I haven't been uploading things lately, and I just kind of wanted to explain the reason why. A couple years ago I moved from the US to Europe. The move put a damper on my ability to make and upload art, partly because I sold my computer and tablet, and the process of moving was very time consuming. But after some time, I got back into the swing of things, and started to draw more. I eventually started to draw things I thought were worth posting, and it felt good. But here's where I found my motivation hit a roadblock. All of the sites I used to upload to have changed drastically for the worse. I used to post to Twitter, but it has become such a cesspool of racist propaganda, I really don't want to post there. Since Elon took it over, the algorithm just pushes right-wing influences hard, even if that's not what you're into. I tried Pillowfort for a while, when some were saying it would be a good alternative to Twitter and Tumblr. But I found engagement and discoverability were garbage there. I tried Bluesky for a while, and while it's not bad, it doesn't seem like the furry community at large has embraced it. Not to the scale that they did on Twitter. The potential is there, but a lot of people seem reluctant to leave their Twitter fanbase behind. I used to like DeviantArt. Even though it doesn't allow the hardcore NSFW I sometime like to draw, I could at lease post nude pinup style art. The vanilla stuff was still allowed, and the number of users was probably the largest of any dedicated art site. But DA is all about the AI slop now. Even if you toggle AI off, you'll still see at least 50% AI images in your feed. People are not required to label AI, so the toggle doesn't filter it. The embrace of AI is extremely disheartening to see, and it really discourages me from using DA. So, that kind of leaves just FA and Inkbunny. Inkbunny has always been problematic. I don't agree with their tolerance of cub art, although I do generally support more freedom over more censorship. I appreciate that you can filter out what you see. But like DA, they've also embraced AI, and I see a lot of AI on Inkbunny now. Which leaves FA. I think FA is the least bad of all the sites, but they've gone the opposite direction on censorship. They ban art of minors (which I agree with), but also shortstacks and petite adults. I've heard plenty of stories of inconsistent and arbitrary censorship. I've also seen some of my favorite artists complain about the changes to FA, and some of them even say they're leaving. Plus, FA feels so outdated, and experiences technical difficulties more frequently than other similar sites. It sucks, because a few years ago I felt like there were a lot of places I could have freedom to post my silly little naked cartoons and connect with an audience who also likes that stuff. Now it feels like using every site is like navigating a minefield. When I go to draw something, I literally have a chart of what is and isn't allowed on what site, and then when I come up with an idea, instead of just drawing it, I have to ask myself "Where will I be allowed to post this? What can I change to make it acceptable to more sites?" And even if I create something I can upload, I ask myself "What does using this site say about me?" If I use DA, am I supporting AI? If I use Twitter, am I supporting a Nazi? If I use Inkbunny, and I supporting cartoon CP? If I use FA, am I supporting censorship?" Maybe I'm overthinking all this stuff, but it completely kills my motivation to draw.

I'm curious what others think. If you're an artist, are these considerations you have when drawing? And what is your favorite site to upload art to?

If you're a fan of art, what do you think? Have you noticed any changes (for better or worse) in the sites you use?