Life is neat because we all just get to do our own thing. Sometimes folks like to look in and give their opinions and that’s alright, it is often a sign of affection. As humans in this world we should be open to communication, but we also should feel comfortable enough in our own skin to take what applies and leave the rest.
This piece is about that feeling of critics stepping in and saying something that did not need to be said. You know, when you stand there and you wonder “What’s the point?”
A few years ago I was looking at a sweet piece of art hanging in a gallery. It was abstract and by my standards of color and composition it was technically good, I certainly liked it. As I stood looking at the piece I was approached by another person who stood beside me and we began to chat about the piece. The person (well, let’s call them the critic) was full of opinions and they made it obvious they were not fond of the work. The critic was listing off reasons why this piece was not actually technically good, and I listened even though I believed them to be inaccurate. The critic felt comfortable enough to tell me that the work did not deserve to be shown in the gallery space. I listened, and I spoke up a bit, but really I was just waiting for the critic to finish up so I could move onto the next piece since I was finding the experience was becoming less and less enjoyable. Nearing the end of the conversation the critic informed me that they were actually friends with this artist, they knew them quite well in fact. I was weirded out by the disdain the critic felt towards their friends trade.
This conversation and experience was so minor, and honestly it should have left my mind years ago. It had little to no bearing on my life. However, sometimes when I am looking at my own art I hear that critic speaking about their friend and I wonder what was the critics point?
It is a curious thing how the critic can show up when we are enjoying something and tells us why we should not. I think it is important to insist upon fact rather than opinion. Like I said, life is neat because we all just get to do our own thing. Don’t let the in-affectionate critic tell you you can’t hang in the gallery, let the gallery tell you that. And If the gallery tells you that you can’t hang there than find out why and let the facts have sway over your actions. Or don’t. Their point may or may not be valid either.
In Mr. Hendrix’s words “I’ve got my own life to live, I’m the one that’s going to have to die when it’s time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
