00:00
00:00
SourCherryJack
Yeah, something like that.

Jack @SourCherryJack

Age 29

Artist

Kool Skool

Los Angeles

Joined on 8/11/09

Level:
28
Exp Points:
8,186 / 8,700
Exp Rank:
4,606
Vote Power:
6.93 votes
Art Scouts
5
Rank:
Civilian
Global Rank:
> 100,000
Blams:
1
Saves:
25
B/P Bonus:
0%
Whistle:
Silver
Trophies:
6
Medals:
136
Supporter:
9y 14d
Gear:
1

Feeling it.

Posted by SourCherryJack - February 27th, 2016


I haven't made one of these for a while, not since the art review request announcement, I'm gonna chalk that up largely to a failure. Some people requested reviews and I am happy to have helped them, but for the most part not a ton of people have made requested, which is understandable. What isn't understandable though is how the "please link me one finished piece to review" was so hard to grasp apparently, but whatever. 

Anyway, as for an update on the status of myself: all has been going largely well; drawing has been steady; commissions have been moving through from time to time; personal life has been personal; and yet here, on Newgrounds, I really just don't know. I'll be going to Pico day this year as I did last year and am very much looking forward to that, but the art forum and the art section, the places I've called my home on Newgrounds for the passed six years or so, have just been annoying. I don't know if I'm just cynical to the changing tides of how artist try to make a living (chances are your patreon can go fuck itself) or if I've just hit a tipping point with fan art, or if it's just that all or most of the people I consider friends have stopped posting so much over the past few years, or if it's just all of the above forming up into a mass of disappointment, but the place just doesn't feel like a community so much as a disjointed mess of a bunch of people throwing out follow me links to their social networking sites full of cartoon  tits n asses asking for cash. Not to forget the heartbreaking lack of any support for any community activity that doesn't involve monetary gain, I mean, the "your character my style thread" has been dormant for months and every time I, or somebody else try to bump it, it quickly falls back away after a post or two, not to mention the other activity threads that don't even catch on for a second post and trying to start a new activity thread is about as encouraging as something that isn't very encouraging at all. . 

All that I know is that the art forum probably isn't in a much worse off state than it has been for the past year or so, but that's just the thing. I think I'm just finally out of juice for this place, I try to keep posting and giving advice where I can because I have learned so much from this place, and I do believe I have some valuable knowledge to impart, but I have been feeling less and less like my efforts to engage are worth it. 

So that's where I am right now, hope you're doing alright. 


Comments

Work with the regulars to make it a better place. Recruit cool people you know and try to get them to join the community. Or give up and accept that maybe this place isn't growing as a place for artists to develop. I like the regulars personally, and I just ignore the one post wonders unless they're doing something amusingly terrible. The art portal is absolute garbage, and I think it should be fixed but the admins don't seem to really care about whole portions of the website. It is what it is, seeing a rational person like you posting on the boards is what keeps me posting.

Yo Template, I'm flattered that you read this, even more so that my posting is something that keeps you around. I've come to treasure your presence in the forum not just for your awesome art, but you also give good advice/critique/info that is in many cases entertaining to read as well.
I think the biggest source of the frustration is that the art forum can be (and has been) a strong, albeit smaller art community. Back when activity threads thrived and popped up all the time and collars were actually a thing a few times a year people have tried to get them up and running again but it's usually a weak turn out. I don't know what more we can do, I wouldn't know how successful an attempt at recruiting people would go, or what that would even look like short of saying to my friends hey you should use Newgrounds, you know, the site with all the games and flash movies, it's just really an uphill battle that one.
I think community projects and collaborations would be the way to go, but those are hard to organize and even when organized hard to complete.
The portal has a lot of great in it, unfortunately a lot more garbage, but sometimes it's worth it to trudge through, I do agree it could be tighter in its moderating.

Anyway, I'm kind of droning at this point, thanks for posting, always glad to see you pop in when you do.

I never had much luck with internet forums bro, btu I feel you it was the same back when the marble honrets slendy shit was ending and old buds kinda weren't the same. i don't know i'm not much of a community person just the ALONE WOLF that kinda sits in the corner with weird shit happening by sticking a paw out lol. Patreon is weird, but then again hasn't a bunch of legit artists looked for patrons to feed them? lol too much of a stubborn ass to cave for that. you're going to pico day too? that would be cool i'm not sure it depends on a few things, you're getting comissions first of all dude so that's good.

Yeah, I've just been around the art forum here for a while so it's just sad seeing it slow down so much and lose a lot of talented people to the tides of real life or indifference to NG or whatever reason they may have. It is great to see you posting around the forum after following your work for so long, especially since you're one of the few other traditional artists around the perspectives are always valued.
Patreon is great, I love that it gives artists the ability to eat something more than top ramen haha. The problem I have with Patreon isn't with the service but the fact that it seems like every aspiring artist who's just starting out has one and asks for people to subscribe when they should be focusing on their studies to make better art instead of trying to sell their underdeveloped work. It's just a type of outlook that really bothers me. Like with anything there are good and bad ways to use Patreon.
Commissions come and go at random so it's good now but I don't bank on them lasting or count any chickens before they hatch but definitely hoping the stream keeps up haha.
Hope to see you again at Pico day, if not maybe the one after that eh.

I feel really bad I'm so bad with keeping contact with everyone I met in pico day(and really half the people here n general) I tried with one girl and went on her stream and she' like "WHO YOU?" I figured I've been here awhile and the site has given me so much in terms of support and personal reasons I can try to get out of the comfort zone and post mroe. Though it would be cooler to see other topics besides sketchbooks and asking to be scouted. I used to post backwhen I was 18 and it seemed cooler. Not sure how to describe it, maybe it's a change in crowd? I like the patreon people who deliver, but that website is under scrutiny because of their policies and tax reasons so that seems like a can of worms...

Yeah same here, though most of the people I met or spent any time with at Pico day were the few art forum regs I already keep in contact with. I agree with you 100% on the sketchbook threads, a few years ago there were a lot more activity threads that regularly got posts. I'll look for the links to them and put those up somewhere, I think there's an extremely dated Art101 post with some maybe I'll get that updated, I hope having the activities in one easy to find place will help with participation. It is really disheartening though when activities are bumped or created and then just get reburied. The crowd has definitely changed, gotten smaller and unfortunately it seems less involved overall. Though it looks like the few people who have been sticking around for the long haul (myself included) are looking to fix things up on the 'community' side of the art forum.

Hmm weird, I've never actually looked into anything on the legal side of Patreon. I usually am fascinated to read into that sort of thing, I guess I'm just so largely indifferent to it all I never bothered.