A healthy part of creative growth is asking your peers for their thoughts and feedback on your work. It's necessary if you are serious about reaching the next level of your ability.

But it's not easy to hear that your work can be improved, and that feeling can be enough to put off some people from seizing the fabulous opportunity to enhance their talents. 

It should go without saying that when you inevitably seek feedback from your community, the critique you receive should be of good quality. But how will you know you've received useful critique (or that you haven't strayed into giving out bad feedback to one of your peers)?

To ensure you get the most from feedback (and that you don't upset other creatives when dishing it out), it's important to know the difference between giving and receiving good (useful) compared to bad (useless) critique (the latter of which you should avoid). 

The tips in this guide will help you get the most out of the critique process, so you can focus on the productive feedback you receive from your fellow creatives and ensure you give great feedback in return (all of which should help lift and nurture the creative community instead of harm it).

What is constructive critique?

Constructive critique is clear, good-quality feedback on how something can be improved.

This critique is the type that we want to receive and be able to give to others, as it will help everyone improve. It's useful, honest and essential for growth and can include things to improve and to try, as well as potential lessons to learn.

Since constructive feedback aims to help, it usually means the person giving the critique will deliver it respectfully.

A formula for basic constructive critique is a reason (for the critique) plus a suggestion for improvement.

A bonus is adding something you like about the image in the feedback. 

Examples of good feedback:

  • You've done a good job with the styling in the image, but the traffic visible through the window next to the model is not in keeping with the theme of the image and is diverting attention away from the rest of the image. You could crop the image so the window is edited out or remove the traffic from the image by replacing the window with a plain wall instead.

  • The tones in this image are beautiful. However, the image is too dark around the model's face, and the model's hand is poking out from their back in a distracting way. Try lightening the model's face and editing their hand from the image.  

In the examples above, the reviewer has provided specific aspects of the image they think need attention, along with at least one suggestion for improving the image. Plus, they've also mentioned something they like about the image. 

Types of critique to avoid (and ignore)

Not all feedback is good, and there is some critique that you avoid. 

Destructive critique 

This is the opposite of constructive critique. It's an unhelpful form of feedback since it gives the person on the receiving end little or no guidance for improving their work. It focuses on negatives without encouragement or advice on how someone can improve. 

As this feedback can be used to offend or hurt the person on the receiving end, it tends to be vague or non-specific, includes personal attacks and is given abruptly for maximum destruction.

Examples of bad feedback:

  • The photo looks odd 
  • The image is too dark 
  • I don't like it

These comments aren't helpful to the person on the receiving end. How are they supposed to improve the image when there isn't any information about why the person dislikes it or what can be done to enhance it?

It's no good just to say something is wrong with someone's work. You need to give them some information to improve so they can learn from your experience of their work.

Unsolicited critique

Unsolicited critique is feedback that hasn't been asked for. It could be someone giving you feedback on your work when you have not requested it or you giving someone else feedback when they have not asked for it. This experience is usually unpleasant, and the feedback is poorly received (even if the content of the critique has valuable tips for improving).

We don't allow unsolicited critique anywhere on our platform to ensure PurplePort is a friendly, thriving, creative space for our members. Instead, we have dedicated spaces where our members can ask for feedback when they are ready, and others can freely give constructive feedback to help them improve.

This allows our creatives to choose when they want to receive feedback and gear themselves up for growth and improvement. When the time is right for them, PurplePort members can either ask for feedback on a specific image (or images) in the Single Image Critique group or request feedback on their portfolio in our Portfolio Review group.

Tips for how best to receive constructive critique

Asking peers in your community for feedback on improving your work is a powerful way to grow.

Use the tips below for how best to ask others for constructive feedback and take on board the advice generously given to you. 

Ask for constructive critique

If you want to receive feedback on your work, it's worth starting clearly that you are asking for (constructive) critique. This gives other creatives the green light to dive in and give you essential, juicy feedback. 

Check that it is feedback you seek (and not just validation of your opinion)

Before you ask your peers to spend their time carefully analysing your work and sharing helpful feedback for how you can improve, ask yourself whether you genuinely want a critique of your work (and that you aren't just seeking validation of your own opinion of your work). 

Imagine how receiving feedback on your work may feel. Are you open to hearing what may be wrong and how it could be improved? 

