The Value of Critiques

Jewelry Discussion
21

Many people seem to be feel that critiques have a life of their own,
are always ‘true’, and can be really hurtful to the person who is
receiving the commentary. There are a few things that are important
to consider:

  1. A critique should be offered only in response to a? specific
    request.

  2. There is nothing inherently ‘good’ or ‘brave’ about asking for
    criticism, nor ‘bad’ or ‘chicken’ if one chooses not to. It’s all
    equal. So if you don’t think it’s a good idea, or feel uneasy about
    it, then don’t do it.

  3. We must assume that the person doing the critiquing will be
    honest, not unduly harsh or competitive, and respond only to what
    has been asked. That he/she will keep in mind that what is being
    expressed is a personal judgment, and not an absolute reality.

  4. The recipient needs to keep in mind that this is only the opinion
    or judgment of another person, albeit someone hopefully with more
    experience than we have. That is what we are trying to tap into.
    However, we can use it if it is useful, reject what is not useful or
    inappropriate. Because someone says something, doesn’t mean it is
    true.

  5. There should be no back and forth about a critique–tempted as we
    may be to challenge something that was said.

The person on the receiving end can simply disregard any of the
suggestions.

  1. It is altogether possible, that if several people critique a
    particular item, there will be differences of opinion, and/ or
    artistic judgment.

That’s where the fun begins–because we can begin to look at a piece
in many different ways.

  1. Most of us on Orchid have already developed our own individual
    sense of beauty, and have a fairly good idea about what we want to
    express in our jewelry. Asking someone to take a look at our stuff,
    and comment on it usually means that we harbor some doubts, and are
    looking for some support–support means an honest
    appraisal–positive or negative–that we might find useful in
    assessing our own work.

So I think we have to lighten up about the idea of critiquing and
see it as possibly one more useful tool in our business.

Sandra
Elegant Insects Jewelry

22 
NONE of this 'anonymously' bovine crap. If I say anything I stand
behind it with my name. I expect the same from others.

I agree with you there Jeff. If we post a comment we should be brave
enough to identify ourselves, and doing so does not make our
comments suddenly turn into a personal insult towards the person
whose work we are commenting on.

Helen
UK

23 
view of children and art Art is a childs first language, it is
sacred any child that creates any art deserves a gold star

Goo, at least your sentiment is in the right place. And though what
you say is true on the face of it, there’s a bigger issue at stake -
sorry, I don’t remember the name on the original post and I’m too
lazy to search for it.

I’m sure it happens elsewhere, but here in California it’s an
epidemic. Children go to birthday parties and everybody gets a gift -
they call them “goodie bags”, but they are gifts. Children are taught
that they are “special”, even though almost all of them are
completely average (that’s what the word means). And at this point we
all see it in public and society -vain, self abosorbed, aimless
twenty somethings… I could give many examples of the behaviour
that shows it, but I imagine most here know the syndrome. Walking
down the middle of the sidewalk expecting the crowds to part in their
path, like a Messiah…Stuff like that…

Positive reinforcement is a fine thing - pumping up children’s egos
without merit, just because one doesn’t have the courage to say
“NO!” is a failed social experiment…

24

Sandra,

Nicely put. I value critiques which was the foundation of my art
education. We become so personal to our work, that for an effective
critique we need to follow two of the basic rules in the Four
Agreements. Don’t take things personally and don’t make assumptions.
It’s hard to separate our own creations from what they look like to
the outside world and be objective. We made them, our work is part of
us and it is personal. Too often we think, oh, I got a negative
critique, they must not like my work, therefore they don’t like me.
Ooh, this is a wicked trap, and believe me, one I have put myself
through way too many times.

Say I look at a building. I think, oh, this is an ugly building. The
building doesn’t care about my critique. It’s just a building, and
yes, it’s just a piece of jewelry, or a bowl. To gain the insight,
maturity and objectivity to stand away from your work and hear a
critique based on personal likes and dislikes, you must become like
that building.

There are a couple of ways to approach this.

One is to be completely open to hearing what the viewer is saying.
Remove yourself emotionally from the entire process, because what the
viewer might be saying will improve your work.

