[ SECRET POST #1351 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1351 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:



Secrets Left to Post: 05 pages, 111 secrets from Secret Submission Post #193.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 1 2 3 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 3 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - unreadable ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[alchemy]

No problem, I don't mind debating it at all, and I DO appreciate that you've been civil, even in the secret.

I do think I understand what you mean about enabling, but my point is that the idea of enabling is misapplied. First of all, this is supposed to be a fun fandom thing on the internet, of all places, and I am going to instinctively balk at anything to do with it being taken so seriously, so I have to put that out there for the record. Secondly, speaking as an artist who has gotten praise on a lot of truly terrible work over the years, I can't fathom the idea of it making an artist blind. Art is such an inherently visual medium; you can't escape it. All around us we see examples of people who are better than us and who we would like to emulate, whether it be an awesome fanartist or Monet. It's so difficult to be blind to where you don't measure up, you know? I've never in my life known an artist who wasn't constantly trying to improve. Third, what people like and don't like is as subjective as what qualifies as "good" art. I can't speak for anyone else, but I've had plenty of people legitimately gush over my art and I was thinking they must have really low standards. XD Yet, something about it spoke to them, so who am I to say that's not valid?

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I think the fun of such a fest might be compromised, however, if recipients feel hurt when they put in a lot of effort and receive something which seems shoddy.

I'd like to share your view on artists, but from my own observations (not of friends or acquaintances, simply of artists on the internet and what they say about their own work), there are a lot of artists who have an inflated opinion of their own skill, or who genuinely can't see how poor their work is.

I was like the latter when I was much younger and had only just discovered the shiny awesomeness of the internet - I was keen to share my work, even if it was unpolished or simply poor, because at that time it looked perfectly decent to me. (Didn't join any fests, though.) To me, now, that youthful eagerness seems a bit conceited, and my standards are higher (and hence more realistic).

That's kind of beside the point, though. I agree that art is a very subjective thing. But as another anon said on this thread, "there's a big difference between "this isn't my style," which is okay, and "this person cannot draw for beans"."

Anyway, as I said below - probably bowing out now, but thanks for this discussion.

[alchemy]

That's a good point, about youthful arrogance. I certainly had my share of it, too (What do you mean, people aren't supposed to have giraffe necks? :P). I was always secretly yearning to be better, though, but I suppose it isn't fair to assume everyone is that way (Although it really is true that all the artists I know personally are).

I think that overall, the whole fest environment is a really slippery slope. You want to be welcoming and for people to have fun, but I also agree that it's perfectly valid to be disappointed if your gift art isn't as nice as you'd like. As a person running a fest, you kind of get stuck between a rock and a hard place, and personally, I choose to err on the side of welcoming for many of the reasons I already explained (and more). But I did want to let you know that I get where you're coming from even if we don't entirely agree about it. I do also fully realize you're not attacking the fest but rather entreating artists to be more aware, and again, I appreciate you being so civil about the whole thing.