This week I have seen my first uncomplimentary review of my book The Deep Black Pond. All and all it was not that bad, but still it can be a blow to ones ego. I, however, was pleased to see it. In the past I have shown my book to many people and I have always asked for honest feedback, good or bad, but more often than not most people would just say, "It looks really good." Not the sort of feedback that you can do very much with. I think most people are good intentioned, but just don't want to hurt your feelings by telling you something that you might not like to hear.
As artists we have to put our work out there for all people to see, and the best work evokes emotions in others. All work has an intent behind it, but how the public reacts to it can be quite different from what you intended. This is not necessarily a bad thing. From the days when I was working in film I was always fascinated by how people seemed to want to read more into an artists work than was ever intended.
The review I received this week came from Michigan Science, if you can believe that. The reviewer made some very good points, and that will help me to improve my work in the future. So I am thankful for the impartial critique. I agree with many of the reviewer's points but I also think in some respects that the reviewer might have been over analyzing what I always intended to be a simple bed time story. All that being said I now have much to think about while writing my next project, and hopefully I will be able to improve my technique without loosing any of my style.
It is so important to get negative, as well as positive, feedback to help all of us grow as artists. I already know where most of my sort comings and challenges lie, so when I am seeking feedback what I am looking for is not conformation of my short comings but a different perspective of how someone is viewing my work, and that is exactly what the review in Michigan Science did for me. Thank you.
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