Feedback, Feedback, and More Feedback
In our program, we’ve begun evaluating each other’s portfolios. This process has been loaded with feelings, frustrations, insights and lots of feedback. I’m surrounded by talented peers and mentors that I am continuing to learn from. They’ve all been instrumental in helping me fix this or that and make improvements throughout the process of building a portfolio. Sometimes, there is so much feedback to go around it can be nearly impossible to implement it all (especially when feedback conflicts).
Here are three things I’ve been doing to make drinking from the feedback firehose more manageable:
1. Take good notes in the moment:
This may seem like a no brainer but, I find it can be helpful to take notes on ALL pieces of feedback you’re getting. If you can’t take notes on what is said in that moment, jot it down right afterwards as well as who said it to you. This way you can defer judgement about what is and isn’t useful feedback. It can be instinctual to make a quick judgement in the moment about feedback but, giving yourself time to process ensures you can think about that feedback outside of the circumstances in which it was offered. This is especially useful when you have an emotional response to a piece of feedback, and you might not be in the headspace to think clearly.
2. Be honest with yourself about where you are
It’s important to be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do. If you aren’t honest about this with yourself, it will likely become evident in your portfolio. You cannot get better without knowing where you can use some help. In being honest with yourself, you can also make better judgements about what feedback will be most valuable to you. This is an ongoing process for me, but it can help me prioritize feedback in my weakest areas over those areas I already feel strong.
3. Trust your judgement
In the case of conflicting feedback trust your judgement. People are approaching your work from different backgrounds, perspectives, and skill levels. Ultimately, your portfolio is a reflection of you and your work as a designer and it is important that your decisions reflect that. Trusting yourself can be hard but, it will give you a greater sense of ownership over your portfolio. Even if you make a mistake about which direction to go, it is likely you will learn from it.
Hopefully these strategies are helpful for you. Getting feedback can be completely draining so take care of yourself and find what works best for you.
