One thing that comes hand in hand with being an artist is getting feedback. Whether positive or negative, feedback can affect how we perceive our skills as an artist. When you must deal with negative feedback, it can get overwhelming and stressful. However, there are some ways you can make this easier on yourself. Here are a couple of essential things to remember the next time you receive negative feedback about your art.
DON’T RESPOND WITHOUT THINKING YOUR WORDS THROUGH
When something bad happens, like being faced with negative feedback, we want to reply right away. However, take some time to think about the feedback you received and the response you want to give. This way, you won’t let your emotions get the best of you. You can reassess the situation and provide a response you usually would have instead of saying something you will regret.
USE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK AS A TOOL TO BECOME A BETTER ARTIST
Constructive criticism is crucial to becoming a better artist. Sometimes that feedback will, unfortunately, be negative. However, you can turn this situation into a positive thing and an opportunity to learn. We can find out some things we can improve and work on through feedback. You can work on your artistic skills and focus on what you need to improve. Practice makes perfect, so even if sometimes it feels like you aren’t improving yourself, you might be too close to the forest to see the trees.
REMIND YOURSELF THAT THIS IS COMMON FOR ALL ARTISTS
The feedback we get on our art can’t always be positive. Remember that receiving negative feedback is a typical situation for all artists. The truth is, not everyone in this world has created art and only received positive reviews. Even some of the best and most famous artists were not appreciated when they should have been. However, even though this situation is common, it doesn’t mean it is easy to deal with. One of the steps that will make it easy to deal with negative feedback as an artist is remembering that this is all part of the long journey to success. Once this is behind you, you will look back at this moment and not feel as bad as you do right now.
DEAL WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK BY TALKING ABOUT IT
This advice is essential for all negative life situations we may find ourselves in. Talking with someone about how you feel will make you feel better about the situation. It will make you feel less stressed about the negative feedback you received. In return, you will receive reassuring words, giving you the confidence to continue working on your art. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your feelings with your friends or colleagues, you can go to a therapist or write everything down in a journal. Letting all those emotions out is essential to deal with them better. After a while, it will get much easier, and you will feel happier once you receive positive words.
ASK FOR ANOTHER OPINION
Getting negative feedback can sometimes be brutal and hard to deal with. If this is the case for you, ask someone else whose opinion you value about how they feel about your art. You will be able to see whether that negative feedback is shared. In the process, you will most likely receive compliments, boosting your confidence. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback in the future, as it is detrimental to becoming a good and successful artist. Without feedback, we may not be able to see things right in front of us.
FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK TOO
Another thing to remember is that negative feedback isn’t the only feedback you will receive as an artist. Remember the compliments you received as an artist. For every negative feedback you get, there must be at least one positive, even if you didn’t hear it yourself. Reassure yourself by remembering all those times your art was complimented and admired. Most importantly, remember how proud you felt the first time you created something. After all, from when you first began making art to the present day, you’ve grown and become much better as an artist.
DON’T STOP CREATING ART
One of the worst things we can do as artists are let the negative feedback get to us so much that we quit our dreams. Although negative feedback can be a lot sometimes, it shouldn’t be a reason to give up. As artists, we need to accept that good and bad feedback is a natural part of our jobs. You shouldn’t require others’ approval to create art, but you can try to use negative feedback as motivation to become a better artist. One day, you will be glad you didn’t give up and that you continued to work hard on your skills as an artist.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As artists, it can be challenging to deal with negative feedback as we tend to take things to heart when it comes to our art. However, we need to remind ourselves that this isn’t the truth. When getting feedback on our work, we shouldn’t take it personally. Remember that the feedback is only about your artwork, not yourself. After all, we all have different tastes and opinions, not just when it comes to art but about everything in life.
Author Bio: Jessica Myers is a writer and consultant for Professional Movers Canada who enjoys painting and fine arts. Jessica loves to travel the world and visit as many art museums and galleries as she can in her free time.
