You see criticism is simply part of being in the world of design. The outcome of criticism is really dependent on how you take on the subjectivity of others, and what they have to offer that your perspective simply cannot at that moment.
Criticism is a design procedure
In essence, being criticised - critiqued is just as much of the design process as is model making or drawing. You will encounter it in all stages regardless of where you are in your design process. Think of it as the sandpaper to your very edgy and wonky piece of wood that is your portfolio’s narrative. If you're like me, cutting anything into a straight line is a challenge but one you simply have to overcome when you find the balance between clean lines for function and reason and the not so straight lines of freehand gut-driven explorations. In tutorials, when it was just brainstorming with a tutor or two about your ideas it was a safer space for criticism, they were your teachers and you know that they are here to help you, and there was no one around to see whether you had made a silly mistake. I still remember the stories of horror as peers were completely torn in front of an audience, by not only their tutors but the guest critics on numerous occasions. The tears of embarrassment weren’t traumatic but they sure left you with that fear before presenting every time.
Criticism is the driver of meaningful work
Criticism is usually a result of a thing or two that didn’t make complete sense to whoever had been listening - but once it was triggered it would spiral into not just what they had spent their time presenting that was ripped apart but how they had presented altogether. It was character building, that is what criticism is supposed to do. But it isn’t an attack on you, as a person. We have an inherent bias, that cannot be denied, and not everyone will like you as a person, or your work, that should go without saying. In these moments, is where you must learn to almost detach yourself from your work, from the investment of time and resources that you have made to see from the other side that is whoever is providing their input. This isn’t to say you have to be a people pleaser, just open-minded to alternative explorations of your work. What you’ll soon realise is that the more criticism you receive or rather seek, the deeper your reasoning becomes as a result of the push of finding reasonable and realistic outcomes in what the narrative of your project is trying to become.
Being a people pleaser will not make you a better designer, but being a student will
You will see that you need the subjectivity of others to see your own work better. This doesn’t mean that you should take all the criticism you are offered, you must take everything with a pinch of salt. Take on too many of someone else’s ideas and you will slowly start to detach yourself from the work that you produce, you’ll be reliant on a voice that isn’t your own. You are there to learn to find your own direction within your project and they are just there to show you the possibilities although how much of that is entirely up to you. And like everyone before you they are a compilation of ideas and skills shaped by their own individual experience, so as much as you might find yourself succumbing to the idea that you need to do everything your tutors or the critics say to you, you really don’t. But taking on board what isn’t said is just as valuable as what is mentioned to you, so pick and choose with what is reasonable to you, and you’ll soon find yourself becoming the student you need to be
Use the opportunities to be critiqued as fuel
When you are told you’ve done something wrong or that what you have done doesn’t make sense you must first remove yourself from a place of defence. You need to realise that sometimes things can be misunderstood in the moment, which is why you need to be a better communicator and a great listener to filter the necessary information and advice you’ve been handed. Oftentimes more than not, you can misinterpret what is being said in that moment, and vice versa for those who you’ve presented towards. Critics are there to understand your work and although criticism is inevitable clarity is something you should strive to always have in your work, whether in person or through a portfolio. This is where it helps to see criticism as the only way to test out how clear the narrative of your project is. After all, you are a student when you realise that this is an opportunity like many others to practice clarity in your expression of both simple and complex issues.
You are bound to make a mistake at some point, so when you’ve acknowledged that it is impossible to be perfect because that is subjective you’ll realise that you have so much more control over any instance of feedback. You must trust that this is a procedure like many that will allow you to curate the architectural expert that you want to become. When you realise that you’ll be learning in moments like this of the things that you should or shouldn’t do, and how great of a communicator you are. Communication is a key skill and this is something you should strive to develop constantly, you are not the architecture you design, you are the medium used to communicate it.