Avoiding the Art Depression
polycounter lvl 15
I've seen this on web yesterday, and I thought that could be useful to share. Maybe the number of "I lost motivation" threads can be reduced on PC with a simple reading on these rules. Thanks Dirk Erik Schulz for the valuable advices.
http://themrock.tumblr.com/post/10310881971/some-ways-to-avoid-an-art-depression-ok-folks
http://themrock.tumblr.com/post/10310881971/some-ways-to-avoid-an-art-depression-ok-folks
Replies
He brings up good set of points, although some points are almost the same as one another.
But seriously there is some good advice in there.
I don't think it covers all personality types all that well so it might not speak so well to the artists with an overinflated ego that really needs to come back to reality, which based on my personal experiences, is the majority of newer artists. Those guys could stand to be a lot tougher on themselves and be a lot harsher on their self critiques.
I disagree with "don't post on the internet", instead pick where you post carefully.
Don't post expecting praise. Post expecting to get better.
If you get some praise that's great, take what you can get but don't think that means that you're finished or that you arrived. The chances of that person being easily impressed and under your skill level are pretty high so they won't be able to offer much help. Artists get trapped tuning out the critical voices of experienced artists in favor of praise from people that can't teach them anything.
While it boosts your ego to feel like the sharpest tool in the sharpened tool section, it doesn't help if you're a college student basking in the glow of being able to read at a 1st grade level.
Exactly. Since I started to following my new mantra "Art is to express, not to impress", I have produced much more, and the overall quality of works became much better.
The way I see it is nice comments are great, advice om what you could do better is also great. People who cant see their work realistically or cant take criticism are generally re-educated very quickly in this matter or ragequit.
What i dont really agree with is the idea that someones praise is only relevant if their skill level is higher than your own. Personally I think someone taking the time to post anything at all in crit threads is great, even if its just a general thumbs up, or start again, that is awful
Its an untold saying sir. Thumbs up doesnt mean good, but its a positive reaction towards something we see and like.
People should be proud of their work and post but if one is posting to impress people, one might as well make a portfolio out of it and apply for teh jerb. In other words, impress the right people.
So I agree with you, but disagree on the impress part since its the key to get a job.
Just don't be the artist who chooses to only listen to praise from less experienced people who aren't being helpful. All too often I see threads where someone basks in the praise but then gets offended and butthurt about a very valid critique, then they choose to engage only with people who praise them... which stunts their growth.
Sorry Jr, was disagreeing with Mark, you slipped in between. I agree people shouldnt be looking for praise unless they think their work is really shit hot, and then it is a nice slap in the face when two spam bots are the only ones to reply
I do wish people gve more negative crits tho, but of course, they take a bit longer to write than, 'I love it!'
Agreed, good point. Butthurt about someone not liking your work = massive fail.