Art Class Questions...and a soapbox
Late last night, when I should have been in bed and fast asleep, I was instead of roaming the tubes of the internet, taking a bit of a gander around Deviant Art. My wanderings were mostly at random, seeing what was in different Artist's favorites, looking at the artists they'd 'fav'd and sneaking about galleries. I was just about to sign off when I found this (don't worry, it's safe to view I think; just a great deal of text):
http://shinga.deviantart.com/art/How-To-Be-Popular-On-DevArt-37634905
I read. I stared. Then being me, I started thinking...
Being an Artist myself, I know how dang alluring fame can be. When you've slaved away on an inkwork, giving it the final touches, and you can hear the awe in people's voices when they look at it, the feeling can got straight to your head. That feeling of having worked on something grand and beautiful, and people actually like it! However, there is a downside to all of this: the feeling can get so additive that if any other artists gets any sort of attention, one feels that their turf has been violated, especially if one feels the artist who has gained all the attention isn't worth their salt.*
But this...it feels a bit more like venting and irritation that their own artwork hasn't gotten much aclaim. I have no issue with venting**, but I do try and be fair to the people I'm angry at. If you can be angry and still be rational enough not to get nasty, that's an achievement to be proud of. However, the internet's great gift and great downside is that you can find anything on it, That means you can find things that you don't exactly like. But would it be better if you didn't just get angry and demand it be taken down or that people shouldn't look at. With the way human brains work, that would probably make more people want to see it, and also: you don't have to look at it.
That's the beauty of the internet: discretion. If you don't want to look, you can click the back button on your browser to go somewhere else. It's hard to get noticed as an artist, but if you don't like what other artists are putting up, then don't look at it! Being envious of other people's page views does not give you the right to degrade other's work, even if it's not to your taste. Just realize you do have loyal readers/viewers, and that they are worth more than masses of people. And you do have a back button.
So go out there, create your masterpieces, and if someone you think isn't worth the water they drink gets more page views than you? Please, just chalk it up to the fact that humanity needs to evolve a bit more yet, and keep on working.
Alright, I'm getting off my soapbox now...*grins*
*I have this issue rather badly, but I'm working on controlling it, since it isn't fair to the other artists and it isn't good for me. There's a reason Envy is considered a 'deadly sin' in many cultures.
*Well, I do it enough myself...:)
http://shinga.deviantart.com/art/How-To-Be-Popular-On-DevArt-37634905
I read. I stared. Then being me, I started thinking...
Being an Artist myself, I know how dang alluring fame can be. When you've slaved away on an inkwork, giving it the final touches, and you can hear the awe in people's voices when they look at it, the feeling can got straight to your head. That feeling of having worked on something grand and beautiful, and people actually like it! However, there is a downside to all of this: the feeling can get so additive that if any other artists gets any sort of attention, one feels that their turf has been violated, especially if one feels the artist who has gained all the attention isn't worth their salt.*
But this...it feels a bit more like venting and irritation that their own artwork hasn't gotten much aclaim. I have no issue with venting**, but I do try and be fair to the people I'm angry at. If you can be angry and still be rational enough not to get nasty, that's an achievement to be proud of. However, the internet's great gift and great downside is that you can find anything on it, That means you can find things that you don't exactly like. But would it be better if you didn't just get angry and demand it be taken down or that people shouldn't look at. With the way human brains work, that would probably make more people want to see it, and also: you don't have to look at it.
That's the beauty of the internet: discretion. If you don't want to look, you can click the back button on your browser to go somewhere else. It's hard to get noticed as an artist, but if you don't like what other artists are putting up, then don't look at it! Being envious of other people's page views does not give you the right to degrade other's work, even if it's not to your taste. Just realize you do have loyal readers/viewers, and that they are worth more than masses of people. And you do have a back button.
So go out there, create your masterpieces, and if someone you think isn't worth the water they drink gets more page views than you? Please, just chalk it up to the fact that humanity needs to evolve a bit more yet, and keep on working.
Alright, I'm getting off my soapbox now...*grins*
*I have this issue rather badly, but I'm working on controlling it, since it isn't fair to the other artists and it isn't good for me. There's a reason Envy is considered a 'deadly sin' in many cultures.
*Well, I do it enough myself...:)