I’m currently studying photography at The University of Colorado Denver, and will graduate with a BFA in only a few months. As any anticipated graduate would tell you, this is an incredibly exciting time for me. Of course, I feel conflicted since when I graduate I will no longer have access to my universities supplies and I’m less likely to see the classmates and professors I’ve gotten close to during my four years in the program. And while I will feel this loss heavily (and so will my wallet,) I am also gaining something. A degree, for one; but also skills like film development, photo editing, and the ability to take criticism.
Art is inherently expressive. Whether it’s the photographic arts or more traditional mediums like oil painting and charcoal drawing, artists will pour everything they have into their work. This can make us highly sensitive to criticism and unwilling to hear it; even if it’s constructive. It’s easy to tell ourselves ‘this person doesn’t get it, so why bother explaining?' as a quick way to brush it off. However, part of the reason you are in college for art is to learn to accept this criticism.
Let’s use some examples. There’s this one classmate I’ve known for years; let’s call them Sam. Sam is a technically-sound photographer. They know how to use their camera and how to edit what they capture. However, in the two to three years I’ve known this artist and their work, their creativity has barely evolved. Many of their final prints look to be at the same level as most freshmen. I’m not trying to say this to be rude; but rather to point out how important critique is.
Sam never talks during critique. The only times they willingly talk is to their close friend (which is distracting by the way, no matter how quiet they think they’re whispering,) or when they are talking about their own photographs, which still seems to pain them. The rare occasion they do comment on someone else’s photographs is when our professor asks them directly, and even then they will just repeat what the last person said. I’m not trying to shame this person for being shy. I personally love talking about art but I more than understand the struggle of talking about yourself as well as critiquing people which can easily make everyone in the room (including yourself), feel uncomfortable. However, this uneasy feeling is the feeling of growth.
How are you going to know how to talk about your own art if you can’t even talk about others? And before you say ‘I don’t need to talk about my art’ , yes, you do! Have you ever been in an art museum that had no accompanying wall plaques, guide, or some type of readily available context? You probably haven’t unless it’s for an already famous artist who’s getting an exclusive exhibition, and if you are aspiring to that level, you need to grovel and write an artist statement and be prepared for questions from your viewers until you get to that point.
If you relate to Sam, you might think ‘my photographs speak for themselves’, because after all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? But that’s not exactly true, as not all photographs (and their makers,) are equal. You might think that the message behind your photo is obvious but you need to consider the fact that only you know why you made the choices you did for your art. Your final piece needs to speak for itself to some extent, or at least imply something, especially if you refuse to talk about your art.
Frankly, the uneasiness I see in Sam comes across in a lot of my classmates. One student I often think about is someone I’ll call Riley. I only had one class with this person, and it’s very possible they have since evolved. However, when I was in this class with Riley they were always very defensive during critique. If you said anything at all, they would never let you finish your thought and never seemed to be fully listening to what anyone had to say. It’s easy to infer this for a few reasons; their body language, not letting people finish their sentences, and never improving based on the advice people gave.
Don’t get me wrong, what people say about your art should not be your only influence. If you are making art solely based on what people think of you and your work, then it won’t really be your art anymore. At the end of the day, when people give you feedback you need to take it with a grain of salt. But don’t entirely ignore them either. At the end of the semester, when our class had to present our final work Riley seemed disappointed in how theirs turned out. At the end of their critique they even said ‘I wish I had worked harder on my project,’ which was very strange to hear them say since that’s what the rest of us had been saying the entire time, and something they had chosen to ignore.
The examples I chose of Sam and Riley are by far not the only classmates I can think of for this article. But they come to mind because they were the most frustrating to do critique with. Riley expressing regret for not taking anyone’s advice is the perfect examples of this. Similarly, when doing critique with Sam they would say ‘no, I don’t want to do that,’ nearly half the time after someone suggested something. How can you be so quick to decide someone’s idea is bad?
Peer review is one of the strongest ways you can evolve and know how other people will react to your work. In my experience, it is typically very unbiased, constructive, and genuine (though it’s important to note, my experience is not universal.) If you’re in school, remember that critique is not this common post-grad. The closest thing to critique after graduation are portfolio reviews which can cost a few hundred dollars and depending on where you live, only happen every few months. This is a great opportunity that master being critiqued and critiquing others.
If you saw yourself in Sam and Riley, ask yourself, how do you think people will react during the next critique? Do you think they’ll be excited to see your new images? Will they remark on how they love how your art progressed? Or, will they have nothing to say that hasn’t already been said?
