Sunday, April 04, 2010
Making the Most of a Critique
FreelanceSwitch: "For many freelancers, asking for a critique is easy. Getting useful information out of that critique is not nearly so easy. But critiques can be useful whether you’re looking for some outside input when you’re putting together marketing materials for yourself, getting a second opinion on a project for a client or generally just asking about your portfolio. A good critique can help you take a step back from your project and get objective feedback."
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5 comments:
This is very interesting to look at, especially in terms of the critiques that we all receive at the end of each semester. I think, a lot of the time, in critiques of projects, ourselves and our work habits we are able to sometimes just dismiss what's said as being the exception rather than the rule as noted in this article. As we go out and work after we graduate, I think it's important to look at trying to go out and get critiques of our work and continue to learn from the work we do that way, as well as offer our own critiques of peoples work, and use that to further our own work as well. By being able to accept criticism of our own work and being able to offer it too, we are better off in terms of judging our own work, and learn how to create better work overall
I'm always in a tricky situation with critique (both giving and getting) because I tend to see the negatives in a project more than the positives. To me, critique is about gaining action items to correct and improve, rather than confirmation and back-patting. I have, on many occasions though, been chastised for giving suggestions which I saw as applicable, but the speaker saw as harsh. Obviously this is not my goal-- and as such, perhaps I need to take a hint myself and tone things down sometimes. I, however, would appreciate constructive criticism that addresses specifics of what needs to improve.
I think that another thing to remember in receiving a critique is who you're asking for the critique. Asking your best friend or worst enemy for a critique might not be the smartest idea. I think that it's really important to show that you are totally open to the critique, because people often don't want to give you a bad critique because they worry you may be angry. Another thing I think is a good idea is to write down what the person critiquing you is saying. It's easy to forget what they are saying, but if you write it all down, then you can go back and reread what they said.
I think that critique is very important in the learning process and I am really glad that at CMU we are constantly getting feedback on our work. Its a good way to measure your progress and highlight areas that need improvement. After school, it too think its important to continue getting feedback and search for critiques to keep you honest. Accepting criticism and learning from it very important and overall serves to elevate your work.
what's really helpful is to have someone else with you while you're work is being critiqued to take notes for you. This way if you get caught up in the moment and may be taking things too personally and not seeing the big picture, you'll be able to go back and look over what was really said, rather than what you were hearing.
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