I'm just gonna get to be point here. Ever since DeviantArt introduced its AI program and AI-Art-exclusive gallery, there's been a lot of talk about how people's art would be used without permission more than ever. It was, and still is, a very understandable concern, considering that most art AI's use databases that may or may not contain copyrighted content that people just threw in there without a second thought. For small artists, that might not be something to worry about, but since I have over 800 watchers here, I was worried that my art was also likely to be used despite enabling the "no-ai" flag option the second DA realized putting it off was a HORRIBLE idea.
So, like other artists, I stopped posting on DA and focused on other platforms.
So why am I coming back, you ask? For that, I have two reasons:
1) I've been on DeviantArt for over 8 years now and, despite what people say about it today, it is still the one platform I used where my art has received the most feedback, and as an artist who admittingly seeks validation from others, it makes me feel good when I receive a comment on something you guys really like about my artwork. I do get feedback on FurAffinity, but not nearly as much as I do here.
2) There has been some news going around about DA being sued for violations against copyright laws as well as its own Terms of Service. If that is true and the company ends up losing the lawsuit, we may end up seeing some more regulations on AI-art in the near future, which may or may not finally put DA on a step toward the right direction.
Now if you're into AI art, I wanna make it clear that I'm not entirely against it. AI-generating programs have their potentials as tools for creating stunning art, and some of the art I've seen generated from AI is pretty good; at the same time, however, if bits and pieces from that art came from copyrighted content (which most art on this site is by default), you risk being labeled as a thief just for posting something created by an AI.
So yeah, for now, I'll be returning to posting my artwork DeviantArt and see how things turn out in the coming months. I'll also be posting the work I've done in November and December that I've posted on my other sites. If you wanna look for me on other sites, I am on FurAffinity as I've previously mentioned and now a more recently-created site called Itaku.
Links to my pages are right below:
See you there! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some art to post here.
Yes, in case anyone is wondering, I am still alive.
I know I've been silent for the last 2 1/2 to 3 months, and I apologize for that, but August in particular has been pretty stressful for me.
I've been pressured to either find a 2nd job or return to college, both of which I didn't feel mentally ready for. Games have been my main tools of "coping with the pressure" (aka distracting myself), drawing a few things when the urge strikes, but eventually, I had to make my choice...
Hence the journal title.
I have returned to technical school to try and finish my generals for the time being. Maybe by the time winter approaches, I'll have a better idea of where I go from there, where I can grow my skills as an artist. So please, wish me luck throughout my first week back to school.
I will try to post some drawings and Second Life snapshots again on this site soon, of course, whenever I have the time. And yes, I do plan on posting most of the drawings I've done in my alone time while I've been away, so watch out for those.
That said, I thank you for reading this and hope the rest of the year will be good to you, whether at work, in school, or both.
I don't think I've done one of these before, but I think you guys deserve to know what's going on with me right now.
First off, I wanna apologize for the lack of art this past month. It wasn't really intentional, but there have been other things going on that have kept my mind off of drawing more art for you to see, of which I will explain in this journal.
Reason #1: I been trying to get back into exercising the last few weeks. Though I'm currently at a healthy body weight, I wanna continue working out at least 3 days a week to improve my physical and mental wellbeing.
Reason #2: Work... Kinda self-explanatory :P
Reason #3 (the bigger reason): I will be moving this June! I spent the last month with my older brother searching for what will be our first apartment, and despite the overly-priced choices we were given on the web, we managed to find one that was doable with the money we have. Honestly, I was scared of living someplace else for the first time in 20 years and still am, but at the same time, I hope this will be the true start to something new.
I will see about getting a drawing done for you guys sometime next week with a few Second Life pictures to accompany it, and I do have some ideas for those already, so look forward to them! ^^
Anyways, that's what's going on in my life right now. I hope your lives are doing alright. Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Thank you for your understanding, thank you for your continued support, and I wish you a great weekend~
So, DA announced that they're going to end services to the old site on May 20th, placing its main focus on the Eclipse site. Some of us have probably seen this coming. The internet is constantly changing and "evolving," and many companies/groups are searching for the next best thing. The old site has been around for several years now, and while we've come to love it, it was only a matter of time until DA decided it was time to take the next step.
So am I okay with it?
Well, I won't lie, I might have a difficult time getting used to the interface, but I think I'd be okay with it. I know a lot of people have said a lot of things like "Eclipse is a mistake," "It's so broken and useless," or "It's so hard to navigate the pages!" So far, I haven't have much issue stuff like finding deviations from those I watch or saving them to my collections. Yes, I'll admit it's not perfect. There are a couple of things I wish were added to the new site, but please keep in mind that every new system (or any system for that matter) will not be perfect. There will be things that you may or may not like about it, and that's fine, but it's also important to consider the time and effort that was put into things like this, especially when it's aimed to improve our experience with the site. So as much as I've come to love the old site and hold it in a little place in my heart, I also want to give Eclipse a chance when the time comes.
For now, I have set up my new profile page on DA Eclipse. If anyone is interested at all, you can go check it out right now. If you want to set up your profile on there, there should be a button called "Watch the Intro" on the profile page to help you get started.
Good luck to you all, and stay safe!