Comments on Comments

On the issue of feedback/critique (discussed in Saturday's post about Valeri's entry )

1. Gabrielle made an important observation about how much we learn from the critique of other's work - for many reasons, but as she says because we have less invested in it. Oh, so true! Much easier to apply the critique of an "anonymous" work to our own than to have our own dissected... :\
2. DebR brings up that sometimes we just want affirmation and "Their quilt, their rules." Yep, sometimes just completing a piece is enough of an accomplishment for me.
3. Good point from Helen Suzanne about analyzing our own work - we all know that there are things that could have been improved upon, but taking the time to examine it critically is an important learning experience.
4. As Omega mentioned, our relationship with the individual who is doing the critque is important; the better we know each other, the better able we are to communicate (and know when to keep quiet) on both sides of the fence. There are individuals whose work I like, but that I have no desire to emulate; there are individuals who are particularly skilled in cerain areas so that when they make a comment, we are inclined to pay close attention.
5. Karoda addresses the idea of specificity - general comment or admiration vs "a directed response to a specific question" and that some familiarity with that person's work can be important in regard to knowing "where they are trying to go" with the piece. Omega indicates this with her comment about the relationship with the individual.
6. Terry's response to Val's post echos much of the above and adds some specific questions that would be useful.

In addition, most of have a question about "liking" or "disliking" and feel that it is essential to encourage as well as offer direction. Also mentioned in various places: the accuracy of the photo in revealing the work (questionable), the fact that many people are actually looking for encouragement rather than a critique, and the fact that our goals are not all the same. Success translates differently for each of us: some want to break into shows, some want to teach at a certain level, some want to sell their work, some are making gifts for people they love, some are doing what they do because they so enjoy the process. To take it further, each item we create may have a different goal.