Group Ground Rules and Purpose!

We are a community of photomanipulation artists who are interested in feedback on their work and on giving feedback to others under the ground rules set forth below. By submitting art to our gallery, you agree to receive feedback and abide by our ground rules for receiving feedback. We request that members who submit their art for feedback also give feedback to other members in return!

Please Note:     

~ Membership ~

• We are going to screen member applications based on if the person has any photomanips or related artwork in their gallery - one manip will be enough to get you in, no matter how good you are at this stage.
• We expect you to properly credit your sources! If you're new to photomanipulation and/or are unsure of what images you can and cannot use then please read Photomanips for Beginners - a news article.
  Please also refer to:
  FAQ #157: Can I use things created by other people in my submissions?
  FAQ #217: What are "Stock and Resources" and can I use them in my submissions?
  FAQ #81: How can I create links to other deviants, deviations, or websites?</i></b>
• Rudeness will not be tolerated and we reserve the right to remove rude individuals and their art from the group and block them.
• If you submit your work for feedback, then please give some feedback in return - don't wait until your images was commented on or this project will starve itself!

Feedback - as we understand it - is more than saying "great work" and moving on. It's about telling someone why you think their image rocks or what could be improved in your opinion. You do not need to be an expert in the field to provide feedback, you don't need to write half a novel and cover every aspect of the piece - you just need to sit down and take some time to look at an image and tell the artist what works and what doesn't; again: in your opinion. What the person receiving said feedback does with it is up to the person.

In this group, I would like everyone to follow the following Ground Rules for Giving and Receiving Feedback to make sure we get the most out of the experience:

• No bashing, no rudeness! Be respectful - free speech doesn’t mean you can be an ass! Remember that a piece of art can be very dear to the artist and if it were yours, then you wouldn’t want to be told it’s outright awful either.
• Always start with something positive!
• All feedback must be owned by the person giving it (e.g. 'I didn't understand the part about' rather than 'The part about wasn't clear')
• The feedback should be as specific as you can make it (e.g. ‘the reds you use make me feel uneasy’ instead of ‘I don’t like the colours’)
• Optionally (but it would be nice!), you can tag your comments with something like "this comment is courtesy of the FeedbackHub" or something similar, so we can identify group members more easily.

• Always remember: feedback comes from a person who may see things differently from you or the next person. It is always subjective!
• No justifying. No criticism on the feedback! Just thank the feedback giver and let it sink in.
• No one expects you to like every piece of feedback that you get. It is up to you what you do with feedback (if you go back and change the deviation, or if you keep it in mind for next time or if you choose to do nothing at all), but remember that the commenter just gave you their opinion and took their time to leave their feedback, so don’t be rude to them either!

Also: please don't wait to receive feedback before giving it - if everyone waits for someone else to make the first move, we'll be dead in the water in no time

...our gallery
_{Our gallery includes a Feedback Please! folder where you can submit your art to receive feedback (max. 2 per week - please also give feedback if you submit!) as well as a folder for feedback related deviations (articles on how to give feedback etc) that is closed for submissions - if you find/create something that you feel should go there, please note us!}
...our collections
_{Our collections/faves are used for resources that you may find useful - from tutorials to stock and brushes you can submit everything you find and we'll have periodic features to keep us all inspired!}

- leave a comment or note us!



Still want more info? Here's something interesting I came across recently:


This is a concept that can help us understand why feedback is so important to begin with. The principle behind it is that to learn new skills and to gain knowledge you need to be conscious of what you do and do not know. Being aware of the four stages of the Conscious Competence Ladder helps us manage our own emotions during a sometimes dispiriting learning process.

• Level 1 – Unconscious Incompetence
  (You Don't Know that You Don't Know)
  At this level you are blissfully ignorant: You have a complete lack of knowledge and skills in the subject in question. On top of this, you are unaware of this lack of skill, and your confidence may therefore far exceed your abilities.
• Level 2 – Conscious Incompetence
  (You Know that You Don't Know)
  At this level you find that there are skills you need to learn, and you may be shocked to discover that there are others who are much more competent than you. As you realize that your ability is limited, your confidence drops. You go through an uncomfortable period as you learn these new skills when others are much more competent and successful than you are.
• Level 3 – Conscious Competence
  (You Know that You Know)
  At this level you acquire the new skills and knowledge. You put your learning into practice and you gain confidence in carrying out the tasks or jobs involved. You are aware of your new skills and work on refining them. You are still concentrating on the performance of these activities, but as you get ever-more practice and experience, these become increasingly automatic.
• Level 4 – Unconscious Competence
  (You Don't Know that You Know – It Just Seems Easy!)
  At this level your new skills become habits, and you perform the task without conscious effort and with automatic ease. This is the peak of your confidence and ability.