Oh, dare I ask?

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Mouse

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One thing I noticed, reading through my husband's photo thread for his glass art, is that the adtists that respond are generous with CONSTRUCTIVE criticism...."That piece is a little janky, but you pushed yourself out of the box and did something new...keep trying, you'll get it!" Or, if they recognize a flaw in technique, they will give him pointers on technique so it will come out better the next time. I don't see much of that here, and that's cool; I suppose if I want constructive criticism I have to ask for it?? It's very nice to get tons of compliments when I post a picture, but I often wish for criticism.
Thanks for listening. :wink:
 
Yes, so am I, for sure!
I asked him if these type of comments offended him (he has a lot of pride in his work) and he says not at all; they are the best comments, because they help him make corrective adjustments.
When I post photos from now on, I'm going at ask point blank for critique.
 
haha. yes. some people are more sensitive than others so I keep those comments to myself. it's best to ask "what could I improve" if you want that kind of help.
 
oh, for soap-related stuff I generally don't just give a pat on the back - I give constructive criticism. my goal is to help, tho some don't seem to like hearing it.

i don't often look at the photos though, not sure why.
 
What style of soap I may like may not be what you are going for. That is why it is hard to criticize anyone's work. There are so many different techniques and styles in soapmaking. I don't want to offend anyone for their style being different. Soapmaking is not that technical. I do think there is great feedback and help with recipes on here, which is the important part of soapmaking. The style is up to you!
 
Some of the soaps that I've made that I didn't like, have been raved over by the younger generation, so it's "horses for courses" most of the time. I wouldn't like to offend people with my comments either as I'm sensitive and I assume most people are too. :wink:
 
I have to confess, I'm a tad disappointed. It's been a huge blessing to be able to interact with other soapers, for me part of that valuable interaction would be honest criticism of my work. I'm not interested in posting photos of my stuff, or submitting it to a swap, if I will only get applause and praise, most especially if it's insincere.
I don't mean to be overcritical or sound harsh, it's just how I feel. I guess I understand that some are really sensitive. I sympathize. I just feel uncomfortable about the praise I get here when I post photos. I now don't know if those comments are honest :(
I am still really looking forward to the upcoming swap, though. I can't wait to see everyone's work and share what I do.
Thanks for the replies.
 
Crap, I don't mean I think you all are dishonest...*sigh* That didn't come out right. What I mean was, reading through your responses there seems to a general consensus (other than carebear) that one shall not criticize another's work.
So, it makes me wonder how often people hold back from giving others pointers on technique, stuff they can see from the pics..but that person gets 20 comments praising their work to the skies. I dunno, I totally sound like a whiner right now! It was just SO AWESOME reading my DH's photo thread, all that constructive criticism and dialogue...I guess I'm a little jealous, but I'll get over it, and just take good comments with a grain of salt.. :oops:
 
I've never gotten the vibe that people here are not sincere, they will just pick points to give you praise on and maybe just not mention the bodgy parts of it.

Soapmaking is a different set of skills to what your husband does and it wouldn't be appropriate to try and look at it the same.

To get constructive criticism you would really need to define what your goal was, like you wanted an awesome swirl, or a certain look and then did you achieve that and if you fell short people could help say where you could improve.

I've seen lots of people here offer constructive criticism ie advice on getting a smoother cut or less air bubbles or a better swirl, but at the end of the day alot of the pics people post of soap look great so people say so!

Nothing for us to be ashamed of here, I think this is a great forum full of great people who are genuinely supportive and encouraging and I don't for a second feel like people just patronize me if I post stuff in general or pictures.
 
I'm with Hazel on this- if you want a critical appraisal on how your soap looks, you need to ask.

To many if not most of us here, soap is a creative outlet- a medium in which we can let our artistic expressions have free reign. In other words, there's no such thing as a 'right way' that a soap should look.....well.... other than the fact that it shouldn't be oozing lye, etc., that is. :wink:

Apart from technical/scientific formulation problems like oozing lye, though (which are easy to critique because there's a scientific foundation to base an honest crtitique upon), there is really no solid scientific foundation to base a critique upon when it comes to someone's chosen 'look' for their soap, other than pure personal opinion, which is going to differ from person to person, for after all, beauty truly is in the eye of the the beholder. Who wants to risk hurting someone's feelings or diss someone's artistic expression over something as nebulous as a personal opinion? I certainly don't.

If you ask, though- well, that's a different story. But like Cuckoo Bananas said, you need to be specific about what kind of crtique you're looking for.

Like Carebear, I'm not sure why, but I don't look too often in the picture gallery either. I'm happiest when discussing and offering advice on the actual process of soapmaking such as proper formulation (i.e., making sure a recipe will not turn out lye-heavy or DOS prone), or disspelling popular but untrue soaping myths, etc...., or making sure to use the proper safety procedures, or troubleshooting what caused a soap batch to go wrong, etc...

When it comes to how a soap looks....well...I consider that to be in the realm of artistic expression where there is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer.

IrishLass :)
 
If u ask for critque I'll give it. :lol:
But I'll b that I love it!! ..... I love alllllll soap....literally........ even rebatches that look like spam...... so I'm not lying when I say I love it...I really do!! :lol:
 
I'm always honest. I don't look at all of the photos in the gallery straight away either, so if I don't comment, please don't think that I don't like your soap. I can nearly always find something to like.
 
Mouse said:
I have to confess, I'm a tad disappointed. It's been a huge blessing to be able to interact with other soapers, for me part of that valuable interaction would be honest criticism of my work. I'm not interested in posting photos of my stuff, or submitting it to a swap, if I will only get applause and praise, most especially if it's insincere.
I don't mean to be overcritical or sound harsh, it's just how I feel. I guess I understand that some are really sensitive. I sympathize. I just feel uncomfortable about the praise I get here when I post photos. I now don't know if those comments are honest :(
I am still really looking forward to the upcoming swap, though. I can't wait to see everyone's work and share what I do.
Thanks for the replies.

Our comments to a new soaper will be "kinder" and more supportive than those to an experienced one, or one selling soaps - because chances are they ARE great for your level of experience.
 
Yes, that makes sense, carebear. Thanks everyone for your replies and for engaging in the discussion.
I love every part of the forum, and it's been an incredible resource for me. I really appreciate everyone here very much!
 
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