LPT: If someone shows you their art, find at least one detail you enjoy:

Submitted by Grass1323 t3_z8fhzx in LifeProTips

A lot of artists, when showing family members/friends/coworkers their art, only receive like a "Good job" or "That looks good/cool." It can be seen as though the person isn't interested in their creation and just want to get the situation over with. To show that you are actively interested (even if you aren't), find at least one detail that you like, and maybe even offer one critique. It shows that you at least give enough of a shit to actually look at it, and it can make your relationship with the person stronger.

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xopranaut t1_iybgti0 wrote

“I like the frame.”

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Anonynous2206 t1_iybzwys wrote

“Man, what a beautiful canvas that must have been”

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CJVCarr t1_iydagnh wrote

And the critique - "Perhaps next time don't do anything do the canvas."

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greenknight884 t1_iyd67u1 wrote

"The five year old who must have painted this is very talented!"

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Red-belliedOrator t1_iybozow wrote

This is a great tip. I don't have an artistic bone in my body, but I know a lot of artists, and it really means a lot to them when the people they care about show an interest in their work. But that's really true for anything. Support your friends and your family. It's a nice thing to do.

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Zetavu t1_iych28m wrote

Actually honesty, done kindly, is the better support. We do not live in a world where you get awards for participation, if someone wants your opinion on something, give them an honest opinion. If they just want praise, then you become part of the problem.

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Red-belliedOrator t1_iydkkjb wrote

If someone asks for your honest opinion, and they're looking for a critique, yes, but if you go to your kid's art show at their junior high, you wouldn't walk up unprompted and say Not your best work, son.

Constructive criticism is an art, and there is an appropriate time for it, but there are plenty of people in the world who are very happy to offer their unvarnished opinions, and very few who are going to be a cheerleader for you. People need cheerleaders as much as they need honest opinions. Knowing which is needed in any particular situation, is also an art, but I think that most of the time, finding something nice to say is almost always the better path, simply because so many others are choosing the other one.

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symmetryofzero t1_iybj70l wrote

This LPT brought to you by an insecure artist.

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kmn493 t1_iyc0hi8 wrote

Or an artist in general. Insecure comes with the territory unfortunately.

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tipustiger05 t1_iyd5m5i wrote

Yes lmao

But seriously - the big reason most people don't make art is because they are afraid of the vulnerability of making something that is going to be judged by others. It's a very vulnerable thing to create something, so every artist, no matter how long they've been making art, has some level of anxiety or insecurity about sharing their art. The only difference between an experienced artist and a newer one is that the experienced artist has slightly thicker skin and more confidence in the value of their own work.

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Emp-Ape t1_iybj19z wrote

I really like how ugly it is. Enjoyment with critique in one sentence.

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Buddahrific t1_iydfbka wrote

This is great! I've always wondered about the process of creating art that is so bad it wraps around and becomes very interesting. Like watching a car crash. How long did this take? 16 hours!? How many of those hours were spent staring off into space? Could you explain why you kept going instead of trashing it at like hour two?

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calculuschild t1_iycus0u wrote

Oh sweetie, I love the cute little horse! Oh it's a flower?

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kmn493 t1_iyc0fyv wrote

100% this! My friend who is an avid artist (but gets little to no attention) comes to me all the time to share his art. I always make sure to mention something specific and often times he'll reply saying he thought that was a good/favorite part of it too. It's really clear that he appreciates those comments too.

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warmachine237 t1_iycnmj6 wrote

Same. One of my friends is a graphic designer, and every once in a while hell show me 3 or 4 designs he has and asks me which ones i like and why. I usually pick one or two and hype them up a little like "woah dude thats amazing, i like the arrangement on this" or something like that, and theyll sound all bubbly for the rest of the day.

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mayathemenace t1_iyc3wxs wrote

This sounds like more of a rant than a life pro tip.

