ANIMATION ANARCHY: THE ART COLLEGE CRASH COURSE – LESSON 3
ANIMATION ANARCHY: THE ART COLLEGE CRASH COURSE – LESSON 3
(Or: How to Nod Like You Understand While Your Soul Leaves Your Body)
⸻
🔥 WELCOME BACK TO ANIMATION ANARCHY – WHERE ART SCHOOL FEELINGS GO TO DIE 🔥
This is Animation Anarchy. The blog where we:
✅ Tell the brutal truth about art school.
✅ Actually teach you things that matter.
✅ Emotionally prepare you for the horror of hearing someone say, “I just feel like this lacks intention.”
I wasted six figures on an art education, and now I’m giving it all away for free—because revenge is best served with a side of brutal honesty.
🚨 SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@mrbraylabs
(Unless you enjoy having your soul crushed by critique sessions.)
⸻
LESSON 3: YOUR FIRST CRITIQUE – PUBLIC HUMILIATION DISGUISED AS “FEEDBACK”
(Or: That Moment When You Realize Art Professors Don’t Actually Like Art)
🎨 CONGRATULATIONS! YOU FINISHED YOUR FIRST PROJECT!
You have spent 30 hours straight working on your piece.
You are proud of it.
You are excited.
You think, “Maybe I won’t get roasted alive!”
🚨 WRONG. 🚨
Welcome to Critique Day. The psychological battleground where your professor and classmates will systematically dismantle your artistic self-esteem in the name of “growth.”
⸻
🔥 THE CRITIQUE PROCESS: A HORROR STORY IN FOUR ACTS
🎭 ACT 1: THE BUILD-UP – PURE DREAD
• You arrive to class, clutching your work like it’s a newborn baby.
• The professor says, “Alright, let’s begin.”
• Your heart rate triples.
• Someone pulls out a project that looks like Michelangelo himself painted it.
• You reconsider every decision you’ve ever made.
⸻
🎭 ACT 2: THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING
The first student walks up to present their work.
• It’s a stick figure.
• It’s titled “Emotional Reflection on the Void.”
• The professor immediately starts crying.
• Someone in the back whispers, “Incredible.”
Meanwhile, your highly detailed, well-thought-out work is waiting its turn, shaking like a prisoner on death row.
⸻
🎭 ACT 3: YOUR TURN – THE OBLITERATION
• You place your work on the wall.
• Everyone stares at it in dead silence.
• The professor approaches, rubbing their chin like they’re trying to decipher ancient hieroglyphics.
• You hear a classmate mutter, “Interesting use of negative space,” even though there is none.
Then, the first comment drops:
🎤 “I feel like this lacks intention.”
🚨 THIS IS CODE FOR “I DON’T LIKE IT, BUT I’M GOING TO SOUND SMART ABOUT IT.” 🚨
Other critique classics include:
💀 “It’s too finished.” (Wait, what?)
💀 “It’s a little too on-the-nose.” (What does that even mean?)
💀 “I just don’t know what you’re trying to say.” (IT’S A STILL LIFE OF A BANANA, KAREN.)
⸻
🎭 ACT 4: THE MINDLESS NODDING ESCAPE PLAN
At this point, you have two choices:
1️⃣ Defend yourself and get into an existential debate with your professor.
2️⃣ Smile, nod, and pretend you understand while disassociating.
🚨 99% of students choose Option 2. 🚨
You nod aggressively, taking fake notes while thinking:
📝 “I have no idea what they’re talking about.”
📝 “I swear if one more person says ‘lacks intentionality’ I’m going to throw my sketchbook into the sun.”
📝 “I am never showing my art to another human being again.”
When it’s finally over, you mutter “Thanks for the feedback” like a broken robot and return to your seat.
Congratulations. You survived your first critique.
But at what cost?
⸻
🔥 BREAKDOWN: THE FIVE TYPES OF ART SCHOOL CRITIQUES
1️⃣ The Fake Intellectual
🚨 Uses big words to sound smart, even if they make no sense.
💀 “This piece explores the liminal space between form and formlessness.”
💀 “I just feel like you need to interrogate the emotional undercurrents more.”
💀 “What’s the semiotic intent behind this composition?”
Translation: They don’t know what they’re saying either.
⸻
2️⃣ The Human Fortune Cookie
🚨 Only speaks in vague, “deep” one-liners.
💀 “Art is a journey.”
💀 “What is ‘good,’ really?”
💀 “This piece makes me feel… something.”
Translation: They have no actual feedback but want to sound profound.
⸻
3️⃣ The Brutal Assassin
🚨 Will obliterate your soul without blinking.
💀 “This doesn’t work.”
💀 “I don’t see the point of this piece.”
💀 “Have you considered starting over?”
Translation: They haven’t slept in three days and they’re taking it out on you.
⸻
4️⃣ The “I Like It” Guy
🚨 Has no real critique, just vibes.
💀 “I think it’s cool.”
💀 “Nice colors.”
💀 “I don’t know, I just like it.”
Translation: They didn’t do the assignment and are trying to blend in.
⸻
5️⃣ The Professor Who Says Nothing Useful
🚨 Gives feedback so vague it might as well be fortune-teller advice.
💀 “I think there’s something here, but I want you to push it further.”
💀 “This is a great start, but what if it was… more?”
💀 “What do you think it’s missing?”
Translation: They don’t know. They’re stalling.
⸻
🔥 HOW TO SURVIVE ART SCHOOL CRITIQUES WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL
Rule #1: Never Take Anything Personally
• Half the time, people don’t even know what they’re saying.
• The professor just wants to sound wise.
• Smile, nod, and filter out the nonsense.
Rule #2: Learn the Art of Pretend Understanding
• Nod knowingly, even if you have no idea what they mean.
• Say “I see what you’re saying” while taking fake notes.
• Escape as quickly as possible.
Rule #3: Remember That Critiques Are NOT the Final Word
• Not all feedback is useful.
• Sometimes, your professor is just wrong.
• At the end of the day, make the art YOU want to make.
⸻
🔥 FINAL THOUGHTS: CRITIQUES ARE A SCAM, KEEP DRAWING ANYWAY
Here’s the truth:
🎨 Every great artist has been told their work “lacks intention.”
💀 Most critiques are just empty jargon.
🚀 The best way to improve? Keep making art.
You survived your first critique. Now go make something anyway.
⸻
🚨 THE SOLUTION: JUST WATCH THIS SERIES INSTEAD.
I wasted six figures so you don’t have to.
🔥 Next lesson drops soon!
🔥 Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss it:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@mrbraylabs👈
💀 COMING NEXT: Lesson 4 – The Great Lie of “Finding Your Style”
(Or: Why Every Art Student’s First Style Is Just a Glen Keane Knockoff.)
💬 Drop a comment: What’s the WORST critique you’ve ever gotten?
(Or, what’s the most meaningless feedback you’ve heard?) 🎨💀😂
⸻
🚨 ANIMATION ANARCHY STARTS NOW. 🚨
🚀 The revolution will not be graded.
