I have no sympathy or empathy for those who complain about being judged for their art. Art is and has always been subjective. Judgement; of the art and of the artist is par for the course.
This aspect of being an artist, of creating art and presenting it to the world will never change. I get that we artist can be and usually are sensitive about the art we create.
However, if you cannot handle the judgment the art YOU create brings to you, perhaps it is time you change your profession.
We are artist. We will be judged. Trying to add some bullshit statement about “I don’t consent to being judged’ is fucking retarded at best.
We consent to be judged by our very act of sharing our creations with the world. This is the unfortunate yet very real and intrinsic part of what it means to be an artist.
We share our art at our own peril. The cost of our own sanity, our own genius; waiting to tear us a part the moment we stumble or become too haughty.
We Judge the world with our art and are judged by the world in return. Mirror reflections of each other; Societal and Cultural, Personal and Public.
What say the masses of artist from this new age with soft skin and weak minds? What say you artist who dare create outside the norm? What say you artist you dare balk at being judged? All the while judging the world around you. Talk to me about your thoughts on this.
If you dare stand and be judged for them.
The Photographers' Poet 
Fantastic post and I agree 100 percent. (And kudos for using the word “retarded”).
I’ve been a professional writer since 1995 and have been judged relentlessly, mainly by publishers and editors who didn’t believe in me (yet I’ve been published all over the world and received an award for investigative journalism, and have books in Barnes & Noble).
Anyone in the creative field will be judged. You have to be strong and believe in yourself, yet understand when the judgement is not really judgement but constructive advice.
When I ghost write for clients, I interview them first. If someone says to me they don’t want to be judged, I tell them, “You WILL be judged. And if you don’t want to be judged, you are not ready to write a book.” I simply won’t take on a client who is not ready.
Another thing to consider is that sometimes judgement is not really a judgement but rather a reflection on the person judging — do they dislike your work because they know you personally and are jealous? Or did your work trigger something negative in them?
Art 101 is not to argue with those who criticize. Let them have their opinion and move on. It’s professional and classy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, too often, and possibly more now than ever people are quick to claim some is waiting on them or judging them. More often, they themselves are simply not capable of accepting constructive criticism.
Many who judge, or give criticism, see a reflection of their world view on the works they are viewing. they then, through this world view criticize, judge or comment on those works; whether to themselves or to others.
I recently viewed the work of a fellow photographer whose work I admire. His images were good; the title of the four image set reminded me of my relationship with my ex. My world view colored the perception I had of his images simply because the title hit me like a slap in the face. Does that have any bearing on the quality of his images? No. The quality of his images were not in question. It was my reaction to those images and the title that was called into question. I would say that because of my reaction, I view his images in even higher standing due to my strong emotional reaction to them. That however, is my personal world view. Whether I ever viewed his images or not, they would still be the images they are.
LikeLike