No reason to hang around here anymore. This part of my life is over. It's sad to see that the wacky era of art-sharing and community that DeviantArt created has ended. I'm not saying that people here are mean now, but the site itself has destroyed accessibility and easy peer-to-peer communication. It wants to make this website into something like ArtStation, but it isn't. It can't. You sold yourself up the river when you made that statement all those years ago that essentially said "If your art is stolen, tough. People were just *inspiiiiired* by it."
I think the end of DeviantArt is a really, really sad one, I really do. There is simply...too much content. I don't know the better way to say it. There is so much content and so many creative talented people, that everyone else looks so much more worse in comparison. "Put out perfection or expect to be ignored", and even then, you won't get the views you used to. I'm sure someone somewhere has articulated this better than me, but...where did all the buzz and hype and comments go? Why do people not interact with artistic works anymore, anywhere? The only thing that seems to get consistent engagement across the board is humorous or inflammatory in nature. Maybe that's the only way artists can get any lasting notice now. Either be funny or be rude/wrong/controversial. And I'm not really knocking anyone that tries to get interest. People are kinda simple. They like to look at beautiful things, but they've become so used to well-executed, highly-skilled art that you either need to come at them from a completely different angle, or I suppose dip into fandom and do fan art.
At the end of the day, I don't have the answers, but I know that the best years of this website are behind it along with that odd sophomoric era of the Internet that was transitioning between the Wild West and "domestication". In the Wild West you could forge a new identity completely disconnected from the real world. Now, your online persona will always lead back to who you are in real life. There are upsides and downsides to both, but the former I would argue allowed you to make mistakes and be weird (read: not breaking the law, not being predatory, just weird and awkward) without it coming back to haunt you unless you paraded around reminding people of it.
Anyway. It's been real.
This website has changed so drastically the past three years that it feels like a copy of ArtStation more than the website where people could just dump their art and participate in contests and raffles and art trades. I genuinely miss the feel of "Amateur and Professional squeezed into one conference hall" feel that this place had. Now I can barely find anything, people have largely moved onto other places like Instagram and Twitter, ArtStation, Patreon... this place is where I spent my formative years of my fandom. This place also kickstarted my unhealthy obsession with perfection and self-loathing as I constantly compared my 13 year old self with people who were doing art for 10+ years. This place is a sour patch kid, except replace the sour with the bitter. I miss this place, but... how the hell am I supposed to find ANYTHING on this site now? lmao
Left
What was your first deviation?
Dude, i don't know. Ain't nobody got time to reach through all the shit I've made.
What is your favourite type of art to create?
Dark fanfiction.
If you could instantly master a different art style, what would it be?
Realistic drawing with pencils.
What was your first favourite?
again, ain't nobody got time for that.
What type of art do you tend to favourite the most?
Naruto fan art.
Who is your all-time favourite deviant artist?
If you could meet anyone on DeviantArt in person, who would it be?
How has a fellow deviant impacted your life?
Some deviants were supportive during 8th grade depressive moods. Some have made me want to be a better artist.
What are your preferred tools to create art?
pencils, or a laptop
What is the most inspirational place for you to create art?
nowhere
What is your favourite DeviantArt memory?
i have none.