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Purging my gallery!
2 years ago
It's time for the great art purge!
I'll be removing all NSFW art from my gallery. I am giving a heads up, since I've seen the backlash that others get from just deleting their art without warning :O
NSFW art is not something I was ever interested in doing. When I first started it, I honestly thought it was the only way to make money from your art (without getting hired by companies). While it did indeed make a lot of money, it wasn't worth the mental issues it gave me, haha.
Originally, I thought I would leave the art up forever without any problems, and just switch to SFW art; but it's definitely lurking in the back of my head, and I really want to fully distance myself from it. I can't do that while it's all still here, so the great art purge is upon us!
I don't really have a set date on when it'll all be gone, since I'll have to do a bit at a time due to CFS/ME being a little poop. Inconvenient, I know. But, I will probably start the purge in a couple of days.
I'll be removing all NSFW art from my gallery. I am giving a heads up, since I've seen the backlash that others get from just deleting their art without warning :O
NSFW art is not something I was ever interested in doing. When I first started it, I honestly thought it was the only way to make money from your art (without getting hired by companies). While it did indeed make a lot of money, it wasn't worth the mental issues it gave me, haha.
Originally, I thought I would leave the art up forever without any problems, and just switch to SFW art; but it's definitely lurking in the back of my head, and I really want to fully distance myself from it. I can't do that while it's all still here, so the great art purge is upon us!
I don't really have a set date on when it'll all be gone, since I'll have to do a bit at a time due to CFS/ME being a little poop. Inconvenient, I know. But, I will probably start the purge in a couple of days.
I definitely support you; it is more than possible to make money doing clean art~
Perhaps consider putting it in scraps, or making it it's own folder, or at least making sure that it's all available on e6? History is important, even if you've moved on.
No matter what, I'll always love your work. All of it.
But phew!! It's a relief that only the lewd stuff is going away. I love your art, especially your newer pieces/style.
You've come a long way, and it's a joy to see what you come up with. :)
I understand your choice (as i've been through the same dilemma when I first started making art... and I decided to stay SFW, at max nudity and not even often)
You won't have issues :) your art is solid, your style is iconic (I follow you since the deviantart days) and ... I will be looking forward for your new stuff :>
<3
Do what you need to do Celeste. I don't draw nsfw stuff, though I appreciate the work of those that do. If it's bugging you though, purge away! Looks like a fair number of other watchers support you in this, so that's cool. Backlash sucks, and you nor any other artist deserves it for making such a choice about their own works.
Your newest stuff is always such eye candy. I feel you've only improved since moving on from nsfw, looking forward to the new content.
Sorry to see the art go, because you were good at it, but what ever you need to do to save your mental health is probably for the best.
Now that being said, personal issues of well being aside, this is a tremendous step which you are undertaking, especially if you are doing it with an eye towards moving into pro fields of art and perhaps animation. This requires much consideration and sacrifice in the reinvention of yourself. Although you greatly dislike it, you will be cutting yourself off of a near sure-fire source of revenue which could help pay the bills and ease the costs of keeping a roof over ones head and food on the table. It is easy to say on paper, but realistically speaking the question comes up if one can sever those ties without something else to take up the slack, because if one is serious about this, then deep changes will have to come about. A good many you will probably not like, but which would have to be done if you are going to go pro and get your name out there in those circles.
Many furry artists in the past have stepped away from doing adult works, and even from the fandom itself when they ultimately find that it is not something that they enjoy, despite having found out that sex sells, and sells well. This is a truism that has always been for most of the things out there in the general market. A scantily clad supermodel can generally sell more of brand X, than a goofy cartoony character can, unless the liking of said character catches on with the buying public at large.
This may not be pleasant to hear, but it has been found that if an artist has been touched by furry fandom, mainstream companies will treat them like radioactive or biohazardous material and not touch them with a ten foot pole if they find out about it either before or after employment. That is how they view the fandom, as something to be actively avoided due to its bad image and that of unfortunately, the actions of some fans. Word gets out and poisons the well for others.
If you do have a job somewhere in some other field, don’t give it up. There are artists out there who have nothing to do with any fandom, who have had to give it up and take up art-unrelated jobs just to keep money in the bank.
I feel that the suggestion given of rendering the adult art pages as unseeable and private and can be easily reversed if things do not pan out to be a sound course of action. But if you adamantly feel that purging the page is ultimately necessary, then by all means do so. But not in half measures that would give you no peace of mind. Given that over half of your gallery is adult art, just removing it would more than likely just give you scarcely more than a couple of pages or so. With this in mind, it would probably behoove you to just nuke the whole thing and start over again from scratch with a brand new page under a brand new pen name in this reinvention of yourself, beginning again with a totally brand new slate.