The other is that a person critiquing your work can be jealous and
the critique is biased, and then you are hearing the rant of somebody
who is insecure of competition. Sometimes it is difficult to know the
difference, but staying objective allows for that energy to slide
right by.

The last is why do you make the art in the first place? To me, this
is the most important question. I just “do” all the time, a little
jewelry, some sculpture, photography, attempts at drawing which I
suck at, cooking, attending Burning Man etc. Is it art? For me, yes.
For me art is about metaphor, interpretation, adaptation, invention
and teaching.

I like to cook for example, but sometimes I completely miss the
mark. Too much salt, not enough spice, etc. My friends critique my
food, but I don’t take it personally. I file the away and
start again. This is the Art of Living which has a double entendre.

Last October I took a beginners enjoyment photography class which is
an art form I dearly love. I liked the instructor’s work, Dennis
Stock who photographed the famous James Dean portrait in NY Times
Square. I thought I could learn a few tips from this guy and have fun
at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Honestly, I thought, I’ll eat
some good vegetarian food, I’ll take a few pictures, what a nice
vacation. Feh. The universe gives you what you need not what you
want.

When Dennis looked over my portfolio, he said, “you have a
thoughtful eye.” Where he was gentle with other amateur
photographers, whoa, he slammed down on me. I ate it up. His harsh
and brutal critiques were tough to hear, but damn, if that man didn’t
make me think every time I took another photograph.

If you want to be better at what you do, no matter what you do,
muster the courage to step out of your own way and listen. You can’t
assume nor take anything personally. Ultimately the desire to improve
your skill over the desire for massaging your ego allows space for
you to grow.

karen christians
cleverwerx

25 
A critical review by members of Orchid or anyone else is a bad
idea. It will end in tears.

I disagree. I think our peers here on Orchid are a very good source
of good advice regarding our work. The people I show my work to
(jewellery-buying members of the public, family, friends) all just
say how beautiful it is. I don’t have a shop or exhibit my work in
shops yet so I don’t have customers to ask as such. People can be too
afraid to be honest with you face to face if they don’t like
something you’ve made. Also, members of the public often don’t
understand the jewellery-making process (I didn’t before I started
doing it myself), so they’re not best placed to offer suggestions on
how to improve a constructional element, for example. So the most
useful critiques would be from members of Orchid. I think it could be
done via the blog system, as an opt in sort of thing, ie. if you want
feedback, put a note at the end of your blog post, inviting any
constructive comments (whether they be positive or negative). Anyone
who doesn’t want feedback or can’t handle any negative comments, need
not post pictures of their work.

Personally, I don’t mind whether comments come from members with
decades of experience, or new members. People just starting out in
making jewellery still have valid opinions as to the aesthetics of a
piece and probably have a modicum of knowledge as to what’s involved
in making a piece too. And as someone else said, the advice can be
taken or not - it matters not. It’s still extremely useful to have a
number of different perspectives that you may not have thought of
yourself.

I think it can be done without any extra work for Hanuman if it’s
done through the blog network. Anyone who wants feedback just needs
to start a blog if they haven’t already done so.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://helensgems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

26 
Well, dear readers, not really. Now I understand that maybe her
asking for criticism was probably a way to squeeze compliments....
Oh dear,,,, did she get mad reading my review....

Yes, there are people who are not mature enough to accept criticism

  • that’s a shame. However, there are those of us on the list who
    relish both the negative as well as the positive. As John D said, I
    showed him pictures of my work a while back and he told me honestly
    what he thought of it. I genuinely appreciated the negative comments
    too, as they have helped me to improve. He told me when he thought a
    bail wasn’t working, didn’t flow, etc, or how I could improve an
    element of construction in a pendant and earring set. John was spot
    on. Terrie Masters similarly helped me out in the early days when she
    saw my work. She pointed out that my bezels looked rather thin. I had
    been making them from 0.3 mm sterling sheet and filing/sanding the
    heck out of them. She was right. I now make my bezels from 0.5 mm
    sterling sheet and do as little abrading as I possibly can, so as to
    retain the chunky look I now prefer. There are examples of both on my
    website. I’ve lost count of the members of Orchid who have helped me
    out in a similar way. I’ve thanked them all sincerely for each and
    every bit of advice they’ve given me and I have learned from it all
    and made strides to improve my work according to what they have said.

