So a while ago, as one of my first blog posts, I wrote about How to Deal With Criticism as an Artist and Make it Into a Positive but… I decided that it would be a good idea to really knuckle into How to Deal with a Harsh Critique as an Artist.
So, here are a few extra tips I can give you to deal with a harsh critique as an artist.
You invest your all into your artwork, including your emotions, personal experiences, and ideas. It is for this reason that art is both powerful and relevant.
As a result, when you share your artwork with others, you expose yourself to the one thing that all artists fear: a harsh critique!
Yes, it is painful, but it does not imply that you have failed as an artist. In any creative field, a negative critique is unavoidable, it’s only it’s a matter of time until you are given a harsh critique.
Don’t give up on your profession as an artist because of unfavourable feedback. Here are 4 steps to help you cope with a harsh critique the right way, so you can keep your cool and continue to create and evolve into an even better artist.
1. Make Sure you Cool Down and Take a Breather Before Replying
Being agitated may cause you to lose your cool, or distract you from reacting professionally.
When you are given harsh critique, it feels like an arrow just went clean through your heart. However, the anguish of the moment may distort your judgement, so take a deep breath and let yourself take a few big breaths and at least five minutes to settle down before doing anything else.
Being absolutely honest with oneself is essential. Have you established unnecessarily high expectations for yourself? Do you have a strong emotional attachment to the piece? Did you mentally shut down the moment you heard a nasty word?
Even if you believe your slashing words are justified, you must proceed with caution—and this following step may assist you.
2. Examine the Critique
Nothing beats a little silent cross-examination to help you deal with the inevitable agony that comes with a bad review:
Is this individual eligible to provide this type of feedback?
What are their perceptions of your medium and its market?
Are they attempting to be objective, or are they imposing their own preferences?
You don’t have to take every criticism seriously. It’s sometimes preferable to just let unwelcome comments (especially those from the internet) pass you by. In the long run, it’s the informed, well-intentioned criticisms that you should pay attention to, these are the ones that will help you evolve as an artist. Knowing what other qualified individuals perceive in your art and what needs to be changed can be beneficial.
If their criticism is too general or ambiguous, inquire about the specific changes they recommend.
Finding other artists or mentors you can trust to give you honest feedback will ultimately strengthen your work and career.
3. Find the Positive in The Situation
Even amid the toughest criticisms, there is always a silver lining. Just ask artist Lee Hammond, who recently received a nasty email from a former admirer.
The irritated emailer acknowledged that he had been following Lee’s career for years and “used to” think she was one of the best… until she began dumbing down her work for the sake of a buck. (That was a nicer way of putting it.) This total stranger recommended that she concentrate more on her work. He further went on to imply that she was no longer “unique” because she had begun teaching her drawing style to other artists. Oh, no.
After reading that, any self-respecting artist would feel a swift hit to the belly. Lee’s response, on the other hand, would make the artist community proud.
“After reading and re-reading this email, I made a decision to learn from it. Basically, he had some reasonable points beneath all of that negativity. I made a decision to reach for those and implement them, and flush the rest.”
She agreed that she could always improve as an artist, but said she didn’t create, write, or teach for the money; she did it for the love of it. And, by the end of her career, she intends to have created the masterpiece he so dearly desired.
Finally, regardless of the type of criticism you get, you should consider what aspects of the criticism were constructive and which were not. Separate the two, analyse the source, learn what you can, and forget the rest, as Lee Hammond put it.
Only then will you be able to improve.
4. Get an Outsider’s Perspective
No one knows how difficult and painful it is to receive a harsh criticism better than other artists. Anyone who has ever ventured to make anything for public display has been chastised at some point.
You may always ask for a second opinion if you’re having trouble figuring out who’s who or what’s what when it comes to credible critiques.
Reach out to a respected art group on Facebook and request that they be completely objective and honest. Encourage them to think about what they agree with about the criticism and what they say differently. After that, you may make your final decision knowing that you’ve considered all of your possibilities.
Just know that no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone.
In the end, how you respond to a negative comment will have the most impact on your artistic career. Keep a cool head, and constructive criticism can help you grow as an artist and identify the audience who will buy your work.
