Okay, so…pretty frequently I see people wondering why some artists are as popular as they are when they’re “not actually good at art” or whatever. Speaking as someone who has had these thoughts as well, insofar as I can tell, possible factors in artistic popularity (at least fandom-wise) are as follows:
1. Prodigious technical skills, based on a traditional interpretation of the term “skill”. Aesthetically-pleasing, well-made art. Stellar craftsmanship. Et cetera.
This is not strictly necessary, however, if you have one or more of these in addition to even decent technical skills:
2. Niche appeal. A unique style, a favorite character/ship a fraction of the fandom is passionate about, or a skill few other people have acquired (like animation, for instance).
3. Powerful concept. Not just making pretty doodles, but art with a narrative or a wealth of extra details or thought-provoking features.
4. Wow value. I think this really only works in combination with a really good concept, but if you can really power through something huge and impressive that other people wouldn’t generally have the dedication for, they tend to sit up and take notice.
5. Prolific creation. Making a lot of stuff keeps people interested, even if all of it isn’t super-wow-awesome.
6. Being nice to people doesn’t hurt.This isn’t meant to be a guide to popularity–rather, next time you’re like “why is that person’s art so popular? I think they suck”, you might consider these points and maybe ease off a bit. The artist, after all, is just doing what they enjoy. You may think everyone who likes their stuff is having some kind of mass hallucination, but that’s their business.
Tag Archives: advice
Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence.
The Little Prince (via psych-facts)
Once we start calling people monsters, we start sacrificing our sense of curiosity, our obligation to ask how they became that way, and why they did what they did: life, and certainly fiction writing, is about being endlessly fascinated by the human condition–naming someone a monster is lazy; it allows you to stop thinking and questioning.
Hanya Yanagihara, Electric Literature (via kylelucia)
hey all you fanfic writers
I can 1000% guarantee that someone has flailed and gushed and swooned over at least one of your fics because it spoke to something in them.
You have connected with more people than you know and you should be completely proud of yourselves.
Never compare yourself to others because everyone builds these connections in their own amazing way and fandom would be far less interesting without you in it
As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are – what others say is irrelevant.
Nic Sheff (via onlinecounsellingcollege)
Hey aunt Jill… I lost my dad one month ago. I’m not doing great, I’m trying to deal with it and grieve but it’s hard not to let depression overwhelm me. I’m sorry if I’m bothering or upsetting you, but if you had any advice, I would appreciate it. Thank you very much.
I am so, so sorry for your loss.
Of course it’s hard to fight back the depression! You lost a parent recently! (Hell, I still have bad days about my mom’s passing, and it was 4 years ago.)
My advice is this: keep moving forward as much as you can, and accept that you are going to grieve and be depressed for a while. It’s awful, but that is the natural process. If you are having problems coping, TALK TO A COUNSELOR. Grief is so, so hard to cope with, and having a professional help you is invaluable. (The first time I went to see a therapist was a few months after my mom had passed, and that made a HUGE difference.)
Again, I’m so sorry for your loss, darling. It’s awful and it hurts, but eventually you’ll feel joy again.
you never have to force yourself to change to “prove your abuser wrong” about whatever they said or implied about you. your traits or even flaws are never justification for the abuse you endured.
the end goal of recovering from abuse is not proving them wrong, being more successful than them, or anything of the sort if you don’t want to and/or can’t do any of the above. it’s living without the person(s) who hurt you, and being safe and happy doing whatever you feel the right path is for you.
you are strong and deserving of happiness on your own terms.
What if you bite me and keep me with you for all the eternity?
♛Satisfaction is not guaranteed, ma petite. In every sense of the phrase.
You do know that there’s more involved than simply a bite? I have to actually kill you first. It’s extremely erotic, but extremely painful. I have to actually forcibly pull your life away entirely – and you’ll fight me through it if you want to survive – and then feed a demon, a kind of cancer, into your body and soul. We still don’t know if it’s contamination or evolution. And it doesn’t always work.
There are worse things than death.
Every time the Dark Gift is given, a soul might be condemned for eternity. Some might say anyone I “keep with me” is condemned to the torment of my presence, or the desperation for me in my absence. Admittedly, monogamy has never been a strong suit for me. Not everyone is “tall enough to ride this ride,” if you get my meaning.
Reconsider your request.
I-want-my-IWTV 