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May become more active? (Also some rants)
5 years ago
General
Have been more of a lurker over the past year, and thinking of becoming a little bit more active? Not necessarily on the commissioning art side of things, but perhaps more on the social aspect? I don't know. Things have really changed, and not in a way I necessarily agree with. I feel like an important aspect of my life at this moment is that I just don't deal with toxic behavior nor associate myself with those that propagate this behavior. Hence the reason I more or less distanced myself from the community because it was so full of it the last couple years. But for that, I should probably explain myself and why I feel the way I do:
-Mini Rants Below-
Art is more of a no-go for me for the foreseeable future unless it's an artist I truly trust (mind you, there are many, but I just can't honestly afford that at this point in time). As someone who was a big commissioner of art in the past, a lot has changed over the last few years. There's been an alarming increase in the amount of talented artists that fail to even attempt to finish the product paid for that it's just not worth the risk anymore. At the time I left, I would be lucky if I got 7 out of every 10 pieces I commissioned. If I had to throw out a dollar amount, I'd place it somewhere near a $1k.
What's worse is that this attitude of "taking the money and running" has only been bolstered by a very vocal minority of the community, namely those that aren't having their money taken. There's a lot of "screw the commissioners, you do you" attitude from viewers of said artists (I guess it's akin to White Knighting), and things have become overly toxic for my liking in that regard. People are flat out telling artists not to finish their commissions even years down the road from when they took them. Stuff happens, I get it, but if people handed you money, you do still owe a product at some point. Otherwise, that is literal theft. It's bad when I find myself thankful when an artist who I won a raffle piece from sends me my piece 4 years down the road. If there are artists out there doing this for free, why are so many that are actually getting money out of it not able to deliver even a year or two later? Paypal isn't terribly helpful in helping with refunds either, so that's been a bust.
Also, from my experience, I have found many that people my age or older in the community tend to be unapproachable for me, so I find myself having to chat with people in their mid to lower 20s. You'd think people would mature as they age and having been in the community for so long they would have the social awareness to be able to handle a conversation without showing their ego. I don't care how long you've been in the fandom, I don't care how popular you are, I don't care how big your dick is. I will not just treat you like royalty due to this and if you are rude, I know to avoid you. I want to talk to real people, not whatever they project themselves as on the internet. Just because your character may be some hyper aggressive testosterone-ridden manly hyper-dom doesn't mean you need to project that onto your person. Unless you're a bit touched and believe you are that as well. Also, your "popufur" status means zilch to me, if anything that's mostly a warning flag. I want real friendships with real people, not some stupid popularity step ladder. That's not what I need in my life right now. Mind you this is all in general and not necessarily about any one or two people. I've had encounters like this MANY time over the last few years.
Edit - And don't get me started on how bad lazy people have gotten, throwing a couple colors on someone else's bases and selling them for $50-$60, something the character would be priced at if they had ACTUALLY drawn it. Stuff literally anyone can do, even in MS paint for some of them. That's pretty messed up... but people are foolish enough to pay for them, so I can't entirely blame them for that.
-End of Mini rants-
Because of the latter complaint (mostly), I've been socially straying from the furry community and making social connections either with local furries or with non-furs entirely. Mind you I still look at the art daily, and chat with friends I already have when I can.
That said, I would definitely like to get back into being social in this community. Meeting new people and making new connections. I would love to chat with people. I'd like to take that plunge again. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty open person. I'm open as a book, but nowadays, I am generally also pretty blunt. If someone comes at with solely with the idea of RPing or to throw their fetish at me, I will straight out tell them "Sorry, I am not into that." I'm not necessarily the same person I was a year ago.
If you ever want to chat, hit me up. Please, though, I really won't respond to "hi" or "OWO" or such. Try to start a conversation, please. Despite the tone of this journal, I am in fact a very pleasant and open person. xD There's only so much time I have to actually chat with people and I can't waste it on one word messages and conversations that will never go anywhere.
