Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

However, sometimes we can get stuck in our own vision. Artists of any kind can use critique as a way to improve, see different perspectives, and learn.

This article will discuss the difficulties of inviting critique in your floral design work as well as how critique can help you, the designer, move forward.

Art Criticism and Floral Design

What is art criticism? Britannica defines art criticism as "the analysis and evaluation of works of art. More subtly, art criticism is often tied to theory; it is interpretive, involving the effort to understand a particular work of art from a theoretical perspective and to establish its significance in the history of art."

Art criticism, although approached in different forms, has been utilized for centuries—though it has moved away from its more formal roots of the past. Even though less traditional in nature, art criticism still plays an important role in an artist's design process.

Just the mention of the word critique makes me cringe. A common and natural instinct is to think of critique as negative judgment. Having your floral work critiqued by another seems vulnerable and uncomfortable. Do you agree? I certainly did when I began having my art critiqued.

I vividly remember coming to the first critique of my beginning studio art class in college. We had to place our project in the front of the room and wait as our classmates critiqued our work. It felt vulnerable. A piece of work that was mine was now publicly displayed and open for criticism.

So, what changed? In those moments of critique during studio classes, I realized why critique was part of the process. When I only consider my own vantage point, I never open myself up to considering how someone else sees something. Opening myself up to receiving critique allows others to notice things about my work that I otherwise would not have.

This critique from others is not all negative. It is not just a judgment—it can also be made up of positive observations. Sometimes we can be our worst critic and so become blindsided to our strengths.

It is hard to receive feedback from another. So, there is a necessary level of emotional separation needed to receive and give critique. If this is a challenge, ask yourself where your perspective needs to change.

We all have areas we need to grow and improve in as floral artists. Realizing this can allow you to receive negative critique as an opportunity to grow!

Inviting Critique

While inviting critique may seem like a great idea, you may be wondering how this would be realistically implemented in your design process if you do not attend a college studio art class.

Ask many people for observations and critique of your work. I would not recommend asking just one person over and over again to critique your work. This limits you again to just one other vantage point.

Although, when inviting many others into your floral design work, you do want to be mindful that these are simply other observations. Consider others' opinions, but each opinion does not need to alter your work drastically.

Who are the people to Ask?

• Other floral designers. Do you have a community of like-minded floral designers you can trust? Can you create a design community where you encourage and help one another grow? You can also visit the Team Flower Community and post your designs in the "Share Your Work" category. You're bound to receive helpful feedback!

• Artists of other disciplines. You can ask painters, architects, graphic designers, etc., to observe your work. The benefit of asking other types of designers is their mutual understanding of design principles that reach across different mediums of art.

• Friends, family, and possibly clients. If these people do not have an understanding of design principles, they may not be able to give you a critique based on those principles, but they could certainly give you observations.

How to Guide Observations and Critique

When you’re ready to invite others into your design process, ask for specific observations. Simply asking, "Do you like this?" will not return helpful feedback.

Instead, consider some of these questions:

• "What do you notice?"

• "Where is your eye drawn to?"

• "What emotions does it give off?"

• "What do you notice about the shape of the design?"

These are just a few examples, feel free to come up with your own!

Overall, I hope inviting open-hearted artistic critique helps you grow and stretch as a floral designer. Do you have questions that you’ve found helpful to ask clients and other floral designers directly? Jump over to the Team Flower Community and share your thoughts!

Sources:

Kuspit, D. Burton. "Art criticism." Encyclopedia Britannica, August 3, 2014. https://www.britannica.com/art/art-criticism.