July 24, 2015
Criticism, Praise and Advice
Spiral Jetty
Sometimes it seems that everyone is either an expert or a critic! Show your work to 10 people and you may well end up with 10 different opinions about your image. Why? Because everyone has an opinion.
So who should you listen to when it comes to your images? Family, friends, art experts, gallery owners, curators, MFA’s, other successful photographers? Who?
My suggestion is that you ignore all criticism, praise and advice and listen only to yourself. Why? Because other people’s comments about your image reflects their tastes, their ideas and their Vision. So no matter how well intentioned or how much of an “expert” they are, their advice is going to miss the mark when it comes to your Vision.
We all know how damaging harsh criticism can be; it can discourage, demotivate and cause you to doubt your potential. But even constructive criticism delivered in a kind and gentle way can mislead you and take you off track. That’s because others don’t know your Vision of the image, only you know that.
I was once told that I should not center “The Angel Gabriel.” At first this advice caused me to doubt my Vision and I actually tried to re-crop the image off center. It was a disaster because that was not how I saw the image. Right or wrong, for better or for worse, centered was the way I see Gabriel.
Strangely enough, I also find that praise can be disruptive to Vision. Praise sounds so sweet and we so want to believe it, but it can take us off track. There are many images that I’ve pursued but did not love simply because they generated praise. Praise is addictive and hard to ignore, but you must for the same reasons you should ignore criticism.
There was a time in my photographic life that I would ask people what they thought about my work. Why? Because I didn’t know where I was going and I mistakenly thought I could find the answers by asking others. I could not.
There’s an infinite number of voices out there and even if you had the time to listen to all of them, that would not help you find your Vision. That can only come from a great deal of hard work and solitary introspection. There is no other way.
So how do I view criticism, praise and advice? I try to be appreciative of the person’s sincere intentions but take their advice with a grain of salt and do my best to not let it sway my own opinion of my work (for good or for bad). Only I know my Vision and how closely I hit or miss the mark, and for that reason I believe that my opinion is the only one that matters.
When I see people asking for advice on their images, it suggests to me that they may not have found their Vision. And when you have not found your Vision, you are uncertain and need advice and reassurance from others.
Find your Vision and ignore criticism, praise and advice.
Cole
P.S. If you need help finding your Vision, here is the story of how I went about finding mine.
A fantastic post, so true!
Hi Cole. A truly excellent post. Any artist welcomes feedback but at what expense to the artists vision? With the proliferation of Flickr and other photographic sharing sites, this problem is only exacerbated. It can also be true of a camera club, when a competition judge is using set criteria to score a piece of work. More and more I am finding that I like to be the ‘crtic’ of my own work, so reading your post this morning was very refreshing and encouraging. Thank you. Alan.
“The only thing critics do is psychoanalyze themselves.” (Edward Weston) “What anyone else thinks about your work is none of your business.” (unknown). While I completely agree with you today, I suspect that for many of us early in the photographic journey there is something very compelling about seeking and receiving the comments of others. In my case, I actively sought critiques of my work for the purpose of learning and, hopefully, improving. I now see the dangers of this practice to the development of one’s own vision.
Interesting and true. Seems that true creative geniuses are personally compelled to follow their own vision. Perhaps they are also better at ignoring the noise about their work. For the rest of us to forgo validation, it is a self difficult training issue.
Sherry, I think that is true, it’s a training issue. It takes lots of practice and daily affirmations: I have a Vision, I know what I want and what others think of my work is none of my business.
Another great post Cole. I’m with you 100%…. Once I started adhering to these principles I started to have a lot more fun and I enjoy my photography more because it was my vision. Always great to read your posts. Look forward to talking with you soon Cole.
Donald, thanks for the personal testimonial! So many people doubt their Vision and are afraid to go it alone. It’s great when people like yourself write to say that you’ve done it and it works! Thank you my friend.
Speaking for myself, I do believe that when I have seeked the criticism of others it was because my inner voice told me something was wrong; the image just wasn’t working. Today that inner voice is still working and I have learned to listen to it carefully, and ignore the noise of others, unless that other voice is my wife.
Hi Mr. Thompson…..love your blogs especially this one! I I found it to be very compelling, a little controversial with a touch of disapproval. I found it to so thought provoking that I use quotes & paraphrased you in my current blog that I wrote yesterday. I particularly found your encounter with the Santa Fe Judge inspiring. Keep your thoughts & words flowing as I constantly strive to learn at my young age of 71……Be well
Allan, you give very wise advice…my wife said so!
Richard, regarding Criticism, Praise and Advice: I’ll only offer you one of these, your new creation “Boston” is beautiful!
So true. Early on, I submitted one of my images for judging at a local camera club. It was pretty thoroughly trashed by the judge. Shook me up and probably set me back a year or two in the development of my creative process. I’ll never make that mistake again. And the irony is, it’s actually a pretty good image. I proudly display it on my website now.
Misha, I am so glad that you did not let those comments discourage you because you have a wonderful talent!
In my mind, photo critiques are worthless, and harsh criticism is unforgivable.
Excellent post!
It’s difficult to avoid being influenced by praise because we are, after all, human!
I would also point out that I try not to be overly influenced by praise or criticism, but there is also a point where I feel I shouldn’t be close minded or stubborn…sometimes others do bring up things that I didn’t notice, for example, or hadn’t thought of.
I do try to shoot what I want how I want and when I want. Not easy. Thanks for your inspiration!
Your work stands out due to its singular and unique creativity and your clear photographic vision.
Forgive me Cole, but I must take issue with some parts of this post. If we do as you suggest, “Find your Vision and ignore criticism, praise and advice,” it appears to me we place our work in a self-referencing cocoon where anything we like is fine.
And if we don’t like our work, the experience of others still should be ignored as part of our Vision quest. I can’t agree.
As a person who recommends repetitive critiquing to camera club members, I can attest to the growth and development of regular participants. On the whole these participants have grown their skills and learned some huge lessons in the process. This process actually speeds the development of a Vision because they have been challenged, enlightened and exposed to other viewpoints from which they select what makes sense for them. If they had stayed home cocooned from outside input, they wouldn’t have made such good progress.
Have some members felt hurt by some comments – sure, but that is a rare, unfortunate occurrence. Still, having hurt feelings can prove valuable and nothing one doesn’t find in other parts of normal daily life.
I believe one of the foundations of art is to share it in public forum. To me that process includes accepting the conditions we find there. Rather than cloister ourselves, we should have the courage and strength to hear the praise and criticism of our fellow travelers while learning to put those comments into perspective. Sure, there are self-involved blowhards, but we have the free will to ignore OR not to ignore their comments. Even if there are only few constructive comments, you are better off if you choose to learn from them. It’s as if your Vision gets polished in the world at large.
The concept of having a Vision is excellent. It’s a personal North Star we can reference when we’re tugged in different directions, but for me it’s far more productive to be open to all comers and choose to make appropriate corrections when the input is valid, rather than sealed off from all input.
Still the best article I’ve ever read about critique. I have yet to meet the “expert” that can completely shed their own bias for the benefit of another. I prefer to study the work of others and writings on their work, and make my own judgments about that work and mine by self-comparison.