We live in an amazing time where even the most novices, of writers and artists are able to freely publish, display, and distribute their novels, paintings, comics, and poems to the world at will. Prior to such sites as deviantArt, tumblr, wordpress etc, an aspiring creator would find themselves faced with the daunting task of approaching publishers, agents, art galleries, and printers in order to plead with them to take up their work and help them in circulating and displaying it. Only those closest to the manuscripts, typewriters, quills, brushes, sketchbooks, and charcoal sticks of a new creative mind could see what potential may lie within them. It’s impossible to know how many truly great literary and artistic minds have come and gone throughout history totally unnoticed because they were simply too shy, aloof, or unconfident to pander to great patrons and distributors of arts and literature, or to even do something so simple as set foot into an art or creative writing class.
In this day and age, the shy ones are able to thrive in secret communities of like minds. These play host to millions of artists and writers novice and professional alike and is stocked to the rafters with people from all walks of life that possess the singular desire to bravely, or timidly, show their chosen corner of the world, “Look at what I can do! Look at what I’m trying to do!” in a marvellously, blessedly-anonymous forum.
The option to request and leave your profile open to critique from those that visit it, may not be ideal for those of a bashful disposition that would like the option to communicate with their favourite artist without their online identity being known however it does encourage a form bravery, and that’s a good thing.
The downside is where anonymity encourages bravery, it also encourages brazenness.
To the armchair art and writing critic, offering up freely-given critique to an aspiring or established professional may seem like a hand of help. It allows you, the critic, to offer the writer or artist of your choice avenues and suggestions for how they may improve their craft and ultimately achieve their goals of perfecting their chosen form of expression. After all, don’t artists and writers pay professional critics and editors to go over their work with a giant, angry red pen? Isn’t critique something every professional and famous person should expect?
Yes, absolutely. When artists and writers step forward and say, “I need opinions!” and offer to pay editors and professional critics to go over their work, it’s so they truly can explore every option toward fine-tuning their project into something perhaps greater than it once was. When a creator is ready to take that step, absolutely should you, the viewer and critic, step forward and offer up your opinions.
But what if an artist, writer, musician, or poet releases a new piece without requesting critique? What if they – as many are wont to do – simply post their work? Are you, the armchair critic, welcome to offer suggestions?
No. Fuck off.
When any of the creative types I have already listed step forward and publish their work without an explicit request for second opinions and thoughts, they are not looking for critique. They are not looking for suggestions. They are not looking to have their work assessed. They do not want you to tell them “how they can improve.”
“But,” you argue, “if they published it at all, shouldn’t they be prepared to have their work criticized?”
Yes, they should. Absolutely, they should. Not because they should desire your criticism, but rather, because it’s inevitable that you, the armchair critic – hidden behind the sunglasses of the gray-faced Anonymous icon – will open your yammering shitfountain and spew your “helpful” comments into their inbox regardless of whether they want you to or not. Then, they have to suffer the agonizing and often-humiliating experience of trying to figure out how to answer you, assuming they do at all:
They can ignore you, and risk your wrath for daring to ignore your seasoned opinions, respond to you telling you that they have no desire for your critique, and risk you bashing them for being a self-important narcissist, or they can struggle with a diplomatic response that simultaneously placates your desperate desire to have your presumed creative knowledge acknowledged by them as well as justifies the choices they made for the work they did. Regardless of what the artist chooses – or is forced – to do, you’ve successfully managed to back them into a corner, threaten them, and shake their resolve.
Artists do not brace for unsolicited critique because it’s “good for them.” They brace for it because armchair critics like you will inevitably come around and threaten their sense of stylistic self.
Artists, writers, poets, and musicians who approach the world of professionalism generally tend to know what their weaknesses are. They already know what they struggle with, because they are the ones to struggle with it. When an artist (we’re all artists, really) steps up and conjures up the courage to request critique, only then is it clear that they simply don’t know where their shortcomings lie. Only then may you offer your suggestions.
Remember, artists owe you nothing. When you see them publish their work on creative portals for free, they are sharing. They are displaying their work for no payment or direct benefit to themselves. They publish their art as a gift to those who would appreciate it, and as a show of strength to prove to themselves that they can do it. You sticking your nose into their inboxes and criticizing them for publishing a volunteered display of entertainment and, truthfully, pieces of their very selves, only hurts them.
So the next time you may feel inclined to offer an artist “advice” they did not ask for, take a deep breath, push yourself out of your chair, and kindly, courteously, graciously… fuck off.
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