Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Heart of the Artist: Constructive Criticism
What was most striking to me from the first half of “The Heart of the Artist” was Rory Noland’s treatment of constructive criticism. He points out that artists are often very sensitive about their work and that there is a level of vulnerability about artists when they create or perform. Often, when artists receive constructive criticism, they are hurt or resent the input. This is very applicable to me because in displaying my visual art, I expect purely positive feedback. It’s a little different than Noland’s description of musicians; while they can make mistakes as they perform, I can rework a piece until it reaches my standards before anyone ever sees it. When people critique my work, I often dismiss it thinking, “They know very little about art and have no visual interpretation skills. Why should I listen to them?” However, this is such a prideful, self-protective approach that likely hinders my growth as an artist. Perhaps feedback from people who do not participate in visual art could have better insight in some areas than those who do because they are able to point out communication flaws and misunderstandings. I need to honestly listen to constructive criticism and use it to grow as an artist.
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4 comments:
I appreciate where you’re coming from Tiffany; I also have trouble receiving critique from people who know very little about the theory and interpretation of my art forms. Why should I listen to the opinion of someone who doesn’t know my craft as well as I do? It can be a difficult balance for sure.
I like your idea that getting feedback from “non-visual artists” can provide better (or maybe just different) insight. I think in the context of worship, we all need to be reminded of this because as an individual worshipper it’s not about producing a perfect piece of art, it’s about giving our best to the Lord. As an artist and minister in corporate worship, it’s about enhancing worship and intimacy with God for those around us, which maybe means for a time bringing art “down” to the level of the people in our (generally) uncultured congregations to increase their understanding and appreciation for the arts.
I think the fact that art stirs people is success in and of itself.
I'd rather have someone hate something I've done and be moved to act rather than have them unmoved and unchanged.
Feedback--positive and negative--helps everyone grow and change. Unfortunately, sometimes it hurts.
There seems to be a tension there between whether criticism is a good or bad thing when it comes to art. I'm sure it could be a good thing in that it could help the artist grow more and understand how to better communicate what they are trying to get across, but at the same time who has the right to tell someone something about their own art? The artist is showing creative expression of themselves, so who is to tell them they should do it differently or change it? I can also identify with taking criticism myself hard to handle. Even though I am not a great artist or anything, when I show something I have made or done to someone else it is like making myself vulnerable, so it can be hard to ahndle if the other person does not accept it.
There seems to be a tension there between whether criticism is a good or bad thing when it comes to art. I'm sure it could be a good thing in that it could help the artist grow more and understand how to better communicate what they are trying to get across, but at the same time who has the right to tell someone something about their own art? The artist is showing creative expression of themselves, so who is to tell them they should do it differently or change it? I can also identify with taking criticism myself hard to handle. Even though I am not a great artist or anything, when I show something I have made or done to someone else it is like making myself vulnerable, so it can be hard to ahndle if the other person does not accept it.
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