Post by Nut on Jun 4, 2020 12:40:45 GMT -5
I read a post once recounting a quote from an art instructor, saying that a creative work isn't /complete/ until it has been /experienced/--seen, read, heard, etc.--that a work isn't Done until it has received a reaction, as a concluding event to the process of its creation. Because, the post stated, "Art is communication - and communication shouted into the void is frighteningly isolating."
This is very much my own perspective on creative work. I realize that different people have many different reasons for creating something, and different reactions they seek, so I don't want to claim this applies to everyone. But to me, creativity is expression, in the same way as opening your mouth and speaking words. When you speak, you aren't speaking for yourself, for the joy of hearing your own voice. You are speaking to be heard.
That said, like any other dialogue, it is--as others have put it--a two-way street. People should not be forced, obligated, or expected to give you a reaction or react in a particular way. If someone's expectations of feedback are a burden on you, it's your right to let them know that you are not the right person to be asking this of--they should be able to accept that and walk away. They have the right to seek the kind of reaction they want, from someone who is willing and comfortable giving it. If you're not comfortable with the situation, then you are the wrong person for them to be asking, and they need to turn their energy elsewhere.
I do think it's rude to give unsolicited criticism on a work if it's not harming anyone and you did not expend costs/labor to have it created for you. A lot of people just want to share this part of themselves and have it appreciated for what it is, such as it is. There is simultaneously an expectation for creators to work "for themselves" and an expectation for the end product to be what the audience wants--to meet any number of people's highly subjective and varied wishes and standards. I think it's polite to ask first before offering advice, even if it's meant constructively. Not everyone is in a place of finding advice helpful, especially if they may already be aware of and working on things they want to change in their work, or don't have the time or desire to act on it. A lot of people share stuff with the feeling of, "I like this thing, do you like it too?" and are just looking to find solidarity with other people who share their interests.
I think if someone is unsatisfied with the amount or type of feedback they're getting, they should seek connections with other creators and give feedback on those people's own work. This very often builds a relationship of mutual exchange where people can count on each other for a reaction, and it feels a lot more secure and reliable than sitting there waiting for judgment from the anonymous crowds of fickle internet strangers.
I am in the "I liked this! I should EXPRESS THIS! *DELUGE*" camp /when/ I actually leave feedback ...however because I /want/ to respond to everything with a DELUGE, I frequently put off commenting at all until I'm in the "right mood" to put all my thoughts into words, and end up not doing it. I also unfortunately often avoid liking posts because I have been avoiding responding to messages and don't want the creator and/or people who see my likes to know I'm online, or because I think "I'll like this when I'm ready to leave a comment on it!" and then just... end up losing it... which is not something I like but I also tend to feel awkward about being caught online while not responding to messages so oof.
I have found that telling myself "I'll comment later" usually results in not doing it at all, because "later" also means no longer being in the state of my initial reaction to a work and having to put myself back in that space from memory. So if I can stop that thought in its tracks and bang out my thoughts at the moment I'm experiencing my feelings about a work for the first time, I am generally happier for having done so. Sometimes I do go back and try to make a dent in the backlog of things I meant to leave comments on, but it's less of a sure thing.
As a creator, I know that a short comment means more than a long comment that never comes, so I sometimes try to put aside the need to DELUGE and write short comments because I know they're better than none at all, but it's somewhat unsatisfying because I don't think they do my feelings justice and I have a lot of feelings about art okay. I'm still trying to find a middle ground that allows me to leave more comments, because the long ones are admittedly time-consuming and it's unrealistic for me to try to leave them on everything.
I absolutely don't expect everyone to react the way I do, and don't want people to feel obligated to, it's just that this is personally how I enjoy expressing myself. I do it because I enjoy being affected by art and sharing that with the creator. In a way, for me I also haven't finished enjoying a creative work until I've expressed what it made me feel.
(Also I must put a disclaimer on all of this which is that I've been super inactive and bad at responding to messages for a long time and frequently don't reply to people properly, so while I am arguing the importance of feedback here, and I appreciate every kind word anyone has left for me over the years, I really don't expect people to say anything to me when I don't even reply properly! Communication is a two-way street and all, and I hope that one day I'll be more active about both giving and replying to feedback. Though, giving and replying to feedback on top of creating content are all very time-consuming--any one of these things can take multiple hours if not days, and when you're trying to do all of them while also having a life--it's not realistic to expect everyone to be doing it all the time, as much as I wish I could comment on everything I see.)
