Something I’ve noticed on just about all the arts sites (include FA ugh) is that there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of commenting on art anymore. People just fav, or if they do comment it’s usually “ooh pretty”. If you’re a really amazing artist you’ll likely get lots of people commenting the same thing “I Love this” and of course that is always nice to see that people appreciate your hard work and talent. But for the majority of us we are lucky to get a comment. People have largely stopped commenting these days in part because I think there is so much stimuli and so many people out there putting their content out, that it takes too much time (albeit a few seconds to a minute) to leave a comment of any substance. And that is only if the art captivates, pisses people off or is porn. Capturing people’s attention these days is far more demanding and difficult for the artist in a sea of other artists vying for the same thing.

As a consequence to this lack of commenting, sometimes it’s difficult to know if anyone is really seeing your art. I know that I can’t be the only artist who has disparaged my art on account of it getting zero attention from anyone on any art website. Of course you shouldn’t value you art based on the impression or attention for others and should do art for the sake of art; create content because the muse compels you to express yourself in that way. That’s all granted, but still having a little bit of validation is always nice when you’ve worked so hard on a piece of art and just want to know that there are people out there that can appreciate it.

Which brings me to the point of this journal entry, which is to say that from here on out I am going to try to be a more active participant in the artist communities I take part. I pledge to comment on the art that really captivates me and art from my friends. Further I won’t just comment with the standard “I love this!” or “oohhh how pretty” and really will make an effort to tell you what I like about your art. I’ve been working a job for a giant corporation for going on a year now, and one of the lessons I’ve learned that I can apply to my life is that when you recognize someone for something you like, tell them why you are recognizing them and be specific. This way I not only help you to feel good about your art, I also learn from the process because I will be seeing what it is about the way you do art for potentially trying it out on my own. Consequently if you comment on my art with the same effort, I will be sure to return the favor.

I do appreciate good critique on my art, so if you are inclined to help me improve in a constructive way I invite you to do so on any of my pieces. As for me providing critique I will only do so when the artist requests. I have found in the past it to be rude and hurtful when someone offers unsolicited critique on art, plus it’s a wasted effort on the commenter’s part because the artist is already on the defensive and none of the commenter’s suggestions will be taken well. If you are open to good critique however, I can try to provide some and offer redlines and suggestions as this helps me to fine tune my artistic abilities through critique.

The aspects of art I am really trying to improve on are Color theory, lighting, background and composition. I really struggle to bring a fully rendered piece with a background and lighting to fruition so hopefully with some encouragement, I can try tackling some more of my weakest areas.

So to conclude, I am making the declaration to become a commenter of substance on more people’s art and build more of a rapport for people to comment on my own. It is my hope that this will foster a stronger community and that we will all learn from each other and affirm one another as artists.