BOUNCING BACK FROM PAINFUL CRITICISM
As a creative entrepreneur, you will often elicit feedback to help inform the direction of your work. When it comes in the form of positive feedback, you leave feeling inspired and ready to get back to work. When it comes in the form of negative feedback, it can be hurtful and incredibly damaging.
Painful criticism, both solicited and unsolicited, can come from a variety of common situations in the art world. Here are a few common scenarios:
From the student classroom where learning how to critique can elicit undue or uninformed comments from fellow students
From the gallery viewer who unknowingly comments on your piece as you are within earshot
From the unknown person who left a comment on your social media after posting some new work
From the local newspaper writer whose public critique of your work was published without an interview or conversation about your work
Artists are oftentimes not taught how to bounce back from painful criticism. A lack of processing these experiences can eventually lead to a creative block or resentment. The good news is there are ways to recover from painful criticism. These strategies will help you recover from criticism as well as prepare for your next critique to prevent a repeat experience.
RECOVERING FROM CRITICISM
EVALUATE YOUR CRITIC
After you have received some unwarranted or not-so-positive advice, the first step is to reflect on your critic. Ask yourself these questions to begin evaluating the value of this advice:
Qualifications: Is the person qualified to be giving you criticism? Are they educated in the arts? Is their criticism coming from an informed place? Do they know you or your work?
Intention: Are they trying to help and provide helpful (but maybe tough) feedback? Are they trying to put you down or hurt you? Are they trying to put you down because they are a blocked artist themselves?
Commentary: Are they really talking about you and your work? Or are they trying to argue or comment on something larger perhaps? Are they just saying something to sound smart?
Answering these questions can help illuminate when you have put your creative self-worth into the power of someone who isn’t worthy.
WRITING A LETTER
One method for healing from painful criticism is suggested by the author, Julia Cameron, who wrote, The Artist Way. Cameron suggests writing a letter to the critic. This letter is intended for you, not intended to be mailed, and will be in defense of your art. This exercise helps voice your inner artist’s perspective, which usually is the voice of a child, and be critical of the criticism provided. Your letter may have statements that sound more like the words of a 5-year-old’s tantrum than a refined creative argument. It can come out pretty silly, but will be helpful in acknowledging and processing hurtful criticism.
FINDING SUPPORT
Every artist has received painful and unwarranted criticism at some point in their career. Reach out to close friends or fellow artists for support. Confide in a close creative comrade who understands you, supports your work, and is able to listen to your experience. They will be able to help you through your criticism and maybe reflect on some of their own experiences with criticism which can help provide you with some personal strength.
REJECTION VS CRITICISM
Ask yourself if what you received from your critic was actually rejection. Rejection and criticism are two very different things. Think of rejection as, “Not right now” or “Not a great fit”, as opposed to your work isn’t good. Sometimes emerging artists may not be able to discern the difference between hurtful criticism and rejection and can view a string of rejection letters or emails as a criticism of their work and worth. Oftentimes we are not told the why behind the no which can further add to confusion and hurt. Realize that a, ”no” also makes room for a different and perhaps unplanned “yes” to show up. Take a “no” as a speed bump in your creative path not a stop sign or a breakdown on the side of the road.
TAKE A BREAK
After a tough critique or painful criticism, stepping away to take a break can also be a great strategy. This can mean spending a day away from the studio or perhaps changing the work you are making and trying something new. Create and play with a new idea, medium, or topic. Time away, or focused energy elsewhere can help create some well-needed space and time to process.
PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT CRITIQUE
After bouncing back from a not-so-great experience, here are a few strategies to implement to make our next critique more successful.
MINDSET
It’s important that you are in a mindset for receiving criticism. This can be a bit more challenging when unsolicited advice is shared. The more criticism you hear the easier it gets. The first 2-3 critics, bad reviews, or unwarranted statements hurt a lot and it will take time to heal. Don’t skip or rush this process. As you get more critical reviews, it will get easier to flush out what is noise and unhelpful criticism and what’s beneficial feedback. Whatever you hear, you get to decide the validity of the advice given. Only you have the power to let someone’s critique bother you or make you upset. Some good self-care before a critique can help you discern valuable information.
BOUNDARIES
Set some boundaries before you open up for a critique. These can include when and who you allow to give you feedback. A close creative colleague, collaborator, or mentor who understands you will be more qualified to provide supportive feedback and suggestions compared to a public critique group.
Boundaries can also include social media as online posts and comment sections can be a space for unsolicited advice. When at still in the early stages of an idea, artists may feel excited and eager to share or post images online. Sharing a project too early, and with someone who can’t envision the direction of the work, can easily squash a blossoming idea. Turning off comments can help deter this as well.
COMMUNICATION
Before you begin your next critique, be open about your goals to your critic. Expressing a prior poor critique and the intention or goals you have for this critique can help communicate to your critic to be mindful, careful, and purposeful about their feedback.
GENERATING QUESTIONS & LIMITS
Determine what specifically you want to get feedback on when asking for critical advice. Being specific can eliminate unwanted feedback in other areas or underdeveloped ideas in a work of art. Preparing a list of questions or limiting the scope of the critique can make you get the most benefit from the critique and protect the fresh concepts that need more time to develop.
