Hmmmmm ...

[bubosquared]

I got this comment on my Zone Gallery:

Horrible stuff. Honestly... Elfwood doesn't seem to want pics that look like drawn by 3 year old person but i guess 4 year old is acceptable. Learn to draw before you start wasting space in Internet.

If this'd been on a story, I'd have shrugged it off. Now, though, I'm rather upset about it, and I don't know why. Maybe it's because any negative comments on my stories are always either about the 'gayness' [and can therefore safely be laughed about and ignored] or actually contructive [I'm gonna thank the person that commented on the 'sweet and fluffy' pattern and thank her/him. As soon as I manage to write something non-sweet-n-fluffy, that is.], but in this case, that's not the case. It's not constructive criticism. There is nothing in there to tell me what exactly he didn't like. Just that it's 'horrible'. Gee, thanks, you're really helpful there. And it's not a flame either. It's just confusing.

And I cannot figure out why I'm upset about this. These are my drawings. I was rather proud of myself for having drawn humans even vaguely resembling the images in my head. I never really drew anything for a large part of my life because I knew and know that this is not where my gibbest talents lie. I like to draw, but it's not a passion, it's not a need, it's not a craving the way writing is to me.

And yet, this one comment affected me more than all the flames I've ever gotten.

Comments

[silviakundera.livejournal.com]

I can barely draw a stick figure.

Thus, I am seriously in awe of your ability. Really. So that person can kiss my ass.

[minette.livejournal.com]

At least you're expressing yourself through your art, whereas this person just seems to get off on making condescending aesthetic judgments that go nowhere. Keep drawing, Melle. Don't let anyone ever tell you your art is a waste.

Fuck 'em!

[silversolitaire.livejournal.com]

What do they know? They're just wankers *snerks*. And you wouldn't want to allow yourself to be put down by the comment of a wanker, right?

This is how you express yourself and how you see something. It's entirely your thing, so those who can't see anything in it can kiss your ass. Nobody tells them to look at it. And if you're supposedly wasting space, what's he doing then, eh?

Thanks, you lot! :)

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Really, just ... thanks. I seriously didn't mean to sound like I was asking for compliments or anythgin, but that only makes the ones I got sweeter. You all rock.

[ex-verdandi713.livejournal.com]

Even if it's not a passion and a "craving," it's still something you take personal pride in, and upon which someone else executed a drive-by attack--of course you're upset. I'd be pretty upset if I were, say, putting the finishing touches on a wall mural I'd been working on four a whole day, and some random stranger came sailing by on a bicycle and shouted, "Dude, that SUCKS!"

The best response is to put aside the comment--and the little voices of self-doubt it doubtless triggered--and draw some more. Chart your own progress and skill, and take personal pride in your own improvement, and it won't matter half as much what other people have to say about it. Even if that's not where your "gibbest" talents lie. ;-)

[bubosquared.livejournal.com]

Oh, shut up. Like you've never made any typos. :p

Re:

[ex-verdandi713.livejournal.com]

I complettly rezent your rmarks!@*