Might be Leaving dA

So I wanted to make a post before I did anything...drastic? For some time now I've been considering leaving DeviantArt.

While this site is great for collecting pieces that inspire me, I've found that over the years I've been using the platform less and less. This place as a whole is OVERSATURATED with amazing work and amateurs alike and short of a few people I've met on the forums it really don't foster the kind of community that I enjoy or am always trying to build.

Additionally I've found other platforms to be much better at bringing new eyes to my work. Most notably IG and stuff I'm doing IRL at the gallery. Even my youtube community has had steady growth over the years but this place is growing ever more outdated for me. Many if not all of the artists I follow here I'm also following on IG, so the posts are the same and honestly I'm seeing them there before here every time.

Not to mention the big issue now with people creating fake NFTs based on images on this site. It has gotten so bad that part of the CORE membership now includes protection against it, creating a bit of a nasty disincentive for free users.

As time goes on I think back to when I was younger and the idea of getting my art to a site like this was really rewarding and fun. Now as a professional though it's more of an archive of my work through time.

I think the biggest issue I have here is that the model just doesn't really work for promotion and sales of art. This is a community for artists of any level, but artists aren't usually buying art, they're selling it. REAL collectors aren't looking at sites like this for anything but collecting images. Have a look at anyone's favorite folder here (my own included)...have a look at your own. Do you really care about those pieces or is it just a matter of "eh I like this. Fav." and move on. There's stuff in my folders I haven't looked at in over a decade, and that's not only meaningless, but super disingenuous to how you feel about an artist's work.

So I'm still a bit undecided, but I'm leaning in the direction of deleting everything and closing the account sometime this year (summer maybe?)

Would like to hear everyones' thoughts though.

In the mean time here's my on all the socials:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinderblockstudios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CinderBlockStudios/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinderblockarts/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Cinderblockstudios
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cinderblockstudios

Official Site: http://www.cinderblockstudios.com/

Other Stuff:

Twitch: twitch.tv/castlesandcocktails

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cinder-block-studios

Cocktail Blog: https://mediumofmixology.com/

There's also a community discord link for which can be found in any YT video I've uploaded in the past year or so.