river
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hello there! this is a very random status update but, i wanted to rant a little bit and possibly get some advice from the art community. if you do read this, i really appreciate your time - i definitely needed to be heard.
Spoileri have been on art haven for a while now, and the community is lovely. especially when i had a shop, i was surprised by the kindness and generosity of the consumers. i made the conscious decision to change my art style throughout the years and make it more semi-realistic rather than anime-esque. i have a terrible trait where i compare myself too much and i was unhappy with the style that i had. i felt that it was rough around the edges and not appealing yet, again surprisingly, it did very well in terms of selling. once the shift in my style was complete, my audience disappeared and it seems this style is no longer appealing to this community. of course, i may be completely misunderstanding what is happening but, this is just how i feel.
i decided to join several discord servers, in hopes that maybe there are people outside of the art haven platform that would be interested in the things i produce - no hopes there. it has made me very timid and afraid to share my art. i would love to participate in auctions and try out new things, but i feel that because of my seemingly non-existent audience there is no point in trying and i should just continue to draw for fun. i do very much enjoy producing art and i hope to improve my art more in the future, even though sometimes it feels as though i bit off more than i could chew with this style and it does peek through in my drawings in my opinion.
again, thank you for reading. this was very lengthy but, it is nice to get this off my chest since it has been on my mind for a while. this may have been very badly phrased, so i sincerely apologise if i have misconceptions or made assumptions about the community. i hope you have a wonderful day/night! and, if you feel the same, i think art should be something you do because you enjoy it. not because it should appeal to others. so, if you are happy with your art and your skills, please do not feel that you should change it. thank you again <3
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Hi there!
I just read your status update and wanted to offer some advice, if that's okay! ^^
I understand what you're going through and it's very easy to compare your artwork to others, especially on any sort of art or social media platform. However, Art Haven isn't just host to artists of a specific style. Each style is welcome and everyone's own unique flair is admired. There may be a lot of anime style artists who own topics right now, but that doesn't mean other styles aren't available and quite frankly our site does go through various phases as artists experiment more with their styles. However, many people will look for a specific style for a specific original character they may have, as the style better suits the theme for that character, so having a variety of different styles on the site is always super awesome! It gives customers more options to have their characters expressed and drawn in certain ways, building them a story and adding personality. Growing and maintaining an audience anywhere can be quite difficult, but no artist has gained a following by not posting, advertising, or sharing their updates through an activity based stream such as a feed, radar, gallery, etc.
My advice to you is to try to alleviate the amount of pressure you are putting on yourself, to not let comparisons to other people's styles, techniques, or artwork intimidate you, because ultimately we all start somewhere and sometimes it is a super bumpy road or even a rollercoaster (easier said than done, I know), Don't let it stop you or take the joy of art from you. You have to keep trying. Post status updates and gallery images with your art progress, updates on personal projects, experiments, or other things you're working on. Post in our premade market, free art section, offer your services in the request section, etc. Your audience will grow, I promise you that, it's only a matter of time!
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thank you so much for responding! i feel so happy now that i have gotten your advice. also, thank you for reading my lengthy status update. i sincerely appreciate your time and energy.
i will definitely take what you have said into consideration and i will try to break out of my shell. you have given me a lot of hope, so genuinely, thank you
