A Brief Rant About Nothing Particular
"The Community" (including deviantART as a site within the 'art/design/skin' community), is much larger than I've noticed some people like to give credit to.
The statement is true that deviantART encapsulates a community all its own, like a bundled software package for your new computer system. As a new user, just beginning to explore the vast community known as "Art & Design" with deviantART might be your first or second stop - it could be the case that you won't explore the community further. Here at deviantART you have access to most any resource necessary to enjoy viewing art work, submit art work and interact with the large and dynamic user base.
I remember when the site was being formed in early 2000, and that was a great feeling to be part of something like this. I wish, at that point, we could have archived the look and feel of the site, but at that time, I don't believe any of us had a vision as to how fast the community would grow within these green walls. Though, now that it is four years later, I have a starkly different emotional relationship with the site I used to love like a good friend. I don't believe the feelings I have now are all that negative, but the urge to return to the nostalgic feelings of old.
I have several points of reference to speak on here. One as a casual user, one as a pro-active participant, as an Administrator and as someone who was gone for a while then came back.
As a casual user, I was drawn into deviantART because at the time it was very small, under 100 deviations, about 1000 or so registered members (most of them DMusic and Cybertropix users), and a web design that was much like what you would see on someone's personal weblog site. The website at this point was a very interpersonal one, in that you could leave a valuable comment on EVERY deviation submitted that day, known everyones name, and have no need for a buddy list, because anyone online at the time was a a colleague or artist you would love to have draw you something.
As a pro-active participant, I thrust myself into just about every issue where I could be a vocal influence and offer my thoughts in community related situations. Be it in the forums, news articles, hot topic issues, etc... At this time, the site was growing by leaps and bounds, with newly registered accounts appearing by the thousands daily (estimate).
As a deviantART Staff member, I wanted to maintain my 'activist' visions of what this community could become. I believe, and have always believed that the site could be run as a movement, to assist artists rather than becoming a "dumpsite" of sorts, where people would just log in, upload random pictures and move on. I wanted something more, something productive. As a deviantART Staff member, I networked with many people (community leaders, artists, software & design companies) forming a bond between them and the site so we could offer services to our users, and help educate them while they received constructive comments for their work. That was a noble idea, but I think I was a bit naive at first. Eventually, after some unsucessful bargaining.. I came to a realization. Most senior members, and people in elevated positions in the community and in business were turned off by the site. They were appalled by the artistic level of the majority of work uploaded to the site and couldn't understand why it was the way it was. I tried to explain it to them, but what more could I say? That's just how it became, no fault of anyone.
Which brings us to where we are today. I've been gone nearly 15 months from this website and now I've returned with fresh eyes and a fresh vision.
Sometimes, it is a good idea to differentiate what community we're referring to when we write. At times, when I read what others write about the community, I would like to surmise that they have only experienced deviantART as the 'art/design' community standard, and that's not entirely accurate. Personal opinion might lead a person (myself included, some time ago) to believe it's the only website and its staff that matters, but really, it's the people et al., across the internet and world as we know it, that make all this possible, because it is for them that we (those involved in developing deviantART) created this place and maintain it. Right?
What I love about deviantART for me is that it fuels the desire, (or I would like it to fuel the desire), in others to expand on their inherent talents and gifts and grow them, rather than succumb to laziness and the 'pop' aspect this website so dearly needs to pull itself away from. Lately, I've embarked on a purposeful crusade to comment with constructive intent on any piece of art that I believe could be better and offer the artist with a list of educational resources. What I need is for people to galvanize behind my efforts and do your part to ensure people submitting are given the knowledge necessary to make artists out of them. If this website continues on what I believe to be a self-destructive course, this will be one big "party-site" and not an artist community.
I hope you read and gave my RANT at least 30 minutes to digest before attempting to comment. This website is still very dear to my heart, and I won't rest until I've expended all of my resources to ensure this is a website for artists, and not for personal, individual gain. Remember, my thoughts, at this time, may not reflect and should not be interpreted to reflect the view of deviantART Staff or its affiliates, heh.
I appreciate your time.
Highly-Devious Biography:
My name is Vince and I do freelance computer consulting/training and digital photography for various local clients on a contract basis. I am a full-time college student at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA and I love it! The campus is gorgeous and the people are beautiful. My major is Marketing Management / Business Administration.
From August 2000 to March 2003, I have volunteered a lot of my time at deviantART, Inc., as the Assistant Marketing Director. This particular job necessitated; advanced computer operational skills, excellent communication, salesmanship, and marketing ability. I was also responsible fascilitating healthy relationships between software developers, other website owners, community leaders, and deviantART, Inc., for the purpose of providing mutually beneficial services to all parties.
:camera: I'm an amateur photographer and I shoot with a Canon Powershot S110 - DIGITAL ELPH & a Minolta DiMage 3.2MP camera. The purchase of my prints goes towards the development of my skill as a photographer and hardware necessary to produce more works for the masses.