Sorry for typing an essay, but that really is just my style.
-Mini Rants Below-
Art is more of a no-go for me for the foreseeable future unless it's an artist I truly trust (mind you, there are many, but I just can't honestly afford that at this point in time). As someone who was a big commissioner of art in the past, a lot has changed over the last few years. There's been an alarming increase in the amount of talented artists that fail to even attempt to finish the product paid for that it's just not worth the risk anymore. At the time I left, I would be lucky if I got 7 out of every 10 pieces I commissioned. If I had to throw out a dollar amount, I'd place it somewhere near a $1k.
What's worse is that this attitude of "taking the money and running" has only been bolstered by a very vocal minority of the community, namely those that aren't having their money taken. There's a lot of "screw the commissioners, you do you" attitude from viewers of said artists (I guess it's akin to White Knighting), and things have become overly toxic for my liking in that regard. People are flat out telling artists not to finish their commissions even years down the road from when they took them. Stuff happens, I get it, but if people handed you money, you do still owe a product at some point. Otherwise, that is literal theft. It's bad when I find myself thankful when an artist who I won a raffle piece from sends me my piece 4 years down the road. If there are artists out there doing this for free, why are so many that are actually getting money out of it not able to deliver even a year or two later? Paypal isn't terribly helpful in helping with refunds either, so that's been a bust.
Also, from my experience, I have found many that people my age or older in the community tend to be unapproachable for me, so I find myself having to chat with people in their mid to lower 20s. You'd think people would mature as they age and having been in the community for so long they would have the social awareness to be able to handle a conversation without showing their ego. I don't care how long you've been in the fandom, I don't care how popular you are, I don't care how big your dick is. I will not just treat you like royalty due to this and if you are rude, I know to avoid you. I want to talk to real people, not whatever they project themselves as on the internet. Just because your character may be some hyper aggressive testosterone-ridden manly hyper-dom doesn't mean you need to project that onto your person. Unless you're a bit touched and believe you are that as well. Also, your "popufur" status means zilch to me, if anything that's mostly a warning flag. I want real friendships with real people, not some stupid popularity step ladder. That's not what I need in my life right now. Mind you this is all in general and not necessarily about any one or two people. I've had encounters like this MANY time over the last few years.
Edit - And don't get me started on how bad lazy people have gotten, throwing a couple colors on someone else's bases and selling them for $50-$60, something the character would be priced at if they had ACTUALLY drawn it. Stuff literally anyone can do, even in MS paint for some of them. That's pretty messed up... but people are foolish enough to pay for them, so I can't entirely blame them for that.
-End of Mini rants-
Because of the latter complaint (mostly), I've been socially straying from the furry community and making social connections either with local furries or with non-furs entirely. Mind you I still look at the art daily, and chat with friends I already have when I can.
That said, I would definitely like to get back into being social in this community. Meeting new people and making new connections. I would love to chat with people. I'd like to take that plunge again. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty open person. I'm open as a book, but nowadays, I am generally also pretty blunt. If someone comes at with solely with the idea of RPing or to throw their fetish at me, I will straight out tell them "Sorry, I am not into that." I'm not necessarily the same person I was a year ago.
If you ever want to chat, hit me up. Please, though, I really won't respond to "hi" or "OWO" or such. Try to start a conversation, please. Despite the tone of this journal, I am in fact a very pleasant and open person. xD There's only so much time I have to actually chat with people and I can't waste it on one word messages and conversations that will never go anywhere.
Sorry for typing an essay, but that really is just my style.
I've taken many breaks from this site simply in an attempt to catch up with art I've owed to others. I like to be very forward with anyone who shows any interest in my time, in that I have chronic illness and cannot guarantee a completion date on a piece. Sadly this has meant birthday pieces the week after, Christmas pieces in January, et cetera. But I pride myself on always doing what I've said I will do; I still have a queue of art that I said I'd do -- not paid pieces, just art at any point in time that I said I would do, so I intend to make good on my word.
