Recently a student in my stARTs course reached out to me for some feedback regarding her work. She wanted to know if it was ‘good’. BIG QUESTION. I remember so clearly being at the stage she is at now. Working tirelessly on improving my work and finding my ‘style’. I liked parts of it but was dissatisfied with so much of it and was struggling to find a process that gave me the results that I loved. There were brief moments of elation when something worked, but most of the time was a struggle with the unknown and feeling very uncertain if I would ever get to a place where I found creating MY work easy. I wondered if I had ventured down a road that would only lead to anxiety and broken dreams – that sounds a bit over dramatic, but it was my dream to create Art and discover what I could do if I gave myself the chance. Of course, I tucked this dream neatly alongside being a good mother, partner, housekeeper/domestic slave because those are honourable roles, are they not? Can you be a good person if you devote all your waking hours thinking about colour combinations and surface effects? My Catholic upbringing lurked closeby to deride such selfish indulgences.

Anyway, during this time of anxious toiling I would seek validation constantly from my poor longsuffering partner. “What do you think of this one?” I would say holding yet another 12” x 12” in front of his nose. His response was always the same, bless him. “It’s better than the other one you did.” This was good… and bad. I was improving, but what was wrong with the other one?? Two days ago it was better than the previous one. My work was constantly being downgraded.

At this stage when uncertainty is your bedrock and you need positive affirmation like oxygen, you are highly tuned in to people’s responses. A flicker of an eyebrow is noted, interpreted and remembered. Sadly, the rest of the world is not so in tune. I remember showing my paintings to my brother and his enthusiasm was expressed by a series of ‘mmmm…..mmmmm” and it is not by chance I use the lowercase – in fact really I should diminish the size of the letter even further. There was not one “Ooh I like that tiny little 2mm square right there”. Nothing. Just sporadic “mmmm’s” punctuated with long silences. I have two brothers, so I should mention the response of the other when shown my work “I liked those ones you used to do with the hands… something recognizeable.” Well, at least he liked something!

Then there was the response of the boyfriend many eons ago when I was at Art School. In my first year we all produced a clay bust of another member of the class. My friend Lorraine and I buddied up and I portrayed her leaning with her chin on her hand. Years later I discovered the bust on the bedside table of my boyfriend with a hole drilled into the top of the head and a lightbulb pertly atop her crown. The violent assault of the drill had jarred the arm off at the shoulder, but he had nestled the chin back into the hand with a book jammed up to the arm keeping all in place. “At least it’s useful now” my X-boyfriend proudly claimed. He too was the product of a Catholic upbringing.

So at this point, can I just offer a little advice? When someone shows you their Art, Craft, anything that they have spent time on, hours of time building, improving, thinking about, searching for answers… could you PLEASE ENTHUSE JUST A LITTLE?!!!! It doesn’t mean you’re going to buy the damn thing, just find something positive to say about it. And NEVER reach for your electric drill!

So what makes Art Good? Back to that big question. Well, firstly I want to know there has been honest endeavour. The endeavour may not have been spent on that particular piece but before that piece there was another, and another and another and over time a confidence has grown. Good Art has clarity, it is very evident what the artist is concerned with in the work. You may not like or understand it, and it may require some explanation but the purpose is clear. Good Art elicits a response from the viewer; you feel something. It offers you an experience you have never had before. Good Art is produced with understanding and technical expertise. The artist knows how to lead your eye around the piece so that it effortlessly wanders and enjoys the experience. Good Art surprises you somehow.

So that is my definition of GOOD ART. The good news is that if you put in the honest endeavour and learn from those who are further along the path, you too can produce good Art. You must however, have a Thick Skin. You will have to endure lack lustre responses, mmmmm’s, maybe even an assault by a powertool; but you will emerge confidant and able to produce work you love. In the end, you won’t seek the utterances of others to validate your work – a little hard cash every now and then will probably do the trick.

If you want to learn how to produce Good Art you can check out my courses here.

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