As an art student who attended NSCAD in the 70s, and then again as a mature student at Mount Allison University, I learned to develop a thick skin, not too thick mind you. As well, I learned not to be so precious about my work, or about my 'feelings'. I put my big girl dress on, with big bloomers too!
Everyone wants and needs a certain amount of recognition, but ultimately we have to be our own fan, and have the conviction to believe in our work, and be able to carry on a discourse about what we are doing. If you don't have the confidence, no one else will either.
More or less, my 'give a shit' stopped working some time ago.
I admit, I'm not that familiar with many so called professional art critics, as I really don't take them too serious and will call them the art gnostics and they take themselves too seriously. There is however one I like a lot, Jerry Saltz.
He's down to earth, shoots from the hip, cuts through the BS, and most of all he has a great sense of humour. I think besides the fact that Jerry Saltz is no intellectual slouch, he is so down to earth and was once a working stiff, a truck driver. You can't get much more down to earth and unpretentious than that. His truck driving career makes him a one of a kind art critic.
| “ | I'm looking for what the artist is trying to say and what he or she is actually saying, what the work reveals about society and the timeless conditions of being alive. | ” |
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| Portrait of Jerry Saltz. Pencil on paper by Phong Bui. |
Here is an article from the site Skinny Artist that gives some thoughts how to deal with creative criticism.
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