I hate using my pain as an excuse, and it really feels like that's what it is at times, just an excuse. But I feel a lot better turning in something. It is certainly inexcusable that I see so many other artists, especially those who are able, turning in art extremely late or not at all. I have several hundred dollars of commissioned art that is unfinished and may never be; one ref I've been waiting on for 5 years now I think. And yes, I see those artists posting tons of other pieces.
I've been a bad artist, a bad business person, and at times a bad friend, but I strive to always be as good a person as I can be, and if that means a refund PLUS completing the piece, it's what I do. I see my faults and admit to them, and it's not only guilt I feel, but genuine remorse. I've been seeing a lot of journals like this recently and it makes me feel ashamed for not only my own lateness in art, but the state of the fandom to which I try so hard to bring positive exposure and good vibes. This fandom has done so much for me; in fact I wouldn't even be doing art without this fandom. But with every step forward we all take, it seems we're bound to be dragged back. If nothing else, it's a welcome thought that the whole of the fandom is becoming more aware to this situation.
I hope that it can be resolved
And yeah, honestly, this is more aimed at those that literally will never give me art that I paid for. If it's late, I can deal with that, honestly. So long as the artist is pretty open and clear in their communication, I understand that stuff does happen. But I've seen people claim they can't do my art because of depression, then a couple weeks later saying they're having huge money issues, then a week later post a journal saying they bought a new gaming console and a new car, and then moved to a super expensive part of the US because they always wanted to live there, only to complain half a year later that they can't afford their living arrangements because it's one of the most expensive places in the country. That sort of stuff really gets me as it's just plain negligence of your customers while also trying to garner undeserved pity.
I can certainly understand that! It also bugs me when I see an artist complaining about financial problems or an "emergency commission" opening and then they show up with a new fursuit or huge art commissions that could not possibly be afforded by financially stricken people. And I have 31 cents in my bank account, if I move somewhere it's going to be cheaper haha. I find that a lot of "emergency" journals are just guilt trips, and it's unfortunate because it has a "boy who cried wolf" effect on the circumstances that actually are urgent but are ignored when people assume it's just another false emergency. I've been grateful to the people on this site; I've used emergency commission openings to get a Help-Em-Up Harness for my elder dog who otherwise wouldn't have been able to walk, and to buy him herbs and supplements that he probably also would've gone without. While I was never able to fund the surgery I wanted for him, I'm still grateful that I got more good days for him, thanks to the genuine kindness of others among this community. It saddens me when I see people who don't turn in their art for emergency comms, especially when their emergency is something as petty as they a haircut (I've seen that before) or they wanted to buy someone a birthday present (I saw this too -- while thoughtful, it's NOT an emergency!). I still want to keep hope in this fandom, and I can see the good hearts of so many within it, but there is definitely a lot lacking in its professionalism and decorum. There are reasons people hate furries.
I also agree. When I was active I was all about trying to get people together and keep happiness in the community. Although I was very limited on what I could do, it was something I definitely enjoyed. I guess because my living situation is so different now, I don't quite have the luxury of doing what I once did.
The good parts of this fandom are so good, but the bad parts are just so extensive, and so threatening to the aforementioned good. It's hard to keep faith when things seem to love going wrong so often. But giving up is not gonna be what turns things around, so I still try, at least as much as my situation allows. I'm glad to see you share this appreciation of the fandom, and hope for its future. I will be glad to see your continued involvement in it, and wish you the best in your endeavors.
Glad to see youre somewhat backish :B
Well at any rate, I'm sorry that you've had the artist issues. Seems to be a bit more commonplace here than it used to be.
And yeah, it's far more commonplace and acceptable than it once was. I'll stick to artists I've commissioned in the past and trust. No more "up and coming" artists that I once used to throw money at (although the popular ones have also been an issue in the past)