I rarely ever make a journal in response to another journal, but I've been keeping my mouth shut about a lot of DA Drama for a while so it's sort of built up. I'm not going to be naming names because I don't want to start wars or anything, but I can't keep quiet anymore.

Deviant Art can be pretty frustrating to a lot of artists and unfortunately it's hard to "live" here. There are so many artists that are wonderfully unique, have a better grasp of art elements, and just tend to have a freshness about them... but they are silently hidden away within the labyrinth that is DA. We can blame it on the ignorant (not dumb just not knowing) masses that can't tell the difference between what is good art or what is bad art or we can blame it on DA's horrible system. Either way there isn't much that can be changed at this point.

It is sad that the popular is nothing but repetitive and dull, but that it's also shows how much the younger generation is perversely twisted. Whenever I take a gander at the front page popular I am always in sort of... shock. Not that I am horribly old or narrow minded, mind you, but that half the time I wonder what is mentally wrong with people. Fetish portraits is just soft core Porn, Yaoi prevails as a super norm making heterosexuals a dying breed, and don't even get me started with inflated art! Whatever "safe," (in the terms that it's PG-13 safe) art gets there is a string of shiny head shots that feels like a copy/paste cop-out to do anything else. DA has become a stagnant pond instead of promoting growth as an artist and because of this a lot of good artists are leaving DA seeking places where they can become greater than what they are.

The problem lies in the definition of what is or makes art. It's not really something that we can define, but DA only helps to promote one sort of mentality. Drones are really not what people are looking for, popularity doesn't mean a thing to an artists, but what it does do is show that what we're thinking, doing, experimenting isn't total fail either. I don't want people to get the wrong idea there's nothing wrong with liking something or not liking something. That is a measure of art too just that there are too many people that lack knowledge to make a good decision between something that is "shiny" and something that is executed well. Currently there are too many "I like it" and not enough "This is done well." It's annoying and disappointing.

Yes, it's nice to be popular and be on the front pages of DA popular. Yes, it's nice that we get a bunch of favorites and watches and page views... that's important to us because truthfully, as a good friend stated: "secretly every artist is an insecure, self-doubting, closet attention whore." We love it! We love to know that you love what we do! But are insanely jealous of the people that don't put in half the thought that we do and reach it so easily. We won't conform even if it kills us because if that was the case then nothing would ever change and the world would be a very boring and stagnant place.


I'm sticking to the East Coast cons this year because of financial and work situations.

MegaCon 08: Orlando, FL March 7-9th CONFIRMED
MetroCon 08 Tampa, FL July 18-20th
Otakon 08 Baltimore, MD August 8-10th
AWA 08: Atlanta, GA September 19-20th


MegaCon Art List
o1. Marvel Marvels
o2. Comic Women Illustrations [2/6]
o3. Avatar Art: Bookmarks, Buttons
o4. Bleach: Grimmjow, Ulriquaklsda, IchiHime (5 life times)
o5. Video Game Art: Phoenix Wright, Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, King of Fighters