I think so. It might be harder for non-artists to understand the struggle, but it's not like any criticism they could give is devoid of value.

I mean, if somebody told me my food would taste better if I did "x" I'm not going to scream "You're not a chef!" at them.

The thing is, it feels a lot of the time like even compliments are kinda pointless. It feels like filler and nobody really cares what's being said one way or the other.

What the guy said above is about the same I feel.
I mean if a non artist sits there and just rags on another artist without any constructive thing to say; yeah, screw that guy. But if a non artist gives criticism based on their personal preferences or any knowledge of what they think makes a good piece of art, then they have as much right as the most professional artist does.

I think that non-artists can give good criticism.
Not things like "this sucks" and etc.
Me, I'm not an artist but I am a musician.
I do not know the difficulties it takes to draw.
Honestly, I can't draw for shit.
But I like to state how I could imagine the piece and so forth.
I usually don't like to critique art because honestly, it's not my forte. I don't like to think that when someone like me gives criticism, others who do draw will think/say "they don't know what they are talking about".
People who have a basic understanding are able to give better criticism than those who just look at art and be all like "I like it" or "eh I don't like it".
It just depends on the people themselves. c:

Sure, I think so...

In the fandom it does seem difficult at times, especially when artists seem to want only to associate with other artists. Non-artists can certainly find obvious problems with a piece of artwork, just like anyone with an ear can hear someone accidentally sing the wrong note in a song. There's nothing wrong with pointing this out (though I'm sure both the artist and singer can be aware of their respective problems).

As a musician I've been given criticism by professionals, teachers, and non-musicians alike. It's harder to take the latter to heart, but as long as it's constructive there's really no harm in taking it into account.

Yiss! Because while those who create art are expressing themselves and subjectively, it is the very nature of expression to be seen/heard/noticed/recognized. Be it for better or worse, art is to be discussed between viewer and artist...or even viewer to another viewer. : 3

Personally I don't think so. As far as any artist I know (I'm a minor artist, not the MOST qualified, but still), they crave for their work to get attention and to get better. If someone gives them constructive criticism, regardless of if that person is an artist themselves or not (sometimes criticism comes more from common logic than expertise), they would take it to better themselves. If someone actually compliments their work, then regardless of who they are OF COURSE that makes them feel better! I've never once heard of an artist that gets annoyed when their work is praised. It lets them know they're good, they're doing something right, that people actually pay attention to their work.

Not saying anything at all only serves to make them feel ignored and may end up pushing them away from doing more art in general because "nobody says anything, so they must not be paying attention". I'm a writer, so I know exactly how it feels when nobody talks about your work, be they compliments or criticisms.

If an artist didn't value my compliment because I am not an artist, then I'd be very unimpressed lol

I mean.
I work in a bakery and if someone walks by and says "Ooo that looks good' I AM GOING TO VALUE THAT. regardless if they're a baker or not.

The basic idea is, you don't need to have an art major to see if someone fucked up a leg. If you think something looks good then say so. Us artists are terrible at seeing our mistakes until well after we post our images. At least for me. So there really is no negative to voicing your opinion

Honestly, I rely heavily on  theodwulf to look at my art as I'm making it to point out mistakes and potential for improvement. He can't draw much of anything, but his insight isn't dependent on personal skill, but in his consumption of art.

Well no shit. I mean, the technical aspect of the art may be lost to an artist, but they still know what they see.

Likewise, I may not be a movie director or an actor, but I can give my opinion, based on my experience, of a movie.