Anatomy of a Critic

We’ve all had our share of critics, and if you’re in the art world, you know they can be intense. But when I share my work, my biggest concern isn’t what the critics say to me. But I’ll get to that in a moment.

Over the last thirty-five years in art and design, I’ve found that “criticism” and “critique” are two very different things. Critique is what you might hear from a good teacher, a gallery or an art show jury. It tends to be constructive and based on specific professional requirements. A rejection from a gallery or jury may sting, but it’s rarely personal. Usually, it’s just a matter of “fit.”

Criticism, however, is meant to serve the critic.

The critic often genuinely believes they are an authority on “good art” and feels a compulsion to tell you. Cruel words or not their comments are an attempt to make you feel small in hopes that they might feel bigger by comparison. It’s never about your art. Not really. It’s about trying to sooth their own internal wounds, fears and pain.

The standard advice is to “block them and move on,” and I agree. But I sometimes choose to engage for two reasons:

1. I recognize that the critic is often in pain and I don’t mind offering a small amount of kindness to see if it softens their tone. Often, a compassionate response forces them to face their own behavior. But don’t get me wrong, I’m just as happy to block people right away when they go too far or I just didn’t have the energy to deal with their meshugas.
2. Most importantly, I don’t want my online community to see a cruel comment, believe it has even the smallest amount of merit and apply it to their own art. I see my role as a teacher and those rare, negative comments can be a teachable moment for both the critic and my viewers.

Whether they are a parent, teacher, a more successful artist, or just random commenters on the internet, see the critic for who they are. They are not an authority but a person lashing out at their fears, pain or threatened world view. Their words are really directed at themselves.

So, the advice holds, ignore the critic and keep being yourself, creating, experimenting, making a mess and growing.

If you want to be part of a supportive community that values the process as much as the results, consider finding me on YouTube.com/@bretschwalbstudio.