Honestly, does negative feedback take the wind out of you?

Hilarioushenry · Post by **Hilarioushenry** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:54 pm

I think that no real feedback is worse than any feedback. No feedback just makes me think that no one reads my comic or has any investment in it to suggest ways in which I can improve.

Paoken · Post by **Paoken** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:05 am

I'm with Henry, I've only gotten a few bits of feedback, but almost all of it was constructive (to be fair most of it was on these forums too) and it made me think no one cared...but then I realized I hardly ever post or try to pimp my comic, which is something I'm trying to do more of now. But I've used the constructive and I think it really improved my comic, someone advised that I try to use less 'abrasive' colors, not so many brights. After doing that I noticed that the comic looked a lot better. My personal favorite was when someone told me that they guessed the whole comic and my writing sucked...I pride myself in the plot twists I have later in the comic and since this was back when I first started it was kind of hard to 'guess' anything when you're only ten comics in. But I like to think that I've developed a rather thick skin and a quick wit when it comes to insults...I had enough of them hurled at me in Junior High and High school

Sortelli · Post by **Sortelli** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:16 am

I'm kinda anxious to get negative feedback, honestly. I try to study my own flaws intently and when no one else brings them up I worry that I'm going to be blinded by the praise I get and not see things that need to change.

So either I'm going to get negative feedback that I agree with, or I'm going to get negative feedback that gives me a new perspective on my work, or I'm going to get a negative comment about something that I know I did right. The first two spur me to do better, the last one ends up making me more confident in myself.

Rcmonroe · Post by **Rcmonroe** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:46 am

My advice to anyone who is tempted to let negative criticism get them down is to read this.

It's got to be the most painstaking, unrelenting criticism of a webcomic you're ever likely to find. And it's updated several times daily for your viewing pleasure!

The point is, some people are going to like what you do, and some people are going to hate it. Learn to separate the useful criticism from the useless. Use the critiques that can help you, ignore the rest.

Princess · Post by **Princess** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:34 am

It's depressing when you think you've improved in an area, then to find...you still haven't.

I have been working hard trying to improve my writing, but I found some comments on a blog about how bad it is *mortifying!*

I don't have a thick skin

Hilarioushenry · Post by **Hilarioushenry** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:38 am

See, I almost have the opposite problem. I'd rather have the negative feedback than no feedback at all. Granted, I LOVE positive feedback...but it's more important to me that I just get feedback. It tells me that there are people reading my stuff. And to an insecure webcomic artist like myself, knowing there's an audience is important.

Eh, I'm just repeating myself it seems.

Arkaina · Post by **Arkaina** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:11 am

I'm on Henry's side. I like getting feedback, even if it's "you suck". I just liked to be informed that people are paying attention. I can look at the stats to see how many people have visited my site that day, but it still doesn't feel like anyone out there sees it.

I need to change my forum, because the only people that are registering are robots and I can't turn on the text thing. Mercury Board sucks

Keffria · Post by **Keffria** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:46 am

Sortelli wrote:I'm kinda anxious to get negative feedback, honestly. I try to study my own flaws intently and when no one else brings them up I worry that I'm going to be blinded by the praise I get and not see things that need to change.

Quoted for truth. I like to have my ego stroked, but I also like it when people tell me HEY YOU THIS SUCKS AND HERE IS WHY, because if one person says it, who knows how many other people are saying it? I like to be aware of my flaws so that I can work to improve them.

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:51 am

Criticism, actual criticism, negative or positive, is the most useful thing your audience can do you for. Never EVER ignore it cause you thought you were perfect and someone's shattered your world view. If you're thinking like that, then I really hope this is a hobby and not a potential career for you.

Listen to sensible crit, and take something away from it. Don't have a strop about it.
Also-

As much as I like to scream out loud how the artist(s) are the only one who truly know the direction of a work of art, and that critism has to be taken with a grain of salt...

None of you actually think like that, do you? Art is for everyone, not just for other artists. You're gonna be reaching a small audience if you act like that.

Turnsky · Post by **Turnsky** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:06 am

Komiyan wrote:Criticism, actual criticism, negative or positive, is the most useful thing your audience can do you for. Never EVER ignore it cause you thought you were perfect and someone's shattered your world view. If you're thinking like that, then I really hope this is a hobby and not a potential career for you.

Listen to sensible crit, and take something away from it. Don't have a strop about it.
Also-
As much as I like to scream out loud how the artist(s) are the only one who truly know the direction of a work of art, and that critism has to be taken with a grain of salt...
None of you actually think like that, do you? Art is for everyone, not just for other artists. You're gonna be reaching a small audience if you act like that.

there is a little art snobbery with some of the *ahem* more successful artists, nobody here, but i think the attitude behind Criticism is rather important, not that various language tones translate very well across the internet, but one can recognize just what sort of inflection a person is trying to get across.

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:13 am

It's true, you can tell if someone's critting for the sake of being a dick. As you said yourself, though, you can tell who's doing that and who's doing it to help you out, and you're doing them and yourself a disservice if you ignore them.

Turnsky · Post by **Turnsky** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:26 am

Komiyan wrote:It's true, you can tell if someone's critting for the sake of being a dick. As you said yourself, though, you can tell who's doing that and who's doing it to help you out, and you're doing them and yourself a disservice if you ignore them.

very true, i've got a lot to thank towards people being helpful, one of them i think of as my mentor, actually.

Mon Ami · Post by **Mon Ami** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:22 am

I would not take anything seriously unless they were able to prove it o-o:

Warofwinds · Post by **Warofwinds** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:52 am

It depends on two things:
1) if the crit is helpful
2) AND if I asked for it.

As a full-time pre-med student, I do my comic for myself amid stress, stress and more stress. Sure, I'm intent upon improving my skills and I like sharing a passion, but when I put work up for viewing for free, I expect people to keep negative comments to themselves. The last time I found a totally random negative comment about the comic, I got really, really, pissed. Pissed enough I considered for a very long moment taking the entire project down and keeping it to myself. I believe no one has ANY right to say negative things about a person's work unless asked either by that creator or by others, and it should never, ever, be splayed about for everyone to see.

Then again, I'm red-haired and testy like that. It just really gets on my nerves.

Rao! · Post by **Rao!** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:13 am

To everyone who has posted in this thread that complained about the lack of critism:

Everything you have ever done ever smells like old bananas.

Yay!

Uncaringmachine · Post by **Uncaringmachine** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:30 am

Well, I got the whole "you should do a comic about a subject you know about" and "I know a lot about the goth culture and you don't" sorta criticisms. But I've also been told my lettering is bad, which I'm attempting to remedy.

Linkara · Post by **Linkara** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:21 am

Sometimes it can. For example, when I posted a group picture for a couple characters I was making, the folks in IRC tore it a new one and it depressed me... for about an hour. Then it just drove me to further improve my artistic skills. ^^

Today I just read some negative feedback I got on my first book, calling it flat and uninteresting. They don't cite any examples, but it's still a legitimate criticism for them to make since they paid for the book to begin with. I feel kind of bad about it, but then I think that there were two sales for that month, so another person may have actually liked it. ^_~ Still, someone took the time to read it and I appreciate that and I have a thick enough skin to live through some people disliking my work.

Siabur · Post by **Siabur** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:26 am

What's feedback? People read your comics?

RobertBlake · Post by **RobertBlake** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:52 am

Any kind of feedback is better than no feedback. However, the occasional "this sucks" or "you draw like a 4-year old" do take a bit of wind out of my sails, but it doesn't take long to get over it.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:28 pm

I mainly get offended when other comics complain about getting feedback such as 'you draw like a ten year old', mainly because I reckon most ten year olds can actually draw better than half the crap that's out there.

Last year there was a nine year old who could almost draw my characters just as well as I could.