If we ask for such criticism, we should be prepared to accept it
graciously.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://helensgems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

27 
I am now going to critique your view of children and art Art is a
childs first language, it is sacred any child that creates any art
deserves a gold star The child that creates is building neural
pathways and developing thier brain and many other physiological
aspects to thier mind and body, hand eye coordination.

It always amazed me how you can read into something that wasn’t
said. First, I was not talking about children and art, but I was
thinking more about sports where every child gets an award whether
they win or lose. I feel we are sending the wrong message that
everyone always wins in every aspect of their life, which we all know
is not true. There is something to be said about teaching our
children the valve of failure as a valuable tool to move on with
their lives. The most successful people are those who have failed and
learned from it and not let it destroy their dreams.

Art is subjective and I wouldn’t want to critique a child’s art.
Creativity should be encouraged at every level, but to tell them
that they are all great artist when you know they aren’t is being
dishonest. There is a difference between encouraging a child to do
better if they failed at something and being cruel. Children learn
through love encouragement and honesty.

Roxan

28

John:

My better half teaches undergrads at a state school here in
California. Apparently there’s now a name in the teaching trade for
these kids. Snowflakes. “We’re all uniquely special together”, yet
they melt at the first breath of heat.

I’m not sure what it means, but I’m moved to ponder the difference
between these melting snowflakes, and people who grow up to be
makers. We play with fire for fun. As I said, I’m not sure what it
means, but it’s an interesting thing to ponder with a 10,000 degree
plasma arc burning an inch from my fingertips.

Cheers-
Brian.

29

Hi!

I’ve initiated a critique session on another jewelry forum and it
seems to have benefited artist and readers of the forum. Our art is
very personal, so if it is approached with sensitivity a critique can
be very successful. Here are some suggestions on a structure.

Critiques are run and monitored by the fellow members of the forum.
It is designed for artists that would like an honest evaluation of
their work by their peers. Peers of all levels are welcome. It should
be a positive learning experience for the artist, critics and others
that read the comments, while helping ALL to the elevate their craft
to the next skill level since ALL that read and participate grow in
the experience.

Guidelines:

The Artist would:

  • An artist can ask for a critique of one piece or may post a body
    of work (5) pieces for a portfolio review.

  • State why they have put their work up for critique or what they
    would like to get out of the critique experience

  • Talk about the motivation behind the creation

  • Talk about Successes/Problems

  • State your level of experience - This is important for an
    appropriate level critique based on their experience

  • Post a link to 2 - 3 views of their piece to show front, back,
    close up (if needed)

  • All photos should be in good focus.

  • Finally, after all critics are in, the Artist should give their
    feedback and review.

The critic would:

  • Try to be kind, and gently give their opinion in a constructive
    and objective manner. The comments should remain constructive vs.
    destructive.

  • Discussion should be focused on:

[] Elements of Design - focal points, line, shape, dimension,
texture, symmetry, etc.

[] Composition/ Arrangement

[] Appropriate use of materials

[] Construction and craftsmanship – i.e.: Is the piece wearable,
how will it function?

[] Originality and innovation

[] Overall excitement

[] Did the artist achieve their intended goal in terms of their
motivational and successes/problems statement?

[] What does the work say to you? What mood does it convey? What
other titles might fit this piece?

  • Discuss the work’s successful points and/or unsuccessful points
    with helpful or probing questions.

i.e.: What might happen if this line was more curved? If this pattern
was repeated in this area? What if we used a different color stone?

Holly

30

I’ve been following the discussion on critiques, and agree with
everything Helen Hill says.

I find there are two problems with getting good critiques…

  1. Most pple are afraid you’re going to get mad at them if they
    actually do critique it! And of course experience has shown this to
    be true… many pple are just looking for compliments, not
    critiques!

