Critique as Your Growth Catalyst

Feedback is an uncomfortable ingredient of growth. It can be anxiety inducing to put your work up on a wall to be looked at for the express purpose of finding its weak points. When we hear feedback that rings true, it’s easy to recoil and feel as though the person giving the critique has seen some dirty disgusting part of ourselves that we would rather them politely turn away from without acknowledgement. 

The reason that critique is so scary is that for us as creatives, the very act of making is vulnerable and brave. Sharing that vulnerability with someone else and giving them the space to tell us where it fails doesn’t just feel isolated to the work itself; it feels like they are telling us how we have failed. 

That instinct to put up a wall or avoid meaningful critique from other creatives is a disservice to our practice that we put so much heart into. The process of giving and receiving critique is an important way for us to focus in on what we could be doing better, and lean into what is really working. 

Here are some tips for getting the most out of critique:

Try an asynchronous format

Critiques that happen face to face can be challenging for a variety of reasons. It can be hard to come up with constructive criticism on the first look at a piece of work. It can be hard to process what is being said in the moment. We may forget, or not take enough notes if we take any at all.

For giving feedback, an asynchronous format where you have time to think will let you form a more detailed opinion on the piece you’re looking at. You won’t be struggling in the moment to say something meaningful and end up with generic compliments. 

For receiving feedback, getting it asynchronously will give you time to process it in a way that’s easier to hear. It can be easy to get defensive in the moment, but with it written down on paper or in an online forum or email, you’ll be able to come back to it when you’re feeling more able to read it and engage. It will also let you keep a record of feedback you’ve received so you can look back at it over time, which is something you don’t have access to with in person critiques unless you take notes.

Don’t State Your Intention at First

It can be easy to feel the need to explain your work before getting critiqued. However, that takes away from one of the most powerful things you can learn from having others look at your work. When you show someone what you’ve made and ask them to tell you what they see and understand from it, you get to see how far your work speaks for itself which can give you the opportunity to clarify the message.

After receiving a first impression of what the critiquer thinks your themes, topics, and message are, let them know what you really intended. From there, have a discussion on what you could do to make your work more closely align with your intentions.

Always end on a positive note

Sharing work with others is such a vulnerable thing to do, and we want to build the connection in our brains between feedback and a feeling of connection with another creative. This will make it less scary to engage in potentially difficult conversations about your art in the future. Always end a critique on something that’s working really well with the piece. You deserve to hear the good things about your work, not just what could use improvement.