I mean all those comments are true. Pretty much every time I share my ref sheet at a con for a sketch I hear something to that tune. The comments will unavoidably continue, but that's a good thing because your work's superb.

I'll look forward to seeing stuff from the GavBat!

If only FA would implement name changes, I beg

According to the "Help & Support" section of the site, an account rename feature is "currently in development". But that info hasn't been updated since 2019, so...

Yeah, it's something they've been teasing for years. For a long time I've been thinking about rebranding, but not really wanting to go to the trouble, so my excuse was "I'll change my name when FA actually implements name changes".

I'll second that, GavBat! Always love seeing the art you put out.

I have to admit, there were a few times I was trying to explain you and your art, such as the commission you did for me, to my friends, and whenever I said the name they always double-took or looked confused, so there you go!

You are actually pretty impressive.

You are one of the best. I'm happy to see you take more pride in your work more openly. <3<3<3

I'm unimpressed with this information.

:3

Proud of you <3

I've been saying for a long time that your username was very inaccurate. XB

If you were ever dead-set on getting the name, it doesn't appear as though that user has used that account for many years. I was granted this name a while back even though someone else had it ages ago. If the account has been dead for a very long time, you could probably be given it.

That would definitely be worth looking into if I'm ever able to change my name without wiping and porting over my whole gallery to a different account. I'm not holding my breath for that, though.

Good change!

Ah ha! That change also made it possible to find your BlueSky.

Honestly, I know it doesn't matter, but I approve wholeheartedly. Your work is incredible, and as 'eyecatching' as this username is, it really is a disservice to you. Looking forward to seeing everything you do, as usuall

GavBat is a great name <3

So glad you're doing that Gav! And you are awesome! Your art is always a joy to see and the commission I got from you is cherished. Your art is an inspiration and I want to do art like you do!

GavBatGavBatGavBatGavBat!

For what it's worth, I changed the info on the commission I posted to reflect this on Weasyl, where the name change was allowed.

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Ha, had just told a friend that "Unimpressive" wasn't an apt description of your work just the other day. Glad you've decided to stop being negative on yourself, where you can

It was definitely a distinctive brand in its way (good at getting stuck in one's memory for its uniqueness). But yeah, all things considered, it's probably run its course and it seems like a good call.
Especially if it was giving weight to any self-negativity that was floating around.

As an aside, FA's GavBat looks like a pretty dang dead account, so who knows. Maybe there'll be a way to reclaim the handle in the future.

I do wonder if it's a branding mistake to go from a catchy and memorable handle to a NameSpecies.

It's a bit of a tricky question, that! Even if it might be on any level, I think it's important to take in the whole picture regardless.
There's a lot of moving parts here. What's a mistake for immediate recognition isn't necessarily a mistake for the rest of the whole, and I'd wager it's quite the opposite.

Some things count for more than branding in the long term, especially when it comes to matters of burnout, self-worth, and identity.
Being stuck with a handle that has an iffy mental texture for yourself is definitely a bad thing, so on that level alone, this decision was a net good.

While I can technically see some business sense in the notion that brand recognition is important, I'll be frank with you on the other hand: I think your style and the quality of your work does a lot of the heavy lifting there anyway. It'd be hard for me to get one of your pieces mixed up with anyone else's, regardless of how you sign. You do great work with a beautiful painterly style that's all your own.
And speaking for myself at least, I've never seen another GavBat out on the net, save for the idle-y one on FA, so I wouldn't worry too much about being "generic".

So to nutshell that, I don't think you should sweat the outcome or double-guess yourself; you made a good call!
(Besides, even if you ultimately find something you think is both more-apt and catchy in the future, it's not like you can't swap things around again then on the same basis, right? As long as it feels right, that's the important part.)

I should have responded to this when it was fresh but I didn’t, oops. I’m dredging this up now just to say thank you for your input and your kind words. They are helpful and appreciated!

You're welcome! (And no worries!)

It's all good, Gav, we all continue to change and grow. It's even better that you're taking steps to be kinder to yourself in this manner. Nice. :)

lol goofball