Quote - ""Negative feedback about something as personal and emotional as artistic expression are very discouraging to me.

Constructive critique, and opinionated criticizing with a little veiled putdown worked in while at it are two very different things. I love the former, not just love, I eat it up. I detest the latter.""

Man I couldn't agree more.  I pretty much stopped posting images here or even really showing anyone any because although I enjoy constructive critique I do dislike having every image ripped apart.  It was basically as you put it "discouraging".  I can't explain it any better I guess.

Yea, some people think that saying things like, I dodn't like it or I'm tired of this type of images or number of other kinds of negative feedback is critique. Not really. It's destructive criticisam which serves no other purpose then to make the criticized feel better for the moment.  I can be an exper with it, as I grew up with it, which is why most of my family is 6000 miles away and I only have contact with them about once a year. I think most people have seen me do it when I no longer care about the discussion or hurting the other person's feelings... LOL 

Some people are worried that if they get, or give an 'atta boy' that they'll all of a sudden stop growing. That's just such a crock of bull, and nothing but a cop-out for people wanting to dish out their down their nose negative attitude to make themselves feel better, with impunity or backlash.

When my stepkids or my honey do it, like if we drive by another car with a dog in it, and they het on their high hores how our dog is better looking then this other dog... They usually get an earfull from me about not being mean and acting jealous and being nice.

I get especially mad at my honey because he knows better. Hhe has a masters degree in psychology, and is a nationally accomplished swim coach. It's psych and coaching 101, you don't use negative reinforcement or putdowns to train people, or to interact with them (if you want positive results).  Even if there's a valid point there, it gets lost the second the recipient starts feeling bad because the message was couched in negativity.

Most people don't lack in beating themselves up internally, and lack encouragement to get past feeling like they're not worthy and grow. Also, not everyone has the ability, time, talent tools and whatever else it takes to become well rounded high lama artist. Just because they are not, why put them down, or point things that they are not? Usually, the result is people end up feeling bad (to different degrees, whether they show it or admit to it or not. - it's only human.)

While it's also human to be emotionally immature and use putdowns or shaming or bullying of others to make one's self feel better, what I don't like is the lack of tools to limit the exposure to negativity around here. Most places, Usenet, DAZ, I believe deviant art and a myriad other forums and online communities have a feature to ignore a user.

....okay, enough of me on the soapbox here... LOL, I can feel my head morph starting to inflate.

Hi, my namez: "NO, Bad Kitteh, NO!"  Whaz yurs?
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