literature

Random Rant: Critiquing

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neon-knights's avatar
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Literature Text

    Ah, yes, this is quite a touchy subject for the majority of dA, but I fell I must bring a few things to light. Before I begin, I must state that I have NOTHING AGAINST CRITIQUING. By all means, I encourage it, it is good for constructive purposes. However, there are just some things you do NOT need to touch upon. I've noticed this on dA, Blogspot, and even YouTube, and it gets old.
    First of all, if no one asks to be critiqued, DON'T DO IT, as most likely it isn't MEANT to be critiqued. My example comes from a few reviews I did, mainly the Death Magnetic review and the Top 5 Worst of Zelda. I was told about the former that it was unprofessional, and the guy gave me a 1000-word instruction on what to do and what not to do in a review. Even though I had stated that the review was from the perspective from that of a normal person (and I play an instrument myself, so a few little terms might have been thrown in), he treated it as if it were from All Music itself. As for the latter, I admit that it isn't the perfect list, and it has its flaws, but I did it mainly to share my thoughts, not to create arguments, but I do tend to forget that lists are meant to be challenged in a way. What these both had in common, they were meant to be my thoughts on a particular subject, not a professional review of any kind.
   Secondly, several pieces are meant to be fun, and as people, we have the right to submit these "works of fun" for others, and it's quite obvious what we post as a 'fun' piece and a 'serious' piece. Take for example, a friend of mine does traces of artwork and posts them to his dA. I doubt that he ever would intend a trace to be taken as a serious work of art, but lo and behold, someone chastised him for doing it. Once again, this isn't a Michelangelo piece we're talking about, it's a trace he did to have FUN. Sure, some will argue that dA is a place of ART, and I agree to an extent, but art can be simple, fun, and taken lightly as well. I've noticed that a LOT of critics will attack these pieces, thinking that they're helping the artist, blogger, what have you. This is more insulting than it is helpful.
   What I love about these people is that when you try to explain that their help isn't wanted, they get offended! We're just critiquing your critique, so in essence, you're a hypocrite ('you' here means the critic)! They point out that "we can't take criticism" when they fail to consider that maybe, just maybe we didn't ask for their help in the first place or that we are just having fun with what we do. We're just amateurs, please, leave us alone.
   Bottom line, those that like to nitpick on the lessers are just being bullies. To those critics that are considerate and take amateur media with a grain of salt, I have nothing but respect for you. And I can't say I haven't done any of this in the past either, but I like to think I have improved. All I ask, if you know it's not meant to be taken seriously, don't take it seriously and feel the need to help our pitiful selves. Oh, and don't be a smartass and critique this, if you like it, great, if you have found any flaws, which I'm sure there probably are, keep your mouth shut and your hands off the keys, because I don't want your help!
Just read it.
© 2010 - 2024 neon-knights
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mori-the-bat's avatar
You have a point here. Sometimes I really miss the old 'critique not desired' option...that was really handy for the exact fun deviations you describe, and the exact people you describe who think you want to hear their views all the time, not just when you ask for it. They need to use discression about which deviations do not require that kind of feedback, it's all common sense. :aww: