I generally don't solicit or use feedback because my work is great from the inception.
Just kidding. That statement isn't true. When you are woking on something, a lot of the times you become so involved that you blind yourself, missing out on potential growth. Feedback is important in the birthing process of a creative work, just like a mid-wife or an epidural is important during the birthing of other things (namely babies). You could do it alone, but it's not a good idea. However, the important thing is to remember your creative vision. This will help you decide on which suggestions to use and which to dismiss.
There are several ways to obtain feedback. You can take it personally to someone whose (notice the proper use of ‘whose’) opinion you trust. Ideally, this person will understand you and your creative drive. Another way is to submit it to mass view, whether it be YouTube or class or whatever. The advantage of this is you can see how the average joe reacts to your work. Also, be receiving feedback from a lot of different people, you can see if there is a common theme or suggestion.
Here is an example from my own experience in class. We screened my "Bowling" documentary in class. A lot of people said that it was redundant and repetitive (kind of like my usage of those two words). Because quite a few people commented on that, I know it is a legitimate concern. And because it doesn't hinder my creative vision, I will work on fixing that. Also, a few people suggested that I focus more on the machine while a couple wanted to see more of the bowler. Because this was only suggested by a handful of people, I am going to guess that it was not that important to the overall film. So, it's within my own discretion as to whether I change that or not.
With giving feedback, it's important to be constructive. If you liked something, say why. If something didn't work explain why it didn't. Also, it's important to actually give feedback. I noticed in class the other day, while giving feedback about our final docs, that a lot of people (myself included) were merely asking questions about the subject, a lot which, I imagine, would be explained in the documentary. A lot of us were asking questions as opposed to making suggestions or whatever.
So, my goal is to ask more people. As of right now, I ask either my roommate or one of my friends. If I want to really improve my work, I feel that I should ask a wide gamut of people, including 1 or 2 whose opinion I trust. That is all.
Just kidding. That statement isn't true. When you are woking on something, a lot of the times you become so involved that you blind yourself, missing out on potential growth. Feedback is important in the birthing process of a creative work, just like a mid-wife or an epidural is important during the birthing of other things (namely babies). You could do it alone, but it's not a good idea. However, the important thing is to remember your creative vision. This will help you decide on which suggestions to use and which to dismiss.
There are several ways to obtain feedback. You can take it personally to someone whose (notice the proper use of ‘whose’) opinion you trust. Ideally, this person will understand you and your creative drive. Another way is to submit it to mass view, whether it be YouTube or class or whatever. The advantage of this is you can see how the average joe reacts to your work. Also, be receiving feedback from a lot of different people, you can see if there is a common theme or suggestion.
Here is an example from my own experience in class. We screened my "Bowling" documentary in class. A lot of people said that it was redundant and repetitive (kind of like my usage of those two words). Because quite a few people commented on that, I know it is a legitimate concern. And because it doesn't hinder my creative vision, I will work on fixing that. Also, a few people suggested that I focus more on the machine while a couple wanted to see more of the bowler. Because this was only suggested by a handful of people, I am going to guess that it was not that important to the overall film. So, it's within my own discretion as to whether I change that or not.
With giving feedback, it's important to be constructive. If you liked something, say why. If something didn't work explain why it didn't. Also, it's important to actually give feedback. I noticed in class the other day, while giving feedback about our final docs, that a lot of people (myself included) were merely asking questions about the subject, a lot which, I imagine, would be explained in the documentary. A lot of us were asking questions as opposed to making suggestions or whatever.
So, my goal is to ask more people. As of right now, I ask either my roommate or one of my friends. If I want to really improve my work, I feel that I should ask a wide gamut of people, including 1 or 2 whose opinion I trust. That is all.
I really liked some of the things that you stated here. I feel that they are very important, however, I myself tend to forget to really focus on them when thinking about this subject. It is so true that, after working on a project for a long time, you sort of get ‘dulled’ to it and are more likely to miss things. This is, I believe, on of the fundamental reason to get feedback in the first lace--so you can see what may have just slipped under your radar.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of your post was differentially the beginning where you compared feedback to giving birth. I think there should be more comparison like that in life-it would make everything better I think. But really I liked your points you made about giving accutal feedback not just "I liked..." or "this part was weird...". I know I do this to other people but I hate it when people do it to me, so I think it's something that most people need to work on and get better at.
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