when someone i don’t know thinks an art piece i’ve created is dumb, my assumption is that they think i’m dumb. this is because when i see an art piece that is uninspired or derivative, my assumption is that the artist is uninspired. if i’m being my most charitable self, the person i want to be at all times, i’ll assume they haven’t yet found their voice. regardless, i believe that a person’s creations are intrinsically linked to the person.
the result is i have a tough time with criticism, because i want to be liked and known and if bobby doesn’t like my art, then they might not like me. similarly, if bobby hates a piece of art that i like, i’m concerned that bobby hates the artist. so i try to be a peacemaker between bobby and the artist, but this ends up being a fool’s errand because bobby never put their feelings about the art onto the artist.
but is that really true? is bobby being totally honest when he tells me that his annoyance with the creation in no way reflects his feelings about the creator? am i the only monster that conflates the two?
image credit: alex archambault