Judging Art

[scarredwitchexp]

I used to get really good marks in Art during school and my friends complemented my work. But I got a C in Art and now I'm not sure whether to continue with this or to listen to my brain and continue with something I actually got good marks in. Does Art really depend on the person?

[TheStranger]

Based off this post, you don't sound serious about making art a career and merely found art enjoyable enough to have considered studying. 

[pearspears]

Yeah, an artist wouldn't be asking this...making art is compulsive, not a hobby, for those that truly should be making it

[Mr.X]

Like the two previous posters, you have to ask yourself if you like doing art. I got great grades in Math, loved the hell out of it, but wasn't passionate about it.

 

What are you passionate about? How old are you? Don't go into something you just got good marks in. Do something you absolutely LOVE to do, that you couldn't think about not doing because the absence of it in your life would make it not worth living.

 

Watch this, hopefully it can spark something in you:

 

Edited November 14, 2013 by Mr.X

[Guest |||]

If you go on in art, you will constantly be judged - what you produce is a product intended to be judged.

 

If this first slight of criticism makes you question your future career as an artist, you need to have a good long thought about whether or not being an artist is for you.

[The Other Pete]

This question caught my eye because it's something I used to think about myself when I was in school (undergrad). There was one teacher who genuinely disliked me and my grades showed it. A piece that the rest of my class was sure was worth an A only got a B+ from him. Granted, I was a bit of a prick as a student, but still. I was never going to get an A from that guy. And in fact, the first semester I didn't take a class from him, I got a 4.0.

 

Here's what I took away from that: grades do not represent the work. Grades are only a representation of how well you've pleased your teacher. That's true regardless of subject, though you'd probably find it less in a hard science or math class. To succeed in art school, you've got to find the balance between keeping an open mind and being confident in your abilities.

 

(As an aside, I completely disagree with the previous posters. Having doubts about studying art does not mean you shouldn't do it, or that you're not equipped to do it. Doubts are part of being human, especially part of being an artistic human. Being judged for having those doubts is probably not that helpful.)

 

 

[Guest |||]

(As an aside, I completely disagree with the previous posters. Having doubts about studying art does not mean you shouldn't do it, or that you're not equipped to do it. Doubts are part of being human, especially part of being an artistic human. Being judged for having those doubts is probably not that helpful.)

 

I don't think anyone is trying to argue you shouldn't ever have doubts or insecurities.

 

But its a matter of having a certain degree of confidence, you can always have doubt but ideally not to the degree of giving up, else you might be better suited in less criticism based careers.

[Loric]

In theater design and playwriting (the bulk of my undergrad, though i often wandered over to the "art" building for classes based on my interests) we were taught a very specific way to handle criticism.

 

This applies to both good and bad criticism.

 

You listen. You listen... you listen. Actually hear, actually process. Then you ask questions, seek clarity, and ask about any thoughts you had in your head before you ever started.. like if you felt the piece was about Purple Hippos and the critique doesn't mention Purple Hippos you ask "Do you feel this piece conveys Purple Hippos?"

 

You do not "explain" your work.

 

YOU DO NOT EXPLAIN YOUR WORK.

 

No, seriously, do not explain your work. Do not defend it, do not tell this other person their ideas of your work are wrong.

 

Take the criticism, take notes, consider what was said. What ideas weren't being expressed that you wanted to be? What didnt they see that you wanted them to see? How can you improve on those things? What were their objections - and further, are their objections valid? If they're morally opposed to your work because of the content, do you care?

 

The overall idea is that your work stands alone and you can't be beside it 24/7 to tell people how to see it. You can change the choices you make to communicate with people based on feedback.