter of SIFTING through to find the gold.

I am a writer and my best friend HATES what I write. Does that make me change my genre? NO. She loves detective stories. I could not write one of them even if my life depended on it. It just ISNT me. So, I write what resonates with me and me and my friend agree not to speak about my work. *wink* Besides, we have PLENTY of other stuff to talk about.

I guess at the end of the day, it really depends on what you want as an outcome and what you are willing to do to get it.

Answer 3

This could certainly go under philosophy if you paraphrase the question differently.

As for modifying your work basing on others' criticism, it's really your call. To me, art is about the message the artist is trying to convey to his/her audience. If the audience has problems understanding the message, the work ought to be modified to suit the intended audience.

However, if people not from the targeted audience would like to see the art work changed more into their liking, I think it would depend on the artists judgement to see if the art work needs to be changed. After all, it's the creation of the artist. If the art work is a combination of different opinions from different people, the work would cease to be the artist's.

Just my two cents.


XR

Answer 4

Especially in reference to art, find artists that you trust and that you appreciate their work that are willing to share their criticism with you. I believe that mentors are extremely important to a person's success in just about any field.

Answer 5

If you feel criticism is sincere and it is not to insult you then I believe one can listen to it otherwise it will not be helpful but only will make you feel bad about your self.