An Artist's Promise
Oct. 11th, 2010 09:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkOftentimes I see artists/writers getting very defensive about their works in the face of criticism. I understand the urge to do so; after all, when you write/draw/make something, it's something intensely personal that you want to show the world, yet at the same time you are hesitant and fearful.
Still, I wonder sometimes if those authors/artists realize that some criticism is valid? Yes, praise is ego-boosting, and yes, some criticism is useless. But some criticism can be invaluable. If people don't like your story, sometimes it's because they're being silly, but other times they have valid reasons.
Maybe I'm just weird, but I, for one, don't really like empty praise. To me, someone saying, "I like your stuff" is about as helpful as someone saying, "Your stuff sucks," if a little more pleasant to hear. I want specific reasons for what worked and what didn't work, because I want to continue to grow and improve as a writer and storyteller.
This is my promise to myself for the future: That I will, to the best of my abilities, resist the urge to defend my work in the face of valid criticism; that I will never block my ears so I will listen to only what I want to hear, but listen to any and all feedback, as long as there is something useful I can extract from it.
Still, I wonder sometimes if those authors/artists realize that some criticism is valid? Yes, praise is ego-boosting, and yes, some criticism is useless. But some criticism can be invaluable. If people don't like your story, sometimes it's because they're being silly, but other times they have valid reasons.
Maybe I'm just weird, but I, for one, don't really like empty praise. To me, someone saying, "I like your stuff" is about as helpful as someone saying, "Your stuff sucks," if a little more pleasant to hear. I want specific reasons for what worked and what didn't work, because I want to continue to grow and improve as a writer and storyteller.
This is my promise to myself for the future: That I will, to the best of my abilities, resist the urge to defend my work in the face of valid criticism; that I will never block my ears so I will listen to only what I want to hear, but listen to any and all feedback, as long as there is something useful I can extract from it.
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-11 04:10 pm (UTC)But yeah! Crit is awesome. I'm glad to have teachers who care enough to legitimately critique my writing and my art as part of their job. c: