That’s just it. There are too many people who never get better because they reject it rather than listen. But on the flip side, when giving criticism, you need to be polite rather then shout at them all their problems.
- Submitted by a-random-mod
Wrong.
There are people who know they need to get better, and hearing it from a bunch of people who may or may not know what they’re talking about is only going to serve the purpose of, “Yes, I know, I get it, thank you.”
Look, I know there are people who are just trying to be honest. That’s fine. But there are times when an artist will askfor criticism, and times when they won’t. That’s because they’re always working to improve themselves already. That’s the point of drawing, writing, acting, singing, dancing, talking, and everything else that falls under the category of art. They have this insanely amazing idea in their head, and they see others trying to get their ideas out there. So they practice their art, and use it in a way that makes them better.
I know I have a lot to improve in my writing. My exposition needs work, and I still need to find the fine balance between too much detail, and not enough. I know that, and having people always tell me, “Hey fuckface, you’re talking too much about his favorite memory get to the point” is only going to make me irritated. Especially when I don’t ask for their criticism. Now say I tried an experiment and asked for feedback, then that’s fine! I want to know if this is working or not, because if it is, then I can work on it to make it better!
Do people need to accept criticism? In some cases, sure! But the chances are, they already know what they need to work on, because it’s a natural thing for artists to compare themselves to something else. I constantly look at Jim Butcher’s work on The Dresden Files, and tell myself that someday I’ll be as great an author as he is. A friend of mine looks at Tumblr Artists and takes note on what they can do to improve their own style of art, keeping in mind that he has his own style, but he can still pick up techniques.
Artists accept criticism already, but only when they ask for it. Having it shoved up into your grill only makes you want to shove it away and throw it on the ground.
The people who don’t ask for it and reject it completely are the ones who actually need it. If you don’t get them to do something different, then that is all they will know and they will never grow. While I agree that people shouldn’t be an asshole when giving criticism but whether they ask for it or not, they should always listen to it.
