Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Steve Shives is a film and culture critic with lots of opinions, such as the proper way to evaluate art. In a recent video titled "Honesty Is A Critic's Most Important Credential", he explains that honesty, as opposed to correctness, proper use of evidence, and consistency, is the most important attribute for an art critic. But is it? As the artists and critics Alex Sheremet, Dan Schneider, and Ezekiel Yu explain, "honesty" is in fact the bare minimum standard for criticism, since anything else means you are a troll. Thus, going beyond this minimum standard is what distinguishes good and bad critics.
Clipped from ArtiFact #41: Is YouTube Destroying Art? youtube.com/watch?v=RHNRHLHa8yg
The original @SteveShives video: youtube.com/watch?v=nIRoN2U1sqI
Support us on Patreon and get the patron-only B Side to this conversation: patreon.com/automachination
B Side topics: Ezekiel Yu’s development as a writer; yes, every writer writes from experience; the before/after when figuring out how to write; Alex’s video essay on Robin DiAngelo; in praise of Laura Woods; artistic competition; why Milk74 is an interesting YouTuber; PhilosophyTube sucks; Vladimir Vysotsky’s worst songs focused on street culture; Zeke’s religious transitions; truth vs. privacy in personal memoir; how having less time allows you to do more; art as therapy is good if there is a worthwhile art-object that comes out of it; Alex and Zeke discuss their guilty pleasures; Kwame Brown & natural conservatism; Andrew Tate, JustPearlyThings, & others with failed relationships give relationship/marriage advice; why Red Pill men are effeminate; tackling a bad video essay on Martin Scorsese’s "Taxi Driver"
Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: spoti.fi/3xw2M4D
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3wLpqEV
Google Podcasts: bit.ly/3dSQXxJ
Amazon Music: amzn.to/2SVJIxB
Podbean: bit.ly/3yzLuUo
iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L
Read more from the automachination universe: automachination.com
Read Alex Sheremet’s (archived) essays: alexsheremet.com
Dan Schneider’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@cosmoetica
Dan Schneider’s Cosmoetica: automachination.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/automachination
Tags: #art #steveshives #theory
Steve Shives is a film and culture critic with lots of opinions, such as the proper way to evaluate art. In a recent video titled "Honesty Is A Critic's Most Important Credential", he explains that honesty, as opposed to correctness, proper use of evidence, and consistency, is the most important attribute for an art critic. But is it? As the artists and critics Alex Sheremet, Dan Schneider, and Ezekiel Yu explain, "honesty" is in fact the bare minimum standard for criticism, since anything else means you are a troll. Thus, going beyond this minimum standard is what distinguishes good and bad critics.
Clipped from ArtiFact #41: Is YouTube Destroying Art? youtube.com/watch?v=RHNRHLHa8yg
The original @SteveShives video: youtube.com/watch?v=nIRoN2U1sqI
Support us on Patreon and get the patron-only B Side to this conversation: patreon.com/automachination
B Side topics: Ezekiel Yu’s development as a writer; yes, every writer writes from experience; the before/after when figuring out how to write; Alex’s video essay on Robin DiAngelo; in praise of Laura Woods; artistic competition; why Milk74 is an interesting YouTuber; PhilosophyTube sucks; Vladimir Vysotsky’s worst songs focused on street culture; Zeke’s religious transitions; truth vs. privacy in personal memoir; how having less time allows you to do more; art as therapy is good if there is a worthwhile art-object that comes out of it; Alex and Zeke discuss their guilty pleasures; Kwame Brown & natural conservatism; Andrew Tate, JustPearlyThings, & others with failed relationships give relationship/marriage advice; why Red Pill men are effeminate; tackling a bad video essay on Martin Scorsese’s "Taxi Driver"
Subscribe to the ArtiFact podcast on Spotify: spoti.fi/3xw2M4D
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3wLpqEV
Google Podcasts: bit.ly/3dSQXxJ
Amazon Music: amzn.to/2SVJIxB
Podbean: bit.ly/3yzLuUo
iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3AK942L
Read more from the automachination universe: automachination.com
Read Alex Sheremet’s (archived) essays: alexsheremet.com
Dan Schneider’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@cosmoetica
Dan Schneider’s Cosmoetica: automachination.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/automachination
Tags: #art #steveshives #theory
