AC CE P T ING CR I T I CI S M
by C a t h S m it h, C r, C P P
W H E N YO U ’ V E S P E N T H O U R S - S O M E T I M E S DAYS - WO R K I N G O N A P I EC E TO G E T I T R I G H T, H E A R I N G S O M EO N E T E L L YO U TO M A K E C H A N G E S CA N B E PA I N F U L , B U T I F YO U WA N T TO B E A B E T T E R A R TI S T, YO U N E E D TO L E A R N TO L I S T E N . I am the worst at accepting criticism. When I hear a review that suggests my work isn’t perfect, it stings. I want to kick and scream and throw a tantrum worthy of a 2-year-old. But if anything has made me a better artist, it’s listening— really listening — to how others respond to my work. I’ve come to realize it’s normal to feel this way. Being emotional and angry about my work is a sign that I’ve put myself into it. And that’s a good thing. I try to keep this in mind whenever I’m offering critiq ue. As a Review Specialist, my role is not to say that people suck or that they’ve failed some kind of test. My role is to be supportive, to he lp people understand and master ideas and techniques that aren’t coming easily to them. My goal is to help people become the best artist they can be. But critique is a 2-way street. You must be willing to listen and adapt and (most of all) keep an open mind. As the artist, we see the process of development, of painting the image from start to fin ish. We understand the meaning of the color choices, of each individual brushstroke. For u s, each image has a history, an evo lution, and a meaning. And sometimes, it’s easy to forget that the critiquer only sees the image in front of them — and can only comment on what they see.
A r t i s t : C a t h S mi t h, Cr, CPP ca t h s mi t hfi ne a r t .com
Knowing that critique is hard for me, I’ve developed a coping strategy to help me shed my inner toddler, woman-up, and do the work. 1. Acknowledge my response. I give myself a few minutes to indulge and feel angry and hurt. Then, I shake it off and move on 2. Take a break. I’m an emotive artist, and if I start painting right away, all the anger and frustration shows up in my work. Waiting a few hours, even a day or two, helps me get some distance and come back wi th an open heart. 3. Be patient. As much as I’d love to be a savant, I’m not. Reminding myself that developing a skill takes hundreds, sometimes thousands of repetitions to master reminds me I have a whole lot more mistakes to make before I can be good. These might work for you, and they might not. Eventually, you’ll need to develop your own technique to responding to critique. Just like learning to paint, it’s a skill. And just like learning to paint, you can learn how...if you’re willing.
