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Taking Rejection
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How to Handle Art
Criticism When it Comes Your Way. Yes, I admit it, I caved in an entered a county fair. What an education that was though not the kind that you'd think. A county fair is not your ordinary run of the mill art show, to be sure, and it certainly does not have the traditional art show and art judge mentality or the 'flavor' of a professional juried show, but it does teach an artist a few things if the artist is open to constructive criticism and is willing to keep an open mind.
After what passed for normal
entry procedures and judging (or sentencing in this case) my sister
and I stopped for a quick peek to see how judging actually went.
Talk about an eye opener! Normally used to receiving and accepting
awards, I was a little surprised (stunned? poleaxed?) to see that I had received a mere blue on one piece and the
dreaded white ribbon on the other. My sister, was equally shocked to see
the photograph she had published in a national magazine receive a white
ribbon also. Did this mean we would never paint or take photographs again?
Did this mean we were so bad we shouldn't ever paint or take photos again?
Not at all! |
While acceptance in well-publicized, prominent juried shows gives the artist/photographer a warm-fuzzy feeling, it shouldn't limit you to the awareness that not everyone 'sees' things they way we 'see' them. Acceptance or awards don't necessarily mean a guarantee of always being accepted, a fabulous income, or that the perceived talent you have is much better than anyone else's around you, either. As they say, pride can sure give you a tumble......just as a white ribbon can make you humble! A county fair white ribbon is not an indicator of bad talent, or a sign from heaven that you need to take up a career in sanitation engineering......but it can give you a hint as to how a small segment of the public receives and views your work. Here's a few things I learned from this simple county fair.....
1. You guessed it! Humility! I found out that not everyone is going to like everything I do; its' as simple as that. How do you handle it? Sorry to say, there's no easy way. Just get over it, develop a thicker skin, dust yourself off after taking your licks and keep on truckin'.
2. Painting, music, photography, gardening, cooking......none
of these are an exact science and that's a fact. What makes our world
a fascinating and lovely place to live in is it's color, sound, tastes,
smells!!! Each and everything is appealing in someway to somebody but
never means exactly the same thing to every person. Judging is much like
that; colors in a painting, subject matter or design say much about the
artist, but it also triggers an emotional response in the viewer. Do you
respond to a painting of harvester's combining in a wheat field that
reminds you of the years you spent on a farm, or do you react to a
painting of a cat on a windowsill more even though you have never owned
one? Probably the former. Judges are no different. Despite every effort to
remain as clinically objective as possible, some buried emotion kicks to
the surface and screams "Pick that one!" Don't let it get to you. Never
take judging as a sign of personal rejection!
3. Look back at your work and give it a fair an honest
assessment (Yes I mean honest!) Did you mat correctly using colors
fitting for your work? You want to flatter your work, enhance and call
attention to it; not overwhelm the piece. Make sure there are no over cuts
in your mat and that any double mats fit squarely inside the frame as well
as being properly aligned with each other. Is the piece centered correctly
within the mat? Does your frame flatter the piece and complement the mats?
Are the corners square and not sloppy with framer's glue? Is your glass
clean? I mean squeaky clean! What about the piece itself? Did you pay
attention to form, color, values, composition? If you know you have done
the best that you can, you have nothing to worry about and can sleep easy
tonight. Know that you have done quality work and accept the fact that a
public review is just a personal opinion. After all.......what does a
judge know!
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