Perhaps where we are going wrong is calling ourselves artists. If GCU had just called us all Card Designers from the start, would we still be having this debate? Anybody can call themselves an artist, all it takes is a scribble on a bit of paper, and woe betide anybody who criticizes it! Card designing, on the other hand, is a skill that can be quantified.

Rebecca, I love your suggestion here... I don't know who is critiquing my work.  I have no idea if it might be someone with a thing AGAINST my work - maybe feeling I'm competition (been there done that in another hobby of mine).  I work through example - I DO take the feedback seriously - I DO go read every single tutorial and helpful website fellow successful artists here post trying to learn those skills to create a good greeting card.  I AM looking to do well and do it RIGHT for me and for GCU.
 
As for being an artist, I am sorry - but when I watch sales of "artwork" by so in so artists who just took a canvas, dribbled a few different colors of paint on it and puts a thumbs up that this is a winner and THEN sells it for gross amounts of money and calls himself an artist - give me a break.  Heck man, a monkey can do that - and actually, I've followed the work of penguins doing much the same.  
 
In that respect, I AM an artist.
 
I'm looking to make sales and whether you call yourself an artist or a designer of greeting cards makes no difference to me - yes, in the end, it's the sales that tell the story and the WHOLE reason for my gripe at the moment.  It has nothing to do with being called "artist" or "designer" but about the inconsistencies of review - not knowing who doing the reviewing - and how WE 'designers' go about learning the skills/tools necessary to be successful.
 

Mindy
 
Let me first and foremost say thank you again for replying.  I've been having a wicked time feeling all warm and fuzzy and like the "black sheep" of GCU for voicing my frustrations with this new process.  At first, I panicked and then tried to embrace it.  Now, I'm panicked again after following several threads of other frustrated artists.  Let me say this - I am NOT angry with GCU - just wildly confused with everything going on.  I've been here for three years, have less than 300 cards in my store, and tried to look at the good in that my year-to-date- sales have improved - certainly nothing to write home about, but hey... one step at a time.
 
I've personally taken every suggestion, website link, and critique seriously and part of me still feels I'm missing the big picture - so that equates to my feeling very frustrated with the new process.  I totally get the need for raising the bar and being the best I can be.  However, I feel that when I state my concerns and frustration, I'm being looked upon as some bad person for doing so.  I've been told it's all a learning curve - call me impatient to learn to do well.
 
Right now, I feel I don't offer quality enough cards so I'm taking a step back.  I am looking at the other work submitted that is selling well and trying to learn from it.  I'll do my best to learn some new skills but right now, I don't feel I can meet your requirements and partly because maybe I don't know the true meaning of what being a 'greeting card designer' actually is.  I'm seeing posts about being the perfect photographer - and yet contradictions made by others that card designing is different.  And maybe I'm just misinterpreting it all.  I worry every day my only selling card will meet with the axe and that will really leave me with nothing.  Maybe I shouldn't worry - but I am - end of story.  
 
So, at the moment, I am going to take a step back until some of the 'bugs' are dealt with - I'll try to learn all I can, but I honestly don't feel I'm capable of meeting your new requirements.  I've had people look at my cards and offer kind remarks - but this isn't telling me if my cards are "marketable".  Until I figure that out, I need to back off a bit and wait until GCU completes it's thinning process of all cards and see what I'm left with in the end.  I pour my heart and soul into each card to the best of my ability - and the inconsistencies and other issues are setting me right back into a situation I previously experienced - that it wasn't my work at all, but some other factor I'd rather not discuss here.