Reviews, or How to Destroy Original Thought
Reviews and art are not a good combination
Most of us have been there; you have just come out of the movie theater and are discussing the movie, and one of the first comments someone might make is, “It was so overrated!” or “It is actually way better than X said.”
After one of those times, I realized that a good part of our conversation was not even spent on our thoughts and ideas but on those of others. How dreadful! We had just consumed a new, creative piece of art, and we had a chance to form new ideas and instead discussed others’.
Additionally, I realized we were even guided to watch the movie because of reviews. While watching the film, we watched them with our lenses warped by others’ opinions, and after the movie, we ended up discussing those opinions instead of our own. At that time, I thought of how many hundreds of thousands might have gone to the movie theater that day and how many more thoughts were prevented from being created because of reviews.
Reviews can be great when buying a new microwave, but I will now argue that reviews and art are not a good combination, and we should be very conscious when deciding to consume reviews.
Reviews To Decide What To See
For many, reviews are one of the main ways they discover new art and decide what to consume. Unfortunately, reviews almost always rate art on scales, reinforcing the idea that it can be objectively good or bad. This is such an intellectually vapid and limiting way to look at art. Personally, I find discussing whether a book or movie is good or bad a lot less interesting than discussing specific thoughts or feelings it made us have.
Good or bad does not open up the conversation; it closes it. For something as subjective and creative as art, trying to give it an objective worth feels mechanical and counter to all that art stands for. It only allows for a binary result. Personally, what is most interesting are those discussions that open up the mind and make us see things we might have missed, from themes to emotional undercurrents. The depth and beauty of seeing art through the minds and hearts of others cannot be compared to the shallowness of “good or bad.”
In addition, reviews most often direct us to watch only things that are popular and thus more accessible. This is predictable: reviews are others’ opinions, after all. Popularity is not inherently wrong, but consuming only what is popular will almost always mean you will consume what is made for the lowest common denominator. In other words, consuming only the most popular art means you will most likely see art made for everyone.
Consuming only accessible art (made for people of all ages and backgrounds and also necessitating the least amount of prior knowledge) will rob you of many experiences that might not relate to everyone but can relate to you. By not worrying about accessibility, artists limit their potential reach, but they can also be free to create pieces that can relate deeply to a smaller number of people.
Warping Your Own Lenses
Now that you are present and seeing the piece of art you have been reading so much about, you cannot help but evaluate your experience against the experience of others. Unfortunately, everything you have read, watched, or heard has narrowed the variety of opinions and thoughts you might have had.
For example, if you read a review that says the movie you will watch is impressive and that a secondary actor steals the show, it will influence what you pay attention to, even if you do not want it to. In addition, it might make your head either instinctively find positives (to agree with the review) or go the contrarian way and make you look for negatives and think, “So overrated!” Without even noticing it, you will be robbing yourself of either feeling more emotion or having your own thoughts (not thoughts about others’ thoughts!).
Additionally, reviews might provide much more information than the artist expects their spectators to have. This might limit some of the reactions you could have had to the art, from surprise to sadness; expecting it will not make it any better.
In summary, reading reviews before viewing art will limit the range of emotions and thoughts you could have otherwise. We willingly put limits on our minds and hearts when they should be running free.
Preventing and Encouraging Original Discussion
“Why did it even win this award!”
“This is way better than they said,”
“Why is this so popular?”
The movie is now over. What are we talking about? Others! We have just spent 2 hours consuming something, and instead of exploring our own thoughts, we discuss others’.
One of my greatest joys related to art is not just the moment I experience it but what is left afterward. Questions, emotions, and thoughts are all central to art itself. Knowing the least amount possible before consuming art enables you to be free and connect as deeply as possible. It is impossible to connect to everything you consume, but I feel like we should give it our best shot.
Although it might sound like I am now undermining my point, opinion pieces on art are not necessarily negative. I enjoy watching and reading the thoughts and impressions of others on the art I consume. As we are all different, others have given me so much in terms of thoughts and perspectives. What is important is to wait a few days after viewing the art before consuming others’ thoughts. This way, you give ample time to make your own opinions and find your own path so that you can then expand your horizons afterward.
Not all opinion pieces are made equal, so be careful when choosing the ones you consume. I highly suggest staying away from anything short or anything that tries to give an objective measurement of the value of art. A green flag is any piece that instead tries to talk about a specific part of a piece of art, from a theme to an emotion.
Discussions about art can be as fun and ‘mind-expanding’ as art itself, but a discussion requires at least two participants. To be a true participant, I think you need to form your own opinions. Forming your own opinion does not mean you will disagree with everyone, but it means you give your brain and heart the time they need to process. This means you will not only listen, but you will be able to participate, too!
For Curiosity’s and Original Thoughts’ Sake
Our review obsession directs us all to watch the same content, hiding away less accessible but potentially more potent art. This obsession narrows the range of thoughts and emotions we can have. Linking art and reviews so closely robs us of deeper, more meaningful experiences. In doing so, we also prevent so many interesting thoughts and discussions from being born.
Some of the most beautiful and profound thoughts I have read or heard have not come from the original piece of art itself but from others who consumed it. I am glad so many of those creators do not have the same lenses as I do, or the world would be a lot less interesting.
So, please, dear reader, if you have not already done so, throw away those “review-tinted” glasses and connect. You deserve to explore art the way you want, with a mind free of all those bounds created by reviews and popularity. As a bonus, the world might also get a glimpse into your own unique mind!
Let your curiosity decide the next piece of art you consume; you never lose by letting curiosity win!
