writing about art, music and the like
Criticism is not some inscrutable, mysterious process. It’s just a matter of: (1) noticing ourselves responding to a work of art, moment by moment, and (2) getting better at articulating that response.
George Saunders • A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: From the Man Booker Prize-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo
Criticism, to me, is ultimately a practice of paying attention.
Anne Helen Petersen • "Taste Hierarchies Like These Stink"
30 Years Later: Phyllis Hyman, "I Refuse to Be Lonely" - Longreads
longreads.com
At its best, cultural criticism is love and art that exists to give love to other expressions of art. It's beautiful in its indulgence.
Yancey Strickler • The prestige recession
Remember, there is a difference between a critic and someone offering a critique. The critic will level judgments against your writing, your chances of succeeding, or you personally.
Elizabeth Lyon • Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more... See more
Superhuman
Good arts criticism–not just about music–is important because its job is to put the music in context and as a result, broaden the listener's enjoyment and understanding.