Over the years, I've seen artists refuse critique and complain about unwanted critique. Today was one of those days where once again it was brought up, and in some comments, a couple of artists mentioned how they wanted critique and had difficulty finding it, saying that those artists who complain about unwanted critique make it difficult to get critique.
Is it true? Well, that's difficult to say. I do think the amount of people willing to critique has gone down in the years, but we can also say that improper critique, or insults that were claimed to be critique is likely to be more at the root of the problem. If artists are getting nothing but unhelpful comments and poor critique, they may be more likely to just refuse any and all critique altogether, and may voice various reasons to refuse them. This in turn could very well make the fanbases and other artists more skittish about giving critique even if they could offer something to the artist of value. If the fanbases and other artists are afraid of giving critique, who is going to step forward when someone really wants critique?
This cycle needs to stop. Let me repeat. It NEEDS to stop. As an artist, as a fandom, as a whole, critique is important for growth. If there's people who are unhappy being stagnant and need to know where to go, then they need people who are encouraged to help them. While there are some people willing to critique, getting any input when you have a small fanbase can be difficult, if not outright impossible.
So what can we do?
Well, firstly, I think educating about proper critique is important. Denying critique doesn't help anyone. No one wants to get yelled at when they're trying to be helpful. Teach them how to help you and others properly. Everyone will be better for it in the long run.
Secondly, this is not a "grow a thicker skin" deal, but artists need to learn to weed out comments that aren't proper critique-we do it all the time with other types of comments anyway. Don't argue, don't fight, just ignore or remove the comment, block if you really feel the need to, and give it two days. If you're still upset about it, talk to another artist as to whether or not there's anything valid to it. There are many comments that people try to disguise or claim as critique which are not valid. Learning to spot them is important to your well being.
Abusive comments should never be tolerated. Get rid of them, ASAP. It will save you and your fanbase a huge headache.
Thirdly, if you're wanting specific critique, talk about what you were going for, ask if your fanbase thinks you've achieved it, ask for specifics on anatomy. Basically, open communication.
And lastly, if you're an artist who is still adamant about NOT getting critique, please, please, PLEASE, be civil. Please don't rant about getting unwanted critique. Please don't get hostile. Try your best to say 'No thank you', and move on.
There are many artists who want and know they need critique. Hostility in this case only damages the chances for those who want to grow, to be able to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment