It has to be trained out. At least it had to be for me. I used to get ruffled when someone hated something I liked or liked something I hated. I'm convinced it's a primal reaction because I'd get defensive and say something totally out of character... and then kind of stand there dumbly wondering where it came from.

Also I find, with my art, I know I need to hear that criticism but opening myself up to that also opens me up to gigantic douche monkeys just being rude and not helpful at all. I'm so sensitive about my work, it comes from my heart and therefore I had to train my heart to understand they were not attacking me, they were helping me... well, not the douche monkeys, the people who offer actual constructive criticism.

To be defensive is such a primal reaction and it took a lot to train it out of me. I found it very useless. It may have had some form of use at one point but it doesn't for me anymore.

I would love to be so awesome as to snuff out candles with a dirty look. o.o That would entertain me to no end.

And, "Barney Fife"? Nah! She-ra Princess of Power maybe? Sorry, I just watched an old episode of that cartoon last night.

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It isn't the cards you're dealt that matters, it's how you play them.

That's probably why I'd rather have criticism from a friend than from a stranger. But there's also those friends that love whatever you draw no matter what. LoL! Mixed blessings, as well.

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The world is not #000000 and #ffffff.... it's more of a mottled #cccccc. [link]

I wish I could find a little community of serious artists with critique skills. Like you said, friends are definitely mixed blessings and dA is so large.

Love your journals, by the way.

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It isn't the cards you're dealt that matters, it's how you play them.

I don't mind people offering me crits when I ask for it. If someone is a douche about it you just mentally give them the middle finger and move on. What gets me is when I don't ask for it, as in I know what I need to improve or it wasn't meant to be a serious art piece, and someone picks it apart. In that case I want to mentally reach through my monitor to them and smack them over the head while saying "You obviously can type, how about you try reading some time?"

It also gets me when someone says X,Y, and Z are wrong...and just end it. So what? What the hell am I going to do with that? X,Y, and Z are wrong WHY? How do I fix it?

Those are the two times when I get defensive: either because I didn't ask or you're not helping.

The problem is the vast majority of people don't know how to give constructive criticism that's actually constructive, even if they have good intentions, and people take that personally or just get irritated with it.

And some people are so used to receiving bad criticism that they forget what good critcism looks like and respond in a defensive manner just out of habit.

I'm sure basic instinct has something to do with it too like you said, taking new information from someone less hits your ego with the realization that you don't know everything...and that's a no-no.

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artists, in whatever field, be it visual art, written word, expression of the body, etc., etc., must be two things: open to change and humble. does it always happen? not necessarily. people in their field never peak; a person never stops learning-- you just can't know everything.

people look at criticism and are unnerved by it when they should be invigorated by it. i've always thought that process of getting there was always more exciting than being there. a lot of people haven't been taught how to give criticism either, so a person can easily mistake it as a personal attack. however, the person on the receiving end needs to learn to respond without getting defensive. i'm still surprised that people in my intermediate creative writing class weren't taught how to give and receive criticism.

but what can you do? a person has to want to improve in order to listen proper. giving critique to people on dA is like talking to a urinal.

does dA even have a piece dedicated to giving proper critique? or receiving it, for that matter? they should.

Thanks! <33 I attempt substance, but no guarantees.

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The world is not #000000 and #ffffff.... it's more of a mottled #cccccc. [link]

They have that pay-to-play thinger where people officially ask for critiques. But for the time being, our opinions are still free. LoL!

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The world is not #000000 and #ffffff.... it's more of a mottled #cccccc. [link]

The first time I got trolled with a stupid crit was on Elfwood. Remember that place? I think it's still around. I even remember her naaaame... that's how badly I want vengeance on that person. LoL!! After all these long years, I still want to punch said person in the ovaries. 8B It's immature, but it'd be oh so satisfying.

I don't even mind if a person who isn't an artist offers valid crits, just because you can't draw doesn't mean you don't have a good idea for proportion and details.

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The world is not #000000 and #ffffff.... it's more of a mottled #cccccc. [link]

HAHA! Yeah! Same with me, on Elfwood. One of my drawings got a Mod Pick, not sure why even to this day, but this one dude who was posting anonymously went through my whole gallery and left a comment on each piece along the lines of "You suck, you should go kill yourself for how bad you are" Quite literally. Fortunately because it was a Mod pick pretty much everyone after that poster called him a douche or was like, 'yeah I don't agree with Mod Pick but bloody hell dude!', but it still made me stop and blink a few times. Like, wth?

And for sure, everyone can dish out good advice even if they're not "artistic" it's just how they do it.

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