  2. Many “critiquers” don’t approach the critique with the right
    frame of mind. That’s a pretty vague statement, here’s an example:
    I’ve posted several requests in the Etsy forums over the last 12
    months asking for critiques on my jewelry photography. I specifically
    asked pple which of two styles of photographs highlight the piece of
    jewelry better. But the critiquers are getting hung up on things like
    "I don’t like the white background, everybody uses it and it’s
    boring!". Not very useful… that would be like me critiquing Helen’s
    amethyst ring by saying “Everybody uses amethysts, that’s boring”.

Instead of trying to get critiques, I’ve started considering my Etsy
shop as my “trial and error” shop of sorts. I post it there, see how
the photos actually look online. See what kind of response it gets.
And see if I still like it a month from now. I’m working on my own
sales site, and the good stuff will eventually get listed there :slight_smile:

Rita.

31 
A critical review by members of Orchid or anyone else is a bad
idea. It will end in tears.

I have to respectfully disagree here. As I mentioned early on, there
are groups doing this already. On the network I am a part of we have
a specificboard for ‘structured critiques’ - we have posted
guidelines for giving a critique (for our purposes) - and people
agree to follow those guidelines to the best of their ability.

No one enters something into the critique folder without an
understanding of what the result is going to be - honest feedback
from one’s peers. Because we have guidelines and those involved all
‘agree’ to give (and receive) within those guidelines - It works. We
critique actual work and also things such as artists statements etc.

The aim in putting work in there, in receiving critique, is to push
forward, to improve, not to be stroked. The aim at giving a critique
is to try to offer perspective that may help give food for thought
and ultimately build someone up, not tear them down. All parties
post with their usernames, there is no anonymity involved.

I can’t say whether or not its a good idea for Orchid/Ganoksin. I
don’t know what kind of work would be involved for Hanuman or
others. One possibly easy way to begin would be to use Facebook, I
believe Hanuman and Ganoksin both have pages now. Or set up a flickr
group. Both methods provide a space where users can post photos
directly and others can comment. Guidelines, if desired, can be
posted with a notation that by submitting work (photos), or
comments, you are agreeing to follow those guidelines.

See how it goes, then adapt it to the Ganoksin website if the powers
that be choose to do so.

Just some thoughts. :slight_smile:

Oh, and I noticed Helen’s suggestion of using the blogs, that works
too, it would just be a bit more spread out than having one spot for
them all. It would be a start though for people who want to begin
now.

Janice

32

Helen, I have to agree with you regarding critiques. As a new
designer, less than a year, I’m looking for more than “Oh, that’s so
pretty” from people. I’ve been an artist all my life. My art
teachers in my youth were very critical and constructive in their
critiques. It made me a better artist. Jewelry, is art, but it’s in a
media very new and different for me. I want to know what I’m doing
wrong and what I’m doing right. I’ve had my shops on Artfire
critiqued and Etsy and the best advice I got was to change the
background on some of the pictures. That’s fine for the shops (and
probably an excellent idea) but that doesn’t tell me if my work is
original looking, made well, needs balance somewhere, is priced too
high or too low, etc. You’ve made a good point about allowing those
who wish to just ask for a critique and I would hope, that from the
people here, it would be honest.

BTW, you have a wonderful eye for color and texture. I am looking
forward to increasing my own skills into metalsmithing. Haven’t quite
gotten the nerve to try anything yet. So stick with simple
chainmailling, beading and wire-wrapping for now. :slight_smile:

Michele
MikiCat Designs
Web: www.mikicatdesigns.com

33

So, you would be critiquing a picture of a piece of jewelry, not the
jewelry itself.

Another question how does one critique the ability and
qualifications of those offering a critique?

KPK

34

The most successful critique Ive been on the receiving end of was
for a specific piece that I really thought was great, but it didnt
get into a show (that was a perfect match for the theme!). I called a
metalsmith friend asking her to give me her feedback on the piece.

She said yes, but only in person.

She gave me some specific feedback on how to make the piece
stronger, visually, which I did, and now it really is a great piece.

I dont know that Id get that sort of help at a random group critique
of artists-who-are-not-metalsmiths.

And online, the way threads have a way of taking on a life of their
own… whew, I dont think Id want to do that to myself.

