Feedback

How do you deal with unsolicited feedback on your art? It is such poor form to go into a barrage of reasons why you don’t like an artwork directly to the artist. Simon Scharma says ‘great art has bad manners!’ but I think an unthoughtful critique is incredibly insensitive. The uncaring critic has incredibly bad manners.

An interesting question many art teachers ask is “what were you trying to say?” So many artists don’t actually know what they are trying to say. They so often love making an artwork that is aesthetically pleasing to them.

What we seem to do often forget that we all interact and react to individual artworks so differently. What one thinks is brilliant another can’t stomach. Blue Polls by Jackson Pollock a case in point.

We as artists can’t control what another person thinks about our artwork. Yet unfortunately so many speak with words of such authority and direct absolutes about artworks that thier comments feel like swords piercing our hearts.

Yet it’s just an opinion. Each viewer has a different opinion. What it is, is as equally valid to them as a different one is to the next person.

Please be more sensitive to us artists. Your words may dig deep and wound those of us that are so sensitive to them.

I wish I had some wiser words on how to deal with it when it comes unsolicited. Hence my question. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Brie and I are going to do a podcast episode on the subject. We have now published four episodes. They come out fortnightly. You can listen on all the major podcast services such as apple or Spotify or directly at our website. We so love making them. https://www.acreativeaffairpodcast.com/

Yesterday was an amazing photographic day for me. I spent it in incredible patch of flannel flowers. I haven’t seen anything like it before. I am going to have to go hunting for some in the Blue Mountains soon. I noticed last time I was up there that the blooms were a bit behind Sydney. Not unusual due to the temperature differences.

I found another few orchids on Friday too. So the spring bloom isn’t over yet.

Flannel Flowers, Sydney. Photographs and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2021