Post #273349 by Rev. Griz on Mon, Dec 18, 2006 12:00 PM

I'm a musician so I don't know a lot about the world of carving and painting and whatnot, but I can tell you for sure that about nine times out of ten when someone asks you what you think of something, they really don't want to know what you think unless it's what they want to hear. They have already decided what's right and what's wrong with their art and they're just looking to you for validation. If you don't give it to them, then problems ensue.

People who are serious about their art and dedicated to improving will learn not only how to produce that art but to evaluate that art as objectively as possible. Those that don't either have a terrible time succeeding artistically or, if they happen to have a metric buttload of natural talent, end up being the nutcase geniuses like Van Gogh or Jim Morrison.

Separating taste from actual knowledge is hard to do. You have to have a certain about of knowledge about the craft to be able to look beyond whether or not a particular piece appeals to you and see the level of artistry behind it, and even then it's hard. To me, giving constructive criticism is a two way relationship of trust. If you ask me for feedback, you have to trust my opinion, and my good will and objectivity. I have to trust that you're actually asking for real criticism and that you won't hold my opinions against me. I will never ask anyone what they thought about something I did unless I have this relationship of trust and I feel they're qualified to evaluate my work.

Unless I have this kind of relationship with someone, when asked for criticism about nine times out of ten I'll say "hey, that's great! Keep up the good work!" I figure that since I'm pretty sure that they don't really care what my opinion is, the best thing I can do for them is to offer encouragement. It's also been my experience that just about anyone can succeed to some degree in artistic endevours if they're willing to put in the time.