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Acebladewing t1_iyc9cq6 wrote

Another LPT that benefits me in no way and only helps others feel better. Not a LPT, my dude.

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Liszt_Ferenc t1_iycbmy5 wrote

If you are a better friend to people they will make an effort to be better friends to you or be less likely to abandon you in the long run. Being a pleasant human does benefit you.

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Acebladewing t1_iycbrlb wrote

That's not a LPT.

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Liszt_Ferenc t1_iycbtj4 wrote

What‘s your definition of an LPT? To me it just needs to be a tip that can be valuable for my life in some way.

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Acebladewing t1_iycc5lx wrote

That's part of it, but it also needs to be something clever that you normally wouldn't think of naturally. Philosophical advice doesn't fall into that category in my book. And, on the rare occasion that it might, it wouldn't be some basic ass advice like "be nice to others".

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Liszt_Ferenc t1_iyccej0 wrote

This actually isn‘t philosophical advice, but psychological one. As a teacher i use this concept and it definitely helps alot. Instead of saying „good job“ you take one or two specific things and compliment them. This is actual valuable feedback which will help people of all ages understand what exactly they did well. The same obviously goes for criticism, if you are specific people can actually learn. They will appreciate it.

I do agree it‘s „basic“, but many people don‘t know this so i don‘t see any harm in sharing it here.

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Acebladewing t1_iyccni9 wrote

The harm is wasting people's time having to scroll past it and also diluting the sub with basic shit everyone knows so the real LPTs are buried.

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ForceOfAHorse t1_iyd4rv3 wrote

> What is a Life Pro Tip? > > > > A Life Pro Tip (or an LPT) is a specific action with definitive results that improves life for you and those around you in a specific and significant way. > > > > Keep in mind that giving someone advice is not the same as giving someone a LPT. Advice is offering someone guidance or offering someone a recommendation.

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Liszt_Ferenc t1_iyd522z wrote

Okay so it becomes a matter of opinion as to how significant an improvement it makes. In my field as a piano teacher it‘s essential. For others it isn‘t. Although everyone teaches something to others in their lives…

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tipustiger05 t1_iyd5vlx wrote

This truly is the worst sub. I have yet to see any LPT's that aren't completely torn apart.

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Cynical_Egg t1_iyce8y6 wrote

I feel terrible but I hate when people share art unsolicited because I know it normally means they trust me but at the same time if I don’t like something I have a hard time faking it and it makes me feel even worse.

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crownroyalt t1_iyct9a9 wrote

What a stupid LPT. Don’t lie and pretend you like something just to make somebody happy. A good friend doesn’t lie to make you happy. A good friend will tell you they’re not really interested and that shouldn’t affect your relationship. I’m a musician and I understand that the majority of people aren’t really interested in my songs like I am. “That’s cool” comments are par for the course for anybody who creates something. This seems more like a rant so I suggest you get yourself some self confidence because most people will not appreciate things you create like you do.

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[deleted] t1_iydkw43 wrote

This is doubly the case if you have children. My daughter will show me her drawings and I always give a specific praise for her choices and not only the execution. After all, she’s going to get better with practice, but it’s her artistic choices she’s the most proud of.

For example ‘wow, you spent a lot of time on the dress didn’t you? That’s a lot of detail!’ Or ‘I really like how you used all different shades of blue, that’s called monochromatic and it gives your drawing an interesting look’ or ‘Tiana normally has a green dress, but you made it yellow and that was a cool change you made.’

Basically, you may think kids just want to be told their pictures are pretty, but really they like to be acknowledged for their effort, color choices, attention to detail, imagination etc. even more. Like if I say ‘pretty picture’, my daughter is happy but if I say, ‘woah! You made a shadow on the ground? That’s really difficult and I didn’t know you could do that’ her whole face lights up.

