Iceland

Here are some photos from my trip to Iceland :) Enjoy.

 

Considering Critique

I’ve been thinking about critique, and the difficulty of knowing how/when to give it, and also how I react personally to criticism.

The mainstream idea is that constructive criticism is a good way to learn. This has always puzzled me a little. Yes, it’s good if you can give others advice about how they can do things differently or just bring your own personal perspective into the mix, but when is it okay to do so? It’s obviously fine if someone requests it. But is it okay otherwise?

Some people looove giving advice and critiquing others, at any given moment, whilst others are more apprehensive. Some people thrive when being critiqued and they develop their skills much more efficiently as a result. Others take it as a personal insult and completely lose their flare and creativity because of it. And when it comes to art this is like trying to navigate in a minefield (at least that’s how I’ve come to see it).

Personally I try to avoid critiquing other people’s art unless they ask for an honest opinion. And when I say this it’s important to note that I’m always honest. If I like something I say it, and I mean it. I like to elaborate on why I like it, and I’m not hesitant to make a big deal out of how much I may love something. But if I don’t like something, or think it’s just fine (but some aspect could have been done a lot differently) I tend to keep it to myself. I don’t like the “lecturing someone else on how to do art”.

Mainly this has to do with my own flaw when it comes to criticism. I am well aware of that I can’t really handle criticism at all. I get defensive, wounded and at times even hostile when/if people try to tell me “how to do it right”, and I discard any pointers/ideas completely (no matter how good or valid they may be). This is because I consider my creative process to be a very personal and private thing. I am well aware of that I have a whole lot left to learn, and that many of my photos could have been done very differently, both in the field and in the later, editing stages. But at the time of creating said photograph it’s the best I can do, and it’s the way I see things around me. It’s a perception I have that in time probably will change as I learn and see even more. And for someone else to come along and hack away at it (even if it’s done with the very best of intentions) is something that often hurts me very deeply. And hence I try to avoid doing it to others if they happen to feel the same as me when it comes to criticism.

I don’t know if anyone else is like this too, but just the possibility of others reacting like I do makes me think that we should all be a little careful of how we give “advice” to other artists. We should also be mindful of that everyone sees things differently, and what may be breathtakingly beautiful to me might not be the same for you, or anyone else for that matter. And thus there can’t really be any clear definitions of right or wrong ways of making art. Just different ideas and perspectives.

It’s worth keeping in mind the next time you see / hear something and think “dear lord that’s crap” ;)