artistic feedback: what i think i know, to-date

I’m no expert on feedback, but I think I’m getting a lot better from decades of doing this artist thing. And if you’re creative in any way (whether it’s your full-time job, an active part-time activity, or simply something you dabble in), you’re going to find yourself both giving and receiving feedback.

Here’s my current manifesto on receiving feedback (The Receiver):

• limit asking for feedback from only artistic-minded people, those who are more likely to have some experience with feedback

• avoid public feedback sessions (like talk-backs after staged readings in theater).

• if you absolutely have to do it publicly, make sure you have a moderator you trust deeply.

• no matter who you give your work to, communicate specifically what you want them to comment on (e.g. clarity, continuity, visuals, character growth, etc)

• ask follow up questions, but do not explain your choices unless you are asked to explain your choices.

• it is okay to ask if an element succeeded or failed, but again, be specific. Start with yes/no (e.g. was the reveal of the killer's identity satisfying?), and then follow that up with what went right in that scene/chapter/passage. you will be able to deduce what didn't work through omission.

• save for your closest collaborators and colleagues (i.e. those people who know your work very very intimately), avoid negatively-framed questions. ask only for what worked. deduce what did not work.

• above all else, it is the responsibility of the receiver to steer the feedback. do not tell the giver that they’re doing it wrong. simply ask a new question that will guide the giver back to the kind of feedback you need. that will guide them back to WHAT WORKS

And for giving feedback (The Giver):

• find out from the receiver what medium to use for feedback (i.e. phone, zoom, email, text, in-person). In-person is, of course, the most thorough and intimate, while email/text can be fine for a few short positive thoughts. but i highly encourage oral feedback over written.

• ask the receiver if they have any frameworks for feedback before you read/view their work. this will affect how you approach their art.

• focus entirely your feedback on WHAT WORKS. what did you like? how did it make you feel? anything blow your mind? what stood out in the best ways?

• if you focus heavily on WHAT WORKS, the receiver will know what to strive for, and they will deduce what DOES NOT WORK by asking follow up questions.

• anything that DOES NOT WORK should only be offered by the giver in the form of a question, and that question should be as open ended as possible? (e.g. “Why do you, the writer, think their marriage fell apart?” “Why do you think the grizzled old cop stays in his job?” "Deep down, what does the priest really think about god?")

• that being said, question-asking by the Giver is an advanced form of feedback. if your questions are too specific (e.g. “Don’t you think she should express her love differently here?”) then they’re really just thinly-veiled barbs. don't go too hard into questions.

Some exceptions to the above (The Giver):

• always point out egregious continuity errors, but do so gently. (e.g. “I noticed on page 32, you say he took a cab to the city, but on page 60, he’s driving his own car home.”)

• you might could point out typos/syntax errors, but do so judiciously. if you tell them about every missing comma, you’re going to exhaust everyone involved.

• always point out harmful language/stereotypes/tropes. how you do this is delicately. start with how you felt when you read the passage. this will usually be enough for them to change it. but it might not. the important thing is you communicated it. it is the receiver’s choice to leave it in or change it. trust them to do the right thing.

Final thoughts for both parties:

• feedback is emotionally, physically, and spiritually tiring for all. schedule a start and stop time for your session. 

• remember that only the artist is an authority on their work. the artist never needs to explain their work to any one but themselves.

• ultimately, feedback is a one-way street from giver to receiver. it is a gift. it might not be the gift you, the receiver, wanted, but it IS a gift. take it home, and cherish it, ignore it, or throw it away. totally up to you, because you are the artist.

Okay, so that’s what I have so far on this document. I wanted to share it with y’all, bc many of you are also writers/artists. In the spirit of the topic here, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what YOU would include in your version of this list. (yes, i’m violating my earlier rules by opening this up to public feedback, but also this isn’t really an artistic project. it’s a bulleted list of suggested procedures.)

Also, let me know if anything above stands out to you in a good way. And what have your positive feedback experiences been like?

-jeffrey cranor