If the situation ultimately requires it, then just shutting down the entire page and transferring your banner to an entirely new site with no contact with here whatsoever, like say, making a Deviant Art page, or just making your own site to showcase your work would probably be a good option. Unfortunately, it has been shown that these days prospective or current employers can pretty well track down whatever one does outside of the workplace if they feel that the actions of employees does not fall within their ethical guidelines, so getting off of furry fandom sites and keeping the fandom at arms length would more than likely be a wise choice to further your hiring prospects. Purges of your work on your Patreon page would probably be necessary as well, being as so much of what is here is just mirrored from content there.
If you are serious about the reinvention of yourself and your image, then put more artistic arrows in your quiver, put art out there that shows that you can do a great variety of other subjects other than furries, show that you can do humans, landscapes, actual animals, still lifes, or whatever, show that you are artistically more than a one-trick pony that is what they want to see from illustrators, character designers, those looking for jobs in animation, etc.
Mind you that these are just opinions into possible courses of action, which you can either consider, take or leave as you ultimately see fit. I wish you all the best in all your artistic, and other undertakings in this new step in life.
Just a lurker. I follow plenty of artist across a number of fandoms/sites, etc. etc. so this is not a specific comment to YOU on a personal level, just a perspective I have garnered over the years having seen a number of artists come and go, rebrand, get arrested for something stupid, (sadly) sometimes die, and of course purge galleries.
If your reasons are Personal, Truthfully, you do you. No one but you can understand what's going on in your life and if you feel purging the NSFW is going to help you mentally, ALWAYS prioritize your wellbeing. NEVER force yourself to do something you dont want to do, especially if it's affecting your mental health or personal welfare.
If your reasons are monetary, then let me express my happiness that you are in a position. That you feel you dont have to make NSFW art to keep bread and a roof over your head. No judgments. No everyone gets to that point, and even if you did not hate NSFW material outright, I can understand if it was not what you wanted to do the rest of your life as an artist.
If your reasons are professional (job search related). Respectfully, I get that perspective. I have had jobs where I have to omit certain personal things in my life, or "tuck them away" so to speak, but I have never been a big fan of pretending that uninterested in certain things (Art or otherwise). It's not like you need to advertise it or anything, but you should never have to pretend. This also includes family. If anyone tries to judge you for your interests or hobbies, or even line of work that puts bread on the table, then they are the ones who need a reality check. IDK that's just my opinion, and it's worked for me, but maybe not for everyone.
In either case (regardless of your reasons) I am not the biggest supporter of gallery purges (regardless of whether its a purge of NSFW or SFW), and it always leaves a sour taste in my mouth, both as a lover of art, and a defender of preservation in nearly all its forms (art or otherwise), Without being too blunt, it just feels like self-censorship / self-denial.
Its 2023. The Internet and its archival nature have been around for nearly 30 plus year (at this point) and especially in the case of NSFW work (or art in general if we are being honest) trying to "Delete" something off the internet is impossible. I mean your entire gallery (willing or not) has probably been reposted to a number of sites (with or without credit to you) and even more have probably backed up and archived your work for that same amount of time.
I know from experience not all artists (in this fandom or otherwise) have always been fans of NSFW work, and I respect that. It's not a requirement in ANY artistic field, but I will say once you dip your ties in it, or swim in the waters, I feels like it's pointless to pretend it does not exist after that. Oh, step away or stop if you must, and no shame or judgment or toxicity should EVER befall you for making that choice. Sincerely, I assure you. But let me tell you I have seen a number of artists have left that side of the table and done so in a manner that makes it feel like a slap in the face to those who DO stay and partake, almost being judgmental in certain contexts as if partaking in NSFW art creation is "taboo or bad", which just feels wrong. I just think if your goal is to "Pretend it does not exist" or "Act like it never happened" (And let me be clear I am NOT saying that is what is happening here - just that it has been the reasoning for a number of artists across my 20 plus years), then perhaps it a more negative choice, than a positive choice. IDK.
Again, just my two cents. Take it for what it's worth. I cannot say I am happy about a purge of ANYKIND, but You do you, more power to you, and honest to goodness good luck in your endeavors moving forward, Personally, Professionally, and Artistically. I loved your work, both SFW, and NSFW and hope that whatever your reasons, you maintain wellbeing.
Just dont forget that the NSFW art itself (or indeed anything you choose to purge) was still a stepping stone, not a hurdle.