Critiquing vs. Criticizing

There’s a mindset that exists in the world of art and entertainment, that people are afraid to give honest critiques out of the fear of being disliked.  What many fail to understand is that there’s a very fine line that separates critiques and criticisms.  People tend to use these two terms interchangeabley, without understanding that there’s even a difference between these two practices.  The fine line that divides them does exist, and I hold the belief that as creatives, it’s important for us to understand where that line is, and why it’s necessary to know how to critique.

From my own personal experiences, I feel that three major differences that exist that separate critiques from criticisms.  Solicitation, intention, and approach.

Solicitation:  Critique is given and valued by request.  Understanding and acceptance of potential negative feedback comes naturally when you open yourself to it.  If someone wants a critique on their work, they’re going to seek out that review by someone whose opinion they value and respect.  Giving unsolicited negative feedback on someone’s work is often unwelcomed, unproductive, and frankly, just annoying.  If someone’s work isn’t for you, it isn’t for you, and it should be left at that.

Intention:  If you’re giving negative feedback on a piece of work, ask yourself; what is your intention behind it?  Is it simply to express your disapproval?  Is it to point out specific minor issues you have of the piece?  Is there something about this piece that you simply don’t understand?  If so, is it something you’re trying to understand, or choosing to ignore?  Expressing negative feedback without reasonable explanation doesn’t provide any sort of useful information to the person or piece you’re criticising.  Focusing strictly on the flaws or “undesirable” details of someone’s craft shows that you’re lacking in appreciation of the other aspects of work that have gone into whatever it is you’re reviewing.  

Approach:  How you approach giving feedback will greatly impact how it’s received.  If you show strong negative emotions over things you don’t like about a piece of work, it’s unlikely to have any real value by anyone, and can deter people from seeking your opinion in the first place.  Critiquing work should be relatively neutral, even if there are some bits of negative feedback within.  When you approach critiques with a non-biased mindset, you’ll have an easier time getting your point across, without creating tension. 

A critique of someone’s work offers the receiver an opportunity to understand what their strengths are and how to enhance them.  Simultaneously, it provides a clear explanation of what their weak points are, and how to approach those weaknesses for future pieces of work.  Critiquing, when used effectively, is done so with the goal being learning, understanding, and growth for the person getting feedback.

To simplify things, just keep this in mind:

Critiquing - Analytical, thoughtful way to build someone up.

Criticizing - Unstructured, unnecessary way to tear someone down.

With all of this being said, there’s one important thing that I need to cover: acceptance.

As creatives (no matter what our medium), we need to accept that people are going to criticize what we do, how we do it, and why we do what we do.  Without feedback from others, there’s no progress.  How you choose to take negative feedback will determine how you grow with your craft.  We can’t let our egos get the better of us when we’re receiving criticism or critique.  They’re going to come our way, like it or not.  If we respond negatively by letting our feelings get hurt, we’re giving into a weakness in our ego.  However, with a healthy ego, we can choose to take the harsh and unkind words and keep moving through them.  When that decision is made, there’s not a whole lot that’ll stand in your way of finding the success and happiness that you strive for.

To close this out, I’ll leave you with a quote I’ve found a lot of value in, and hope it does the same for you.

“Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.”