Being a critic

Every Friday is critique day on my metal clay forum.  Usually, one or two members step up and share a work with the rest of the forum for an old fashioned critique.  These critiques are really valid as the members who participate really lay it out there.   Even those who have written books or articles and are well respected in the field have taken a turn and opened themselves up.

It has been years (and I mean YEARS) since I sat in on a critique.  I was always nervous about them.  Some went well and some, not so well.  I was never very verbal at these critiques and sort of laid low; never asking for comments (which I now regret.)   Constructive criticism offers us other viewpoints about our work and helps us grow as artists.   

As an art educator, I had to evaluate the work of students.  I usually set the criteria for the assignment, which made it a little easier.    If it was independent work, I had the students write about what they were trying to accomplish with that particular piece.  This would help me to make a judgment about the work.  Evaluating the work was the one thing I did not like about teaching, but we had to give some sort of grade to satisfy the higher ups.   One of the main things I looked for was originality and going beyond the basics of the assignment.  Many of the students thought their work was original, but after thirty five years of teaching I saw lots of repeats.  I gave very few 100%.  I told them they needed to knock my socks off for a 100%.  (Actually I don't wear socks so that was hard to do!)  But there were some and I still remember them to this day.

Now I need to start putting myself out there for criticism.  One of these days I will get brave enough to do that on critique Friday.  Jewelry making is fairly new to me and I need to look at as much jewelry as I can and learn as much as I can through trial and error.   I need to grow and develop and knock somebody's socks off.  Critiques can help with that.  

This whole post came about because a friend of mine in Florida, asked for a critique of a website she is working on.  I applaud her for getting a website started, and I applaud her for asking other people's opinions.  I need to do the same.