What is a visual critic?

Our lecture on a 'Visual Critic' was quite interesting because it asked questions such as:

'Where do ideas come from?'
'How do I turn my obsession into my professional practice?'
'What feeds your fashion desires?'
'What is visual awareness?'

Questions that I've never really thought about myself, in that much depth.. Part of the lecture, we looked into the parts of the brain we use to become a visual critic.
So what is everything? Well we found out Visual...:

'... Awareness is a relative concept, one may be partially aware, maybe be subconsciously aware, or may be acutely aware of an event'
'... Literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image'
'

But what about the title of this lecture 'Visual Critic', how do we become one? This question was answered with simple steps which we either know to do or subconsciously do..

•Use your voice.

•Have an opinion.

•Have a view or make a judgement

 (not necessarily based on fact or knowledge).

•Comment on the quality or worth.

•This can be based on ideas, experience,

  intuition, knowledge and enthusiasms.

•Share your ideas.

•Discuss and debate.

then..

•Choose a topic. Actively participate.

•Look – really use your eyes. Be constantly switched on.

•Receptive : able or willing to receive something / willing to consider new suggestions and ideas.

•Receptor : an organ or cell that responds to external stimuli and transmits signals to a sensory nerve.

•Record. Always carry / use a camera, notebook,

  sketchbook, visual diary, trend dossier.

•Read. Know your subject. Become an authority.

  Read around your subject.

•Routine. Make it habitual.

then..

We got introduced to a Personal SWOT, and I had never heard of this before but it's pretty straight forward, it's just a basic analysis of yourself in words - self reflection, self evaluation, skills assessment, personal manifesto.

In summary, I think that this lecture had answered a lot of questions people ask themselves a lot or maybe never ask themselves. The questions involved were interesting because it was an in depth explanation of simple things, even looking into the science of things, in a fashion course lecture! I thoroughly enjoyed this lecture and my personal SWOT turned out to be more positive than expected!