Compliments!

Elisabeth:
I loved seeing your mother grow up through the pictures. Your mother seems absolutely delightful. I really enjoyed hearing her comments on being a scholar and being a mother. I think you really conveyed how important it is to continually progress, and it’s important for women to find a balance between scholarship and taking care of their responsibilities as a mother. It was lovely to hear her sing. I loved the variety of pictures; they were very interesting, thank you!


Mont:
Very professional. ☺ I loved the artwork you accompanied your interview with! This was delightful. You really conveyed their personalities. I liked being able to see the animation and hear their music, it was a beautiful insight into who they were and how they convey that through their art and music. I really enjoyed the questions you asked, they were very thought provoking, especially when the artist discussed how much darker he believed his work would be without the Gospel. Thank you for doing such a wonderful job!

Feedback on Mormon Artist Presentations

Lizz-I thought your presentation was absolutely wonderful! The way you presented this sculpturer's ideas about God and art really inspired me. One thing that he said that really caught me was when he mentioned that the art brought him closer to God. I thought that was something that I can think about when doing film. I hope that my art also can bring me closer to my Heavenly Father and that I can inspire his children to want to do great things because of the work that I present. I think that I want this to be my goal when doing projects. I felt that this presentation did that for me. The pictures were very well chosen and thought of it seems, and the work he has done is very inspiring.  Good work overall!

Nick- I know Adam from my latin ballroom class! He's an awesome dude. I did not know he would be the kind of guy to play the cello. I think you captured a deeper side of him and that was good, he felt relateable in terms of he being close to our age and in almost the same situation of him being a student here at BYU. The pictures were great, I felt you put a lot of thought in how you capture him and his art and many other facets of him as an individual. That was great to see. I really liked what he said about when he played the instrument he felt like he was part of history. That made me think... I hope to feel that with my art and how I want to capture it. I also want to feel like I`m part of history, but maybe in a different light. I want to feel part of an individual's history,,,,how they can be inspired by the work I present to them and how that touches or changes their lives for the better. That is what I hope to do as a Mormon artist too. Very nice presentation.

Criticism....or constructive criticism?

In the reading I could relate to the author's view  about giving feedback on a piece. I usually don't like (and I don't think most people like) their work to be put on the spot for either criticism or praise. I say this because this is the case at least from what I have seen in my life and other's perspectives. I don't like the criticism because I would think that my work would be good, but then someone notices flaws. This hurts because I think I don't have what it take. But yet, in recent years, I have been able to see that criticism can be good and too much praise can be bad. The criticism that I have been able to receive on my work has often times helped me with overcoming the flaws that the work my have and fixing them so they can be more to what most people would understand or help with the story or the work presented. In the past I have seen praise as a form of not helping me further enhance my work. People would think something is perfect and would not voice their dislikes about it. I felt at times that they just didn't seem like the kind of person that would be able to frank about something like that because they are afraid that they would hurt my feelings about it. That can be true, but I actually prefer the honest constructive criticism over the not so honest praise. When I was doing the readings it made me think of this because I wouldn't feel like I would have to hold a grudge or stop talking to this person because they give constant negative feedback if they do it is for a good reason. I don't know why I feel like praise is not the total truth. I guess because we are all our own worst critic and we see the flaws or at least we think we see them than anyone else. When I personally give feedback I am not cruel with it either. I don't just point out all the flaws and I say them in the way that I would like to hear them without bashing on it to the point where it discourages the other person from even taking it. I think that too much praise can also be bad. I got to be honest, but at the same time be looking at the positive aspects of the work presented.

Critique

Mont- I found your presentation of their work to be quite professional. It was interesting that you chose to interview two people, and I think you did an awesome job of combining both artists into one interview. You made it so that they sort of worked off each other.

Melissa- I thought your use of music added a documentary-esque feel. I know Jordan a little bit and you were true to his character. In my opinion the music itself could have been quieter so as not to distract from the interview. Besides that I felt that a lot of thought went into your presentation. Overall, I think it was very well made, and I can tell that a lot of effort went into it.

Somebody's throwing acorns

I used to have a harder time letting other people read my drafts. Part of me would cringe at the thought of my peers critiquing my work. Because of that, this reading really struck truth with me. I understand her anxiety, and slight anger. But what she said in the end is true, everyone needs to find someone who can tell you what you need, and let you down gently when your story is deformed.

I think what I need to work on the most is taking critiques positively. I tend to take a critique and turn myself on myself. It’s like they say “everyone is their own worst critic.” It’s like part of my mind was made to make snarky comments directed at myself like, “you idiot, I knew you should have…” or “Wow Annie, you really screwed up this time.” These things just pop up and consume my thoughts during most critiques. Thankfully, since beginning college, I have begun to learn that you are never going to get your draft perfect the first time. I think that Chloe’s project really taught me that it’s ok for your ideas and stories to be redesigned and rewritten, and that sometimes you need a lot of help from your peers and mentors.

I guess this article has really pointed out to me that it’s important not to give up on myself each time I fail. Being a writer doesn’t mean that I’ll be writing perfection each time. It’s like what this author said, “writing is about filling up,” and “you can’t fill up when you’re holding your breath.” Sure, I sometimes still feel like I’m throwing my baby to the wolves, but I think that as time goes on, I’ll become more trusting in my friends and peers that critique my work.

mormon artist reviews

Lizz- i really liked your presentation. you asked some good questions that prompted answers that made me think about things in a different way. i thought it was really interesting how your artist talked about the turmoil he deals with and how the church's standards helped him through that.

he said his sculptures brought him closer to God, which i think is a really important goal for any kind of creative work, i will need to ponder that some more.


Mariana - I actually had an animation class with Garrett but we never really talked too much about our art to each other, so it was cool to hear his opinions on it. his concerns and opinions about being a Mormon artist made a lot of sense to me because they were things i had also noticed while pursuing a visual arts major. he talked about limitations that one finds at BYU, like clothed models in the illustration department. other art schools would find that pretty absurd but he talked about how those "limitations" influenced him for good.

a work in progress

I felt like the author was able to express so many things on this topic that were my thoughts exactly, in a simple way that I had actually never been able to put in words. Granted, I haven’t written a whole lot of literature, but I get those feelings about apprehension about anything I create, like films, or artwork, or music. You don’t want to show it until you are 100% satisfied yourself, but in reality you are selling yourself short by doing that. Reaching out for help is an important way to reach your potential.

I also thought this lady was hilarious, her sarcastic thoughts sounded very familiar to me as I read the words in my mind. It’s something I should change; it probably comes from a lack of confidence in my work that would be less of a problem if I took the opportunity to have more of my stuff be peer- reviewed. As to my goals for doing this, I think most of the people I’ve met in this major are very approachable, so I don’t see asking people really being a problem in the future. I think everyone in the major wants experience in all different aspects in order to become well- rounded, and it’s a good sign of trust if someone asks you to view their material.

I think I just don’t take enough opportunities to really write stories. I have a notebook full of little ideas and gags that I would love to incorporate into some kind of piece, but I haven’t taken the time to write many narratives. That will be my goal, to take all these idea fragments and put them into real stories that will interest viewers.