Facing The Critics
If you are an artist, writer, actor, etc. of any kind you have most likely come to discover that everyone is an art critic. Everyone has an opinion....many opinions...most of which would be better kept to themselves.
As recently as 12 years ago, I would NEVER show my artwork to other people under any circumstances. Well, if they came to my house and saw my work hanging on the wall...fine, but I couldn't present it anywhere else. I was convinced that I was a talentless hack who couldn't paint worth a damn.
It took mountains of courage for me to actually mat and frame my huge inventory of artwork and have an art show in my home 3 years ago. I wanted to vomit because I was so scared and nervous about this presentation. I liked my artwork, I was proud of my artwork, but I didn't think I could survive criticism. I even served wine at that party, hoping that people would get tipsy and laugh it up rather than say anything negative to me about my work. Well, that wasn't truly my intention, but it makes for a good joke...
Some people didn't say much of anything at all at this art party, and this did not escape my attention. Others loved this and that and we had a whee of a time. I was much braver after this party and managed to book some outdoor art shows and present my work there.
As I have already blogged on this subject, I won't go into individual experiences that can and do occur when you are showing your artwork to the world at large. Suffice it to say, many people don't care if you are within earshot of them or not...they will blurt out their dislikes with wild abandon.
Over a period of time, I found myself stinging less and less with each critical remark and sometimes even managed to roll my eyes back into my head at the thoughtlessness of some people. I never once retaliated, and have no plans to ever do so. Why perpetrate such negativity?
This is not to say that we cannot have dislikes...but we do NOT have the right to invalidate and humiliate another individual person who has the balls to create. In the past week, I have had multiple experiences with critics of my work, my style, my color palette, even how I photograph my artwork...etc etc. I can't remember when I have attracted so much negativity and gnarly criticism of my work in all the years of my drawing and painting (which goes back to before I could talk).
Today I presented my artwork to a gallery owner who could not seem to find one single positive thing to say about my artwork. I showed her 13 originals and even had her go to my website and look at other styles I have created. You would have thought that I had been painting with crayons and was a 'talentless hack'; so great was the disdain that this woman had for me and my work. I knew the instant that I walked thru the door of her gallery, that I was facing a smiling viper.
But I forged ahead and decided to pick her brain and get some feedback from a 'professional' so that I could utilize this information to improve my artwork. I can't think of one thing that she said to me today that I would consider using. Does this mean that my artwork is perfect? No, it does not. It merely means that I don't respect anyone who has the intention to make me feel BAD or worse, and I will simply not take their communication seriously.
So be warned, ye fair artists! The vipers do exist. And they slither and they hiss and they will attempt to make you STOP creating your wonderful work. Smile, shake their hands, be polite, and get the hell away from them.
As for me...I must do a bit of pondering upon the fact that I have had so much negative criticism this past week. Somewhere in my universe is a red flag waving brightly, which signifies a lesson for me in life. Very obiously, I have something that I need to work on so that I am no longer attracting counterproductive negativity in such an avalanche.
As recently as 12 years ago, I would NEVER show my artwork to other people under any circumstances. Well, if they came to my house and saw my work hanging on the wall...fine, but I couldn't present it anywhere else. I was convinced that I was a talentless hack who couldn't paint worth a damn.
It took mountains of courage for me to actually mat and frame my huge inventory of artwork and have an art show in my home 3 years ago. I wanted to vomit because I was so scared and nervous about this presentation. I liked my artwork, I was proud of my artwork, but I didn't think I could survive criticism. I even served wine at that party, hoping that people would get tipsy and laugh it up rather than say anything negative to me about my work. Well, that wasn't truly my intention, but it makes for a good joke...
Some people didn't say much of anything at all at this art party, and this did not escape my attention. Others loved this and that and we had a whee of a time. I was much braver after this party and managed to book some outdoor art shows and present my work there.
As I have already blogged on this subject, I won't go into individual experiences that can and do occur when you are showing your artwork to the world at large. Suffice it to say, many people don't care if you are within earshot of them or not...they will blurt out their dislikes with wild abandon.
Over a period of time, I found myself stinging less and less with each critical remark and sometimes even managed to roll my eyes back into my head at the thoughtlessness of some people. I never once retaliated, and have no plans to ever do so. Why perpetrate such negativity?
This is not to say that we cannot have dislikes...but we do NOT have the right to invalidate and humiliate another individual person who has the balls to create. In the past week, I have had multiple experiences with critics of my work, my style, my color palette, even how I photograph my artwork...etc etc. I can't remember when I have attracted so much negativity and gnarly criticism of my work in all the years of my drawing and painting (which goes back to before I could talk).
Today I presented my artwork to a gallery owner who could not seem to find one single positive thing to say about my artwork. I showed her 13 originals and even had her go to my website and look at other styles I have created. You would have thought that I had been painting with crayons and was a 'talentless hack'; so great was the disdain that this woman had for me and my work. I knew the instant that I walked thru the door of her gallery, that I was facing a smiling viper.
But I forged ahead and decided to pick her brain and get some feedback from a 'professional' so that I could utilize this information to improve my artwork. I can't think of one thing that she said to me today that I would consider using. Does this mean that my artwork is perfect? No, it does not. It merely means that I don't respect anyone who has the intention to make me feel BAD or worse, and I will simply not take their communication seriously.
So be warned, ye fair artists! The vipers do exist. And they slither and they hiss and they will attempt to make you STOP creating your wonderful work. Smile, shake their hands, be polite, and get the hell away from them.
As for me...I must do a bit of pondering upon the fact that I have had so much negative criticism this past week. Somewhere in my universe is a red flag waving brightly, which signifies a lesson for me in life. Very obiously, I have something that I need to work on so that I am no longer attracting counterproductive negativity in such an avalanche.
posted by Deborah at
1:29 PM
>2 comments
