Thoughts for July: Why ‘Feedback’ isn’t just noise
Sophie Wilkinson, Alex Wilson and Seren Vickers in rehearsal for An Act of Care (in response to some extreme bullshit) at HOME, Manchester in January 2020. Photography by Beth Knight.
In revolt of an era of ‘we are unable to offer individual feedback’, we’re considering how we can all be better critical friends and champions for artists and their art.
🚨 Not a Newsflash: Feedback is Not Happening 🚨
Here are some statistics from archipelago HQ; in the last 2 years we have made:
Sixteen unsuccessful bids for funding/support/commissions…
and only one of these offered and gave specific feedback.
Bearing in mind this is as an organisation and excludes the very many jobs/opportunities we have personally applied for over this period. This also is not just isolated to the arts, last week BBC News published two separate articles in one week of graduates applying for hundreds or thousands of jobs to be given no feedback or not hear from the vast majority of employers.
In the majority of cases, all of this work of relentlessly applying is completely unpaid work; often taking days/weeks/months of labour that, when are greeted with, ‘we understand that applications take a great deal of time and energy, but we are unable to as a small (but crucially, and often unspoken, salary paid) team to offer individual feedback’ feels deeply insincere. In the decision making process, there is always a decision being made; where is the conviction of that diligent work or what is the risk of being exposed if you open that process up to meet your applicants as equal stakeholders in the process?
If, terrifyingly, you are moving beyond a human resource in your HR in using AI to filter applications, you are taking away your humanity of recognising the work of others; which feels like an exceptionally worrying position in which to begin the inception of collaborations or working/support relationships.
As we see the risks as the world moves towards more isolated and siloed ways of living and working, the process of opening up a dialogue of feedback feels like an opportunity for radical connection.
Saying all of this, not all feedback is created equal…
Some Feedback IS just noise
Like art for art’s sake, feedback for feedback’s sake is also not the way to go. We did a call out on our socials for followers to share some instances of when feedback fell incredibly flat.
They ranged from the un-actionable: some frankly horrifying stories from actors about comments that the scale of their facial features took them out of the running for certain roles; to the intensely hypocritical: feedback to a candidate that ‘more actively listening’ was required… from a panel who barely made an attempt to engage with them during the interview. One really fair critique came upon the ‘we decided to go in another direction’; as equally un-actionable as something intrinsic about you, is the frustration you’ve done nothing wrong and are given nothing tangible to take from the experience apart from a half-hearted pat on the head; where actually the feedback, if more inward looking may read:
We are comparing you to something/someone else we have in mind and you haven’t met this unspoken criteria.
We’ve given the job to someone we already knew/have worked with.
We actually think you could have done/said:
This
Or That
…but telling you that would require time/effort and you might disagree with our perspective so it’s easier to say this as cop-out.
We’re as guilty as anyone in knowing that sometimes, really, your feedback is grounded in the applicant having met your every possible criteria… but the reality is that so has someone else, and somehow, in someway, just more. It’s always hard when you’re on the receiving end of a no (see our May blog for more on this), but back to the first point, it’s so frustrating when feedback (or lack thereof) leaves you stagnant and uncertain. From the occasions where we give for feedback we make sure it passes through two essential criteria:
1) Is it wanted?
We shouldn’t be giving anything to anyone unsolicited. Artists putting things publicly into the world more often then not are openly entering into open discourse around their work. You can’t go out to bat without knowing your making yourself vulnerable for the balls being thrown at you. But in non-public interactions (applications/interviews/seeing something as its developing or in its infancy) are you giving the option to not receive the feedback. Sometimes the person who knows the route best is the person driving the car; you don’t need to be a back-seat driver if they already have considered themselves the different ways that they would go next time.
2) Does it give somewhere to go?
Embracing the ethos of ‘showing our workings’ boldly, sometimes the honest truth are decisions are marginal. Sometimes you agonise and these decisions always will be somewhat subjective. However, we think its so useful to interogate that subject:
Is it a no because:
It’s about the seeing the bigger picture? Building a range of approaches/backgrounds/experiences, that is no fault of their own that they don’t have, but ultimately other people/projects provide that create a richer mix?