If you do want feedback, prepare yourself to potentially hear something about your work that you might not like but will genuinely help you improve. 

Avoid getting defensive

Take the feedback on board. Always be respectful, and don't get personal or attack others. There's no need to get defensive or rude if you hear something (constructive) that you don't like. 

You don't have to agree with what is said or even use it. You can thank the person who gave their feedback and move on.

Be clear about what you want feedback on

When you know what you want to receive feedback on, explain this explicitly so there's no doubt about what you wish to be critiqued:

  • Is it one image or multiple images?
  • Is it the whole image or an aspect of the image?
  • Is it your entire portfolio or just your portfolio notes?
  • Is it how you pose in an image or how you pose in all your images? 

This will help avoid bad feelings, which can be caused by confusion about what is being asked for. 

Thank the person who gives you feedback

Remember that by asking others to review your work, you ask them to take time out of their lives to give you their thoughts on improving it. Your peers are investing their time in you and your future.

Whether or not you like the feedback you receive, a simple thank you takes seconds and is the courteous thing to do.

Tips for how giving constructive critique that will help others

When one of your fellow creatives asks for feedback on improving their work, it's worth reminding yourself that they are allowing themselves to be vulnerable and want to grow.

Use the tips below to ensure you give the best constructive feedback so your fellow creatives can take on board the advice you give to refine their work. 

Only give feedback when you have been asked to by the creative

You see an image and spot something you feel is crucial for improving the image. But has the creative asked for feedback on their work? 

If the answer is no, it's best to move on. You don't want to give unsolicited critique. You could note your thoughts down somewhere so you can share them if the creative ever asks for feedback in the future.  

Is your feedback about what has been asked?

Ensure your feedback is based on the work presented (not something else). Check whether your critique is about the image you are looking at or how you feel about the genre of the image or idea. If you don't like landscapes whatsoever, will even a well-composed landscape photo ever satisfy you? 

Also, check that the feedback you are giving is for work the person asking for critique has produced. For example, if a model asks for feedback on their work in an image they modelled in, it's not helpful to them if you start providing tips for how they can improve aspects of the image they did not work on (e.g. the post-processing of the image).

Be specific in your feedback 

Avoid being vague. Even if comments sound nice (e.g. "love your work" or "that is amazing"), these alone won't be helpful to the person who wants to improve their work. 

What exactly do you see in their work that can be improved? And how do you think that can be achieved?

Give the creative some direction, specific tips or pointers so they can implement your suggestion.

Your feedback should help (not put someone down)

Don't be personal. State what you don't like about the image and how that aspect can be improved. Simply blurting out negatives about an image isn't helpful.  

Remember, your work is special to you, as other people's work is to them. It can be hard to hear something that isn't quite right about it (even if we know it deep down inside).

Be gentle with the person. They've made a big step in asking for feedback, and you can help make that a good experience. It could mean they come back again and ask for feedback on their subsequent work. 

Mention something you like about the image

Find something you like about the image, even if you think the image needs a lot of improvement. Tell the person what you enjoy about their image, and then give them some good-quality feedback about what you didn't feel worked well in their image and how they can change this next time.  

Sometimes we like many things about an image, and we need to nitpick to find a small way to improve the image. Even in these moments, tell the person how much you like their image (and what about it you like), and then dive in with the slight improvement you feel would make it even better.

Use the 'feedback sandwich' technique

In How to give and take constructive criticism, Maureen Obatomi (BetterUp Fellow Coach) suggests using a popular technique known as a 'feedback sandwich' to ensure your feedback is well received.

This is where your critique opens with a positive followed by a suggestion for improvement and ends with another positive (in the form of positive-improvement-positive, like a sandwich). It's a great technique to deliver constructive critique in a pleasant way.

Embrace constructive critique and use it to be your best

Use the tips in this guide to practice constructive critique and be your best. 

Asking for (good) feedback will help you reach your maximum potential, and giving (good) feedback makes you a considerate peer in your community by helping lift your fellow creatives so they can reach their full potential.  

Constructive critique is something to help you improve your work (and others too). Be thoughtful when you give it and grateful when you receive it. 

Remember, everyone starts somewhere! We are all just finding our way in life and trying to be the best we can be.

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