Why you need to know how to recognize worthwhile feedback
I’m in a creative role, where I find myself on the beginning and receiving end of creative feedback quite frequently.
Since we’re living at a time when it’s really easy to hear other people’s opinions about things you put out into the world, I think it’s important to differentiate between opinions and feedback. It’s important to know what good feedback looks like, both so you can give it, and so you can filter whose voices are more ideal to listen to.
1) Good feedback is less about catering to individual taste as it is about accomplishing an objective.
Certain things just aren’t up my alley. Heavy metal, period piece dramas, and the majority of fantasy novels fall into that category. That doesn’t mean things created in those genres can’t be high quality. Metal drummers often come up with some of the most sophisticated and impressive polyrhythm displays… I’d just file them into the good, but not-for-me container.
Givers of good feedback recognize the inherent subjectivity of art and can step outside the need for things to appeal to them.
Good feedback makes sure to understand the objective of a piece of art.
“Why are you making this? Why does the world need it?”
Rather than trying to make sure a creative work is aesthetically appealing to their tastes, a good feedback giver will simply try and make sure creative decisions are serving their intended purposes.
2) Good feedback aims to bridge the gap between intent and impact.
It clarifies and honors what a creator is trying to do and removes barriers that are getting in the way of that happening.
You can usually tell someone gives strong feedback when they frequently ask “why did you decide to do this?”
It’s a question I’ve been trying to ask more when I’m in the reviewer’s seat.
When you ask this you’ll either get a lot of clarity around what a creator was aiming to do, so you’ll be able to give more focused suggestions, OR you’ll perhaps discover it was a decision made out of habit or some other assumption. And you candle it more intentional.
Approaching creative feedback from the framework of:
What is your goal?
How can we remove the things getting in the way of that goal?
can help steer away from clashes over subjective tastes and personal attachments and towards the shared goal.
3) Good feedback givers demonstrate trust in the creatives.
Poor feedback often sacrifices the future development of the creative in favor of strong-arming a short term decision.
But good feedback can turn the project at hand into a springboard for sustained creative growth.
What makes the difference? For me, a key element would have to be trust.
When a feedback-giver lacks trust, this quickly and frequently takes the form of micromanaging. Feedback is more oriented around whats than whys. Decisions are forced and expedited and critical thought is uninvited.
Not only can a lack of trust be insulting, it also essentially takes the creativity out of the assignment given to a creative. They are no longer creating but simply executing.
4) Good feedback recognizes when a good idea just might not be in the right spot
This goes hand in hand with trusting the creative.
It’s rare that a creative decision is bad… more often than not it’s just distracting or confusing. And that’s because its in the wrong spot. Good feedback often includes the line “maybe that could go somewhere else,” and often, that somewhere else ends up being a totally different project.
Good feedback frames things around opportunity and possibility. I love this quote from Todd Henry:
“Feedback isn't just about pointing out what's wrong, but also about painting a picture of what's possible.”
Creativity is about making connections and that requires you to see from beyond your own immediate vantage point. That means the input of somebody else is extremely valuable.
That’s why it’s important to develop both the skill of giving good feedback and the awareness of whose feedback is worth paying attention to. And that is served by knowing what’s at the core of good feedback.