My personal guidelines
The latest meme to take root among fractal artists is the call for critique. So - on the basis that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - I thought I'd throw out for discussion my personal guidelines on the giving of criticism.
1. If it isn't specifically asked for, ask yourself what is your motive for offering it before putting finger to keyboard.
2. If it isn't asked for, offer a
suggestion , don't give a critique.
3. Don't conflate suggestions, criticism and technical advice. They can, & do, overlap but they are not entirely the same.
4. Think very, very carefully before offering any of the above on an image which is in a style you don't personally care for.
5. Giving critique doesn't necessarily make you a better artist unless you apply the same critical eye to your own work.
And why, for goodness' sake, is 'criticism' so bad, but 'critique' so good? Yes, 'criticism' is often used in a pejorative sense but please go read the
definition , put on your big girl panties and stop cissying around
Lastly, consider this meaning of 'criticism':
the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc. Criticism, critique, call it what you may, does not necessarily mean 'finding fault' or 'suggesting improvements'.
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I think those who want more detailed critique than what they normaly get could say so in the comment section of the deviation and even ask specific questions.
I worry that some people will start dishing out 'critique' when it's not asked for and when they are not qualified to do so. (Qualified by reason of experience as well as some proper larnin'
But yes, I agree about that. I always respect a 'Critique not Desired', but may judiciously point to a technical flaw when neutrality is expressed. As for a full critique - that requires serious time to do properly.
Someone recently critiqued one of my pieces. Not the lengthiest critique but covered most of the bases and was perfectly reasonable. However, the change they suggested was one I'd already considered, experimented with and - for good reasons - abandoned. It took him time to write his comment, it took me time to write my response (I didn't want to appear churlish by reason of brevity) and it was all, IMO, wasted time.