This is very much my own perspective on creative work. I realize that different people have many different reasons for creating something, and different reactions they seek, so I don't want to claim this applies to everyone. But to me, creativity is expression, in the same way as opening your mouth and speaking words. When you speak, you aren't speaking for yourself, for the joy of hearing your own voice. You are speaking to be heard.
That said, like any other dialogue, it is--as others have put it--a two-way street. People should not be forced, obligated, or expected to give you a reaction or react in a particular way. If someone's expectations of feedback are a burden on you, it's your right to let them know that you are not the right person to be asking this of--they should be able to accept that and walk away. They have the right to seek the kind of reaction they want, from someone who is willing and comfortable giving it. If you're not comfortable with the situation, then you are the wrong person for them to be asking, and they need to turn their energy elsewhere.
I do think it's rude to give unsolicited criticism on a work if it's not harming anyone and you did not expend costs/labor to have it created for you. A lot of people just want to share this part of themselves and have it appreciated for what it is, such as it is. There is simultaneously an expectation for creators to work "for themselves" and an expectation for the end product to be what the audience wants--to meet any number of people's highly subjective and varied wishes and standards. I think it's polite to ask first before offering advice, even if it's meant constructively. Not everyone is in a place of finding advice helpful, especially if they may already be aware of and working on things they want to change in their work, or don't have the time or desire to act on it. A lot of people share stuff with the feeling of, "I like this thing, do you like it too?" and are just looking to find solidarity with other people who share their interests.
I think if someone is unsatisfied with the amount or type of feedback they're getting, they should seek connections with other creators and give feedback on those people's own work. This very often builds a relationship of mutual exchange where people can count on each other for a reaction, and it feels a lot more secure and reliable than sitting there waiting for judgment from the anonymous crowds of fickle internet strangers.
I am in the "I liked this! I should EXPRESS THIS! *DELUGE*" camp /when/ I actually leave feedback ...however because I /want/ to respond to everything with a DELUGE, I frequently put off commenting at all until I'm in the "right mood" to put all my thoughts into words, and end up not doing it. I also unfortunately often avoid liking posts because I have been avoiding responding to messages and don't want the creator and/or people who see my likes to know I'm online, or because I think "I'll like this when I'm ready to leave a comment on it!" and then just... end up losing it... which is not something I like but I also tend to feel awkward about being caught online while not responding to messages so oof.
I have found that telling myself "I'll comment later" usually results in not doing it at all, because "later" also means no longer being in the state of my initial reaction to a work and having to put myself back in that space from memory. So if I can stop that thought in its tracks and bang out my thoughts at the moment I'm experiencing my feelings about a work for the first time, I am generally happier for having done so. Sometimes I do go back and try to make a dent in the backlog of things I meant to leave comments on, but it's less of a sure thing.
As a creator, I know that a short comment means more than a long comment that never comes, so I sometimes try to put aside the need to DELUGE and write short comments because I know they're better than none at all, but it's somewhat unsatisfying because I don't think they do my feelings justice and I have a lot of feelings about art okay. I'm still trying to find a middle ground that allows me to leave more comments, because the long ones are admittedly time-consuming and it's unrealistic for me to try to leave them on everything.
I absolutely don't expect everyone to react the way I do, and don't want people to feel obligated to, it's just that this is personally how I enjoy expressing myself. I do it because I enjoy being affected by art and sharing that with the creator. In a way, for me I also haven't finished enjoying a creative work until I've expressed what it made me feel.
(Also I must put a disclaimer on all of this which is that I've been super inactive and bad at responding to messages for a long time and frequently don't reply to people properly, so while I am arguing the importance of feedback here, and I appreciate every kind word anyone has left for me over the years, I really don't expect people to say anything to me when I don't even reply properly! Communication is a two-way street and all, and I hope that one day I'll be more active about both giving and replying to feedback. Though, giving and replying to feedback on top of creating content are all very time-consuming--any one of these things can take multiple hours if not days, and when you're trying to do all of them while also having a life--it's not realistic to expect everyone to be doing it all the time, as much as I wish I could comment on everything I see.)