The Pitfalls of Criticizing Your Own Work.
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You finish editing a photo, you like the way it looks, you export it and put it on instagram, and you immediately start picking it apart? You notice the colors aren’t the exact hue or saturation you want them to be, you see little spots that could have been edited out, brightened up, or darkened down? If this sounds like you, don’t fret. We’ve all been there as photographers. Most artists, if not all artists, seem to have a bad habit of ripping our own work to shreds before even giving it a chance to land and connect with others.
So, that brings two questions to mind; why do we criticize our own work so harshly; and are we really the best people to be criticizing it? I don’t think either of these questions has a straightforward answer, but I do have some thoughts that hopefully help give some insight into figuring out your own answers to these questions. And this doesn’t only apply to photographers, it can be applied to any artist, practicing any medium.
I want to tackle these questions separately, but before we jump into that, I feel it’s important to point out the difference between criticism and critiquing, because it seems like the two terms are often used interchangeably, when they shouldn’t be. Criticism is feedback that’s intended to tear a person down for whatever they’re doing or working on. Critiquing on the other hand, is feedback that’s designed to help a person improve their skills and grow in a productive and meaningful way.
So first, why do we criticize our own art so harshly? I asked artists on my instagram account to answer this question from their own perspectives, and there were three main points made over and over again.
“Perfectionism”. The most common reason, I found, is the mindset of perfectionism. Translating an idea into a reality can be difficult, especially in the beginning. If our work doesn’t come out exactly the way we envisioned it, we get this immediate sense of imposter syndrome, thinking we’re not “good enough” at our craft. A saying I often have to come back to is “done is better than perfect.” Details are important, there’s no disputing that; but when insignificant details overshadow our perception of the bigger picture, it can negatively impact our mindset, and therefore, our work. When we keep the mindset of a perfectionist, we don’t allow ourselves to evaluate our mistakes as learning opportunities. We see those mistakes as failures, which can lead us down a path of setting unreasonable expectations of ourselves. You can’t become great at something without making mistakes along the way.
“Comparison”. Comparing your work to others is a guaranteed way to do one of two things: completely rob us of our ability to enjoy our own work; or inflate our ego to think we’re better than we really are. When we see work from more experienced artists in our respective field, it can become all too easy to see where they’re excelling and where our own weak points are. This is completely normal, but it’s key to remind yourself that the more experienced artist is much more likely to produce better work. You’ll get there with time and practice. On the other side of the spectrum, it also becomes easy to pat yourself on the back when you see someone else’s work that you deem as “bad.” The reality of it is, art is subjective. What you deem to be “bad” will be amazing in someone else’s eyes. That “bad” artist may simply have a style or technique that just isn’t for you, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Belittling another artist’s work just to make yourself feel better about yourself is a bad habit that needs to be dropped.
“Value”. Arguably, the most important point is value. If you find yourself constantly tearing your own work apart, you’re almost definitely attaching more value to the opinion of others in some capacity. While we all want others to enjoy our work, what we as artists need to focus on is whether or not we like the work we put out. Making art isn’t always meant to be for others. If creating makes you happy, then that’s all that should matter. Placing a higher value on how our work will be perceived will do nothing more than decrease the value of our work. Placing a higher value on your work will not only allow you to enjoy what you do more, but it’ll give you more credibility as an artist.
So, are we really the best people to criticize our own work? Personally, I don’t think so. I feel when we begin comparing our work to others, we immediately rob ourselves of a ton of opportunity. If you want your work critiqued, ask someone you trust and respect for their input. An honest opinion from a trusted source will be much more structured and valuable toward your growth.