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Grass1323 OP t1_iydo7gj wrote

Exactly! Also, providing more than, "You are such a great artist" gives them the confidence they need without boosting their ego to the limit. It's a lot more healthy for children

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LengthyNIPPLE t1_iydq5na wrote

I try not to lie for politeness sake

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Whut4 t1_iyeettd wrote

Find at least one detail you enjoy... is like think of a compliment to give an ugly person you don't like. Why??? Do they need your approval? If someone is confident about their art they don't need a fake compliment. If they lack confidence an insincere compliment will not help them!! A thoughtful question would show much more interest and respect, like how did you get that idea? why did you choose that medium? that subject matter? what inspired you? how did you decide to do that? where did you learn to do that? how did you become an artist? how did you set aside time to work on that? Any question sounds more intelligent than a fake compliment. Bear in mind, I am not suggesting insulting questions like: what is that supposed to be? how much time did you waste on that? who would ever buy that?

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mrBasement t1_iyc83z2 wrote

As a sidenote, if you want to offer constructive criticism also, it goes down better if you start with what you liked and THEN move on to the critique :)

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Atillion t1_iycewd6 wrote

I do the same thing when I give praise to other musicians. I love that harmony line you took, or interesting progression, etc. It really makes the artist feel appreciated. I love when people do it for me. Great tip!

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guestacles t1_iyckiw7 wrote

I really like this painting, it's neat. The colors are neat, the shapes are neat, the overall painting is..... neat.

I'd say its more neato burrito

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Sick-Nurse t1_iydi8gx wrote

You think lying to your friends can make your relationship stronger?

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Grass1323 OP t1_iydlc61 wrote

Not necessarily lying, but finding at least one thing that you do like. There will always be at least something that you enjoy more than the rest, even if it is a shitty picture. Kids come up to me all the time with their art, and I still find something specific that I enjoy. Like the color or the strokes or the lines or whatever. Shows I am paying attention and not just say okay cool bye

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LinceDorado t1_iyf1625 wrote

I mean depending on what kind of art you do, it might be hard for the people to appreciate it. I'd rather have them say nothing than a fake answer lol.

For example imagine you're a musician and show a new song you created to somebody who just isn't into that particualr genre at all. They'll struggle to find something to point out. Not because it's bad, but because it's not for them or because they aren't familiar with details of the genre. That's totally alright.

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keepthetips t1_iybcp7z wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

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GoodMerlinpeen t1_iycnb5p wrote

"It really pushes the boundaries of contemporary perspective" or some other such nonsense.

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MRHBK t1_iyd0qje wrote

You should sell your art - just not to me

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SandMan3914 t1_iyd35k9 wrote

Those brush strokes are unique

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tipustiger05 t1_iyd54b5 wrote

Don't critique unless they ask for it. The other half of the tip is solid.

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fatogato t1_iyddgt0 wrote

“Do you know what I like about this?”

Nothing

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Effective_Pie1312 t1_iydziji wrote

A family member exclusively does collaborative art. Every time I pointed out a detail I enjoyed it was that completed by their collaborator. After that I just fell back on “That looks good/cool” to stop putting my foot in my mouth.

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Dweebil t1_iybxgpi wrote

I’m reminded of the scene in Goodfellas when Joe Pesci compliments his mom’s painting.

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Electronic_Taste_596 t1_iyf40s2 wrote

Showing art to "basic" people can be painful, unless it's photorealistic or traditionally "beautiful". The art I make tends to be more abstract/graphic/urban, and usually deals with complicated subjects like consumerism or subversion. I know that what I am making is very good, because I am an objectively critical person filled with self-doubt and because I occasionally have people that are very knowledgeable about art give me meaningful and validating compliments/critiques (ex. "this could be in an art gallery"). Yet when I show it to family and friends, they tend to give a superficial reflexive response, "that's nice"... Not everything needs to be Bob Ross, charcoal sketches of pets, people! No, my art isn't meant to be hung above your $400 walmart sofa, it's meant to be hung above a $15,000 roche bobois. Well, that's life on the prairies for you... You can really taste the distain here...

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