MapleBranchWing

To get this out of the way: I am officially leaving DeviantArt. It has been a fun 8 1/2 years, but I no longer have any reason to continue being here. Most of the people I know have left and moved on to greener passage.

Well, it has been that way for the past few years. I kept posting onto DeviantArt as a way to give everyone who still happens to be here a way to view my art. But I no longer have that justification.

DeviantArt's team has been heavily pushing AI art in the past year or so, something I am heavily against. AI undermines all the work artists put into their passion, and AI companies typically train their technology do so without artists' consent. That is stealing. It's a similar principal with AI voices--how would you like if someone took your voice without your permission and used it to say things you would never say? I am glad you can opt out of it, but it should never be an option in the first, especially on an art platform.

On top of that, there is also DeviantArt's continued support for Israel. There is no justification for the violence Israel has and continues to commit against the Palestinian people: erasing their culture, stealing their land, and claiming it for themselves. It is genocide, plain and simple. There is no room for argument. I heavily recommend you research just how bad it has gotten.

For me, that is the straw that broke the camel's back. I cannot continue to support DeviantArt in its current state.

You may continue to support my art on Tumblr, under the username MaplesHaiku. However, the future of Tumblr is also very nebulous, as it has also begun to partner with AI companies. I really hope that one day, there will be a better alternative for artists to post their art on. But that day may not come for a long time.

I will not be deactivating. If you want to view my art, you can view it. But I will no longer be using this account.

This is MapleBranchWing, signing off. And Free Palestine 🍉

I'm on Team Werewolves this year! Feel free to attack me!

https://artfight.net/~MaplesHaiku

Tomorrow, Art Fight starts up again. I'm on Team Bloom this year!