Packing
With the title I chose for the image and the header for the page, It's not what you may think; I'm not leaving my portfolio, and I'm not giving up my love of art. Everything will make sense once I explain it.
I've been debating for months if it's worth it for me to stay on Twitter. I joined the platform so I could meet other artists, and while the creatives I've met there are incredibly talented, I've grown disillusioned with the platform, some of the people on it, and the decisions behind it. For every few good people I see in my timeline, I run into someone who is riling up others in a community I'm in, accentuating the negative with "AI art" and art theft, spreading misinformation, complaining about the algorithm, criticizing the company's new/questionable business practices, and bringing down the mood by spreading fear. The attacks on artistic integrity and the downward spiral of the platform have taken a toll on me mentally and emotionally during the last few years, and for a platform with a bird as its mascot, it has ironically made me feel like I'm locked in a cage.
I've spent part of this year searching for new art platforms that I could join. Many of the platforms I saw either didn't work for me, showcase art in ways that I'm not equipped for (I have no idea how to make speedpaints and run livestreams), are platforms that are currently in hot water (AKA DeviantArt), or are platforms I've never heard of until recently. The artists I know have said next to nothing about other platforms I read about, leading me to believe that others are probably just as nervous to take the leap as I am, that starting on another platform is too big of a risk, and that it's either Twitter or bust.
I set up a Tumblr blog last November as a backup plan, and aside from blatant spam accounts trying to follow me, it has been a breath of fresh air. I'm caring less about numbers, I'm doing more of what I want to do, I'm stressing less about what other people think... It's a feeling that's liberating to me. Ever since I sidelined Twitter, I feel like I'm free.
I've also been on Discord much more this year. I'm a member of specific communities where I'm known not only as an artist, but as a person who has contributed to the community and left an impact on it regardless of its scale. It's been uplifting hearing people say how I'm one of the people that inspired them, how much positive and constructive feedback I've received, and how much people appreciate what I do to the point where they draw my characters in their style and show me the finished piece. It's humbling, it's flattering, and it reminds me part of why I started posting my art online in the first place; to make others smile.
This piece was in the works for so long because I struggled to express the emotions going through my head. There was a lot of hesitance, a lot of anxiety, and a lot of fear. But it was me realizing that I deserved better and reminding myself of how much people care that drove me to finish this piece and work towards building a better mindset. I decided to convey those feelings through my mascots relocating their workspace and coping with it differently.
I promise that my next piece will be more fun. This one took a while because of all the emotions that were behind it. As I close the door on Twitter, a new one has opened, and I can't wait to see what it has inside!