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Fueling The Fire: The Importance of Feedback for Creatives
June 5th, 2008 by EveOn May 20th, I had the honor of being a portfolio reviewer at the HOW Design 2008 Conference in Boston. 120 conference attendees (Students, young designers just starting out, and others looking for a reality check) signed up to show off their talents and get (hopefully) constructive criticism on where they were in their design careers, and what they might want to do in order to move to the next level.
And I’m still not sure who was more nervous that day, me or them.
As a design student once myself, dissolving tragically into puddles of salty tears after a professor ripped apart my work, portfolio reviews always felt like a special torture just this side of root canal: Something you had to do, which you knew was going to hurt a lot, and that you hoped would be for the best in the long run (although you were never really 100% sure at the time).
Now many years later, as both a seasoned designer/creative director and professor, I find my approach to the review of another’s work has become a fragile balance, tempering the importance of helping someone learn & grow with the reality of survival as a creative in an often-difficult world. Do you “tough love” them in order to make them stronger or do you handle the critique of their work with the delicacy afforded a Faberge egg? Is the “constructive” part of the critique like a bone you throw to soothe the bite of other feedback that may not be so great? Where does the line fall between telling it like it is, and suggesting how much better a few changes would make it?
Before the review, I really struggled with how to approach this group in Boston, wanting to make sure that no one walked away without something valuable. I found that some had prepared well with books that reflected a depth and breadth of work. Others showed glimpses of brilliance that just needed a little bit more coaxing to fully realize. Some argued with me, profanely, and told me where I could put my review. And yet others didn’t even seem to care, begging the question of why they bothered to show up in the first place.
No matter how they arrived at the review, I made sure each person left with something to think about, work on, and explore — but not with any answers. Every creative has to find that for themselves because there’s never only one that’s “right”, and that alone is a hard but critical lesson to learn.
Ultimately, the role of feedback (both good and bad) in the creative process at any level is to be the oxygen that feeds the fire. Without it, we could not survive, but sometimes special handling can inspire us create something we didn’t even notice was there all along.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Being a reviewer at the same conference, I agree with parts of what you said. I think that a) not too many people takes the time to give proper feedback that is on target and b) everyone is afraid to hit a nerve and tell someone their work is so bad they don’t belong in the design field. I think that harsh criticism is sorely missed both in the academic world and the professional world of design. There is a reason why the field is so over-saturated with people who think they are a designer because they know the software. You can hardly blame them; they were not taught otherwise nor were the given the right direction. Oft times it is the fault of professors who feel sorry for the student and they push them through with the lowest of grades needed to get their degree. Not everyone is meant to be a designer, and if that becomes clear early on in their design career, they should be told so instead of receiving sugar-coated advice. I saw drastic change in my own work the moment I was in a class where the professor was very harsh and (seemingly) un-supportive with their criticism. Looking back now, those were the best professors I had.
I don’t think you can coax good design out of someone. They either have it or they don’t. If they do, then mix in occasional praise with somewhat harsh BUT precise criticism. If they don’t have it, say so and save them a four-year degree in the wrong major.
June 9th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
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