NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON here is entitled to fanfiction and fanart. Every single piece of art you reblog or the fics you read are given to you for free, they are gifts. You wouldn’t tell someone giving out free cupcakes that “you shouldn’t have put so much icing on it.” Enjoy the cupcake or don’t take it at all, but you have no right to complain about the cupcake.
To all the people screaming “BUT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!!!1!!11!!!”:
Newsflash: criticism isn’t always wanted.
I don’t want criticism on any of my work unless I ask for it.
The opinions of someone without significant writing/art experience is worthless to me. Unless I 1) ask for it and 2) someone has lots of experience in writing or art, I don’t want critique. Someone saying “i think (x scene) would have been better if (y) happened” doesn’t mean anything to me, since this ‘critique’ isn’t based on anything other than opinion. I wrote it the way I wrote it, and usually by a week after I press the “publish” button on AO3, I am already aware of all the flaws and ways it could be better.
Additionally, sometimes an artist or author creates something for stress relief. Not every piece of art or writing is meant to be ‘perfect,’ to be the epitome of that creator’s work. Sometimes I just gotta doodle a guy in 3/4th view facing left, you know? I don’t need criticism on that, no one does, we know it’s shit but it’s something made by us, for us.
Art/fic isn’t created for you, it’s shared with you.
It is possible to improve without hearing the unsolicited opinions of random strangers. I ask friends who have significant experience or degrees in writing about things, usually during my writing process and not after. I’m still learning and making my work better, but I’m getting tips from people I trust and whose criticism is based in valid thought and not just personal tastes.
Also, sometimes a piece of art/writing is OLD, thus criticism on it would be outdated. I still get “criticism” on a fic from 4+ years ago and it is worthless because I’ve come so far since then. Even art/fic from a few weeks ago could be ‘old’ and the creator could have learned things and moved forward since then.
I find that many people who argue ‘constructive criticism!!!!!!!’ are also just people who are upset about the realization that their opinion isn’t directly shaping every piece of art or writing that they touch. It might seem controversial, but I don’t have to design every piece of art and writing to cater to anyone. I’ve had people tell me directly that “(x character) should be wearing (something else)” or “they wouldn’t do this, this is ooc” in my art/writing, and I’m like “okay thanks, I didn’t ask and I made this exactly how I wanted.”
Like a wonderful artist I know once said, “I only want criticism from people I’m paying (professors) or people who are paying me (commissioners/employers).”
if you want to give me criticism you also need to offer me
- competitive salary
- a 401k match
- 2 weeks vacation time
- health plan with dental and vision
Published
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