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Some guy at the library told me my zine covers were too busy and he was totally right
I've been making little poetry zines for like 2 years now, just folding printer paper and stapling them. Had a stack at the free table and this older dude picked one up and said "there's too much going on, I don't know where to look." At first I was annoyed but then I looked at it again and he was spot on. I cut my collages down to one main image and left way more blank space and now they actually feel finished instead of cluttered. Has anyone else had a random stranger give feedback that actually improved their craft?
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butler.brian1mo ago
That random feedback can sting at first but it sounds like it actually helped you level up your zines. I had a similar thing happen at a craft fair a few years back. Someone told me my stickers had way too many tiny details and they got lost when you looked at them from a normal distance. Rubbed me wrong for a day but then I simplified everything and my sales actually went up. There's something about strangers being honest because they have no reason to lie to spare your feelings. Glad you listened and it worked out, that's a hard thing to do sometimes.
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price.jake1mo ago
@butler.brian makes a good point about strangers having no reason to lie... that's the real gift, isn't it. But the thing nobody's said yet is how easy it is to get trapped in your own style where you can't see the noise anymore. You're so close to your work that every little detail feels important when really you're just cluttering your own message. I think the best feedback hits when you're ready to hear it, like some switch flips and you go "oh yeah, that's obvious." Having someone just walk up and say it plain like that is rare... most people would rather say nothing.
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