{"id":14143,"date":"2023-08-18T19:24:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T01:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolveartist.com\/blog\/?p=14143"},"modified":"2023-08-30T09:36:41","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:36:41","slug":"how-to-deal-with-art-criticism-4-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolveartist.com\/blog\/how-to-deal-with-art-criticism-4-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to deal with art criticism – 4 signs that feedback is worth listening to (and what to ignore)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

Constructive art criticism aims to improve art, not needlessly criticize it (Norman Rockwell, Art Critic 1955).<\/p>\n

Struggling with feedback is a normal part of being an artist. But let\u2019s be honest, it\u2019s painful to receive feedback, and many art students find themselves avoiding it. <\/p>\n

We understand why. You\u2019re putting yourself out there and receiving unnecessarily harsh or unconstructive criticism feels horrible. <\/p>\n

At Evolve Artist, providing feedback on our student\u2019s work is a huge part of what makes our Program effective. Learning how to receive constructive art feedback is in itself a skill. So we\u2019re sharing everything we know in our series on How to Deal with Art Criticism. <\/p>\n

Not all feedback is created equal.<\/strong> If you\u2019re in art school receiving vague pointers from an instructor or you’re looking to Google and YouTube for guidance, we can confidently tell you that some feedback is better than others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s post goes through an important part of how to deal with art criticism. Here are 4 signs that the feedback you\u2019re receiving is worth listening to<\/strong>, and what you can do when you receive unhelpful feedback.<\/p>\n

Sign 1 – Learning how to deal with art criticism? Listen if it is objective and specific<\/h2>\n

Does this sound familiar?<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>I\u2019m not feeling the meaning behind this piece. Personally, this isn\u2019t my style. I would have liked to see more exploration and creativity here. You need to be more creative in your approach\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a personal opinion and is often based on contemporary artistic tastes. While the person saying it may have a lot of authority and even experience, statements like these don\u2019t offer any guidance on what you can do specifically<\/strong> to improve your skills. This does not help you learn how to deal with art criticism because the critique itself is vague. <\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s natural to want people to like your art. But one person could like it, and one could not. As Kevin Murphy, Founder of Evolve says, liking something or not liking something is not a teacher’s job. That’s a buyer’s job.<\/p>\n

Liking something or not liking something is not a teacher’s job. That’s a buyer’s job.<\/p>\n

Kevin Murphy<\/h4>\n

Evolve Artist Founder and Master Portraitist<\/p>\n

We make a lot of comparisons between what we teach in the Evolve Program and traditional Art Schools (CLICK HERE<\/a> for more detail on that).<\/p>\n

But the big difference is that we\u2019re focused on ensuring our students build the necessary skills in the fundamentals of art<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It has nothing to do with personal opinion. Once these skills are built, it enables students to transfer ideas in their heads onto the canvas. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This is why we focus on realism<\/a>. Even if you want to focus on surrealist or abstract painting, you still need the skills to represent what you envision in your art. <\/p>\n

Why? In order for an instructor to meaningfully provide feedback on what you\u2019re painting, it has to be objective, based on something you can both see, not something that\u2019s just inside your head.<\/p>\n

What you can do<\/h3>\n