Elaine

35

Thanks to Rita, Janice and Michele.

I agree with you Janice, that although the blogs are good for the
meantime, they would be better if dealt with in one place. Hanuman,
if you need any help with the running of this sort of idea, Id be
glad to help out if I can.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://helensgems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

36 
that would be like me critiquing Helens amethyst ring by saying
"Everybody uses amethysts, thats boring".

Incidentally, I dont have an amethyst ring on my site. I think youre
referring to my trillion lab tanzanite (read CZ) ring with the
twisted shank? But Im just being picky! :wink: It could well have been
an amethyst.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://helensgems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

37 
BTW, you have a wonderful eye for color and texture.

Thank you VERY much Michele. I look forward to seeing your work when
your website is up and running tomorrow. Welcome to Orchid.

Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk

38

Ive been pondering this thread, and this past week I was working on
a necklace that wasnt working previously, and Id put it aside.

So I tried again – Im using some beads I made and I had just – at
long last – found the beads I needed to go with it. Still doesnt
work. But I know exactly why. It needs more of the beads I made in
it. And I know that, trying to make it work any other way is
pointless.

Back to the bench to make some more.

After a certain point, most of the time, one should be able to solve
the design challenge on ones own.

Elaine

39

Hi All:

I’ve been following along, with a variety of half-formed notions,
and no time to write them down, so here’s my belated two cents.

Personally, I’m not entirely convinced that the notion of an open
online critique will be useful. I’ve sent pictures of current work
around to friends and colleagues who’s opinions I trust and value,
but these were people I already knew had a clue, both about the
nature of the work I was doing, and the technical challenges inherent
in it. Knowing them, and that they absolutely do know their stuff,
I was not only ready, but interested in their feedback. And they,
knowing me, and knowing that I wouldn’t have asked randomly, took the
time to provide solid, thoughtful feedback. More time and thought
than I’d expect from drive-by critiques from random bystanders on the
net. Equally, I took more time to evaluate their responses than I
would have if they’d been JoeSchmoe1980@Aol. I knew they did know
what they were talking about, so the feedback was much more valuable
to me than just random net-noise. I’m not sure how an open net
critique becomes all that useful if you don’t have any way to
evaluate the experience level of the people making the comments, and
if you can’t insure the critics have enough background to evaluate
what you’re up to on a level beyond “ooooh…shiny!”

After a certain point, most of the time, one should be able to
solve the design challenge on ones own

Elaine, I’m not sure that’s it is always the case that one can think
ones way out of a trap on one’s own.

The last time I sent a picture around to my own informal crit group,
it was of a piece that I’ve been working on (in one form or another)
for 3-4 years. (Personal project for my mom. Working on it in the
times ‘between’. Thus the time frame.) As I said in the note that
went along with it, I’d been staring at the thing for so long I
couldn’t really see it any more. I needed some outside viewpoints
on it to give me the perspective I could no longer get on my own,
having been wrapped up in it for so long. I knew what I wanted it
to do visually, and I knew what I thought it did, but I needed to
see if anybody else was getting the message. Thus the sending of
work pictures.

It turned out that I was on the right road, and mostly there, but my
friends did help me tune it more accurately than I think I would
have gotten on my own.

That’s the whole point of asking for critiques. To give the artist a
sense of what the view is from beyond their own fevered skull. A
reality check, perhaps.

Regards,
Brian.

40

When I was learning to solder, the fella who was teaching me and I
would sit at his kitchen table and he would pick apart my pieces, and
find all of my mistakes. Once I started getting better at it, he’d
find less to pick at. It was a great motivator. After a while, we
were both pushing each other, design and construction- wise, and we
both got better. When he passed away, I grieved for many reasons,
because he was the father I wished I had. But I’ll always miss that
give and take. Today I have a business partner who is much more
skilled than I, and was trained much more formally.

Early on, he was horrified by some of my designs. And I had to
completely relearn how to set stones, having taught myself with no
guidance. Today we critique each other, and push each other, and our
work is better for it. We never let each other off the hook. We work
together 10 hours a day 6 days a week and still get along, but that’s
because our number one rule is to never be rude to each other.

Peggy Wilson