Is it about skills? If so, which skills? Were these named in the advertisement process? Or did they emerge as a undefined desirable criteria across the process? What are the specific areas of development, that can reasonably taken to elevate or provide greater clarity around skills going forward? And are you being honest about what you want?
Is it about conduct/ethos/culture that you didn’t get a sense that was shared? Is this culture explicit in your process? Are you giving the opportunity to open up and create a dialogue around this? Can you be clear about connection or disconnection around this?
Is it about readiness? Does this exist because of your own internal pressures/resources that mean you’re not able to give more support for CPD?
NAME IT.
And fundamentally, if there are positives to take away GIVE THEM.
“We really liked this thought.”
“When you said this.”
“With think x is a really exciting thing.”
“We think you should definitely pursue z more - that really interests us and would be something we want to hear more about at another opportunity in the future.”
Feed It or You’ll Lose It
Considering all of this, this is a provocation:
If there is something that’s out there in the world that you love, shout about it (see below for this month’s recommendations or look back on previous months for more!). All publicly funded work, most things you see in galleries, museums, theatres, needs to prove its value to the public constantly (a very valid but exhausting process).
So in a direct appeal:
Shout about the work on social media.
Send an email to the company/person telling them what you thought.
Fill in the feedback form!
These things that may be marginally time-consuming to you, but honestly make a massive difference to artists/organisations to moving their work forward or validating the work already happening.
In other archipelago arts collective news:
Artist Development Sessions in association with Sheffield Theatres
Applications are still open until Sunday 20th July for our workshops on Theatre Making in Non-Traditional Spaces in association with Sheffield Theatres and Leeds Industrial Museum.
Seán recommends:
A read: I’ve just picked up Evie Muir’s Radical Rest on a search for some context to problematic productivity and burnout and found an important book which platforms complex intersectional themes, and their relationship to insidious trends present in our society, and responds by dreaming up hope in the most hopeful way; Something I think we could all do with a bit of.
A listen: For my sins, I’m one of those people who, all too recently, discovered Joshua Idehen through Your Mum Does the Washing being playlisted on 6Music. Have subsequently devoured his back catalogue, including the Your Mum Does the Washing EP, Which goes through three glorious, heartfelt, meaningful spoken-word pieces and culminates in a game changing, definitive cover of Once in a Lifetime featuring The Social Singing Choir.
A watch: I’m a little bit behind on this as it’s been out for a couple of months, but a few people have recommended Flintoff to me and I’m hoping to sit down at some point in the next couple of weeks to watch it.
An event: I don’t want to get all Sheffield and go on about how things used to be better; but I have ZERO interest in the hornet’s nest that decsends on Hillsborough Park the last week of July, and every year I feel a pang of what Tramlines could - and should - be, based on Tramlines’ past. The Fringe at Tramlines gives a flavour of the buzz in the city centre. If you’re in Sheffield, please make it your mission to find and support a local venue or new artist on 24th - 27th July.
Beth recommends:
A read: Hot off the news that it’s been rightfully commissioned by the BBC for a series, I cannot recommend The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow enough. My excellent mum (shout-out Sandra) bought me a copy for my birthday a few years ago and I couldn’t put it down. An absolutely beautiful vindication of the character of Mary Bennet and a heart-racingly romantic story of finding your own power and place in the kind spaces of the world. I’d be re-devouring it if I’d not leant it to a mate already!
A listen: If there’s a more exciting artist than Kae Tempest making work today, please point them out. (I had a little cry when watching the footage of him perform People’s Faces at Glasto.) I’ve universally loved all of his output, Self-Titled, released today will be what I’m playing on repeat over next month.
A watch: Fire up series four of The Bear. Or gorge yourself on the gorgeously taut three previous series if you’ve starved yourself of it this far.
An event: An early Edinburgh Fringe rec ahead; my wonderful friend - and fellow Sheffield Theatre Bank Cohort alum - Ellie May Blackburn is taking her new one-woman show A Sudden, Disturbing To Do List to Mint Studio at Greenside @ George Street 11th-23rd August… annoyingly when I’m not at the Fringe. But lucky for me, she’s doing her preview down the road at Barnsley Civic on 31st July so we’ve nabbed tickets. Ellie is honestly one of the most open-hearted and poetic makers out there and I’m beyond excited to see what I’m sure is a glorious bit of new work.