08-29-2015, 03:14 PM
@Punk: Yes I totally understand that crit anxiety. I actually started critting people WAY before I had the words to be able to express exactly what the issue was. I just gave it my best shot when I could at least pinpoint a general area in my mind ; "something about the hip looks awkward" or "the lighting seems inconsistent in this area". Sometimes it resulted in times where I'm not sure I helped at all, or I came across wrong, but again this is just practice for you as well! If you can help people pinpoint general areas of issue that often can be just as helpful as specific ones. Most people see less of their mistakes in their own work, especially if they have been staring at it for a while, so just another set of eyes is a fresh useful perspective!
The other benefit to trying to solve other people's problems and getting past this "I'm not good enough to crit" idea, is that you are actually training yourself to see mistakes and problem solve. I have found it is a brilliant way to learn. There have been periods where I did none of my own work, but I was constantly critting other people, and I realised that it actually helped me keep improving even though I wasn't doing my own stuff! It definitely accelerated my own path I feel because I did it so much (helped that I used it as a procrastination method haha!)
Every crit is like a goldmine in knowledge consolidation and acquisition, as well as helping others. I feel that many artists see crit as a one-way street, and it so isn't that!
The other benefit to trying to solve other people's problems and getting past this "I'm not good enough to crit" idea, is that you are actually training yourself to see mistakes and problem solve. I have found it is a brilliant way to learn. There have been periods where I did none of my own work, but I was constantly critting other people, and I realised that it actually helped me keep improving even though I wasn't doing my own stuff! It definitely accelerated my own path I feel because I did it so much (helped that I used it as a procrastination method haha!)
Every crit is like a goldmine in knowledge consolidation and acquisition, as well as helping others. I feel that many artists see crit as a one-way street, and it so isn't that!