And This is Why I Try to be Selective...
Journal Entry: Tue Mar 25, 2008, 9:29 PM
I'm feeling rather down about deviantART, lately. At least since my most recent deviation - three weeks ago - has yet received no commentary whatsoever. That's the sort of thing that disappoints me. I know, I have no real advertising going for me. Simply word of mouth, or click of mouse leads people to my showcase of supposed art. But at the same time, I wish I could get some feedback from the few people who are "watching" me. The majority of my submissions have gone unnoticed by their watch, really.
So what have I been doing in order to ensure that I would get more feedback? Be more selective in my submissions, of course. If I throw out a lot of garbage, I might get noticed, but that's certainly not the kind of exposure I want. Setting up a name for myself, where I am simply mediocre at best, is not what I have in mind. So I've been trying to submit only those works that I thought were really something, or at least better than I've done in the past, and on top of that, I've tried to weed out some of the older submissions that really aren't all that great.
So, after all this, the fact that I'm still getting almost no feedback is not only startling and disturbing, but considerably disheartening. Am I really any good at this photography thing? How am I to know, if no one gives me the word? I rely on others' opinions to form a basis for my conclusions. That's how it works - or how it's supposed to work. Right now, I'm teetering on the edge of photographic depression, if that is a legitimate claim.
I'll try to put up some new photography in my gallery, but if I still lack feedback in every way that I do right now, then from now on, it's going to be all for myself, not for you, the "watchers".
I wonder... will anything come of this?
- Mood:
Neutral - Listening to: Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
- Reading: J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
Devious Comments
If I were to give you any feedback, I would give it to your gallery as a whole, because it seems as if all your photos are not windows into thousands of different places, but one particular place from thousands of different angles, different positions. I think that's why you might get feedback for each individual photo, because your gallery seems so much more like a whole... if that would make any sense.
I've always noticed that your photos are taken of subjects and from angles that most people would never think about - as I have told you before, you think like an artist, and correspondingly show the world through your photos from an artist's point of view, and not the point of view of person #549756 walking down the street - they might never think to look at the world as you do. It's a gift, it really is.
But, there isn't really much to say, when you've said it all before. I think you need something completely new - portraiture as opposed to architecture, rural as opposed to urban, etc. ... I would love to see how you would take to different subjects. My advice for capturing the interest of the masses? Get out of your comfort zone, I suppose.
And if ever in doubt, here it is in writing - you are a good photographer. :]
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Being half-dead wasn't what I planned to be;
Now I'm ready to be free...
You might not get feedback.
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Being half-dead wasn't what I planned to be;
Now I'm ready to be free...
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BrushtoCanvas.net: The Artwork of Marietta Eiken
Like I said, don't take my lack of activity personally. Part of the reason why I've been lacking in the comments department is because I've been very busy these past few months. Sometimes I only have time to sneak a peak and click the
DeviantART these past few years hasn't been known for being a good place to receive feedback. I get the same thing you're going through right now when I post new artwork (little to no comments, etc.). Part of the reason however is because I haven't been active in the community very much lately. I used to receive about an average of three comments on deviations three years ago when I was much more active. I don't comment that often anymore and I tend to lurk more than interact. I don't mean to suggest that you aren't involved in the community because I honestly don't know, but the general rule of thumb here is if you want to receive more feedback, get involved.
Also, if you are looking more for a critique, try ConceptArt.org. [link] It is a forum based art community that is more focused on improving than receiving "WOW
"We are a web community of artists who are here for one purpose. We want to help each other learn about art, provide the best place to showcase work, further our art educations, and to meet other artists
from around the world."
Just be warned, it's not for the faint of heart.
Basically to sum everything up, I believe you are a wonderful photographer with a great potential for even more amazing photographs. Don't take my lack of activity personally. Life gets busy and things like dA start taking the back seat.
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Qu'est-que what?
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Qu'est-que what?
Haha... today I was lying on my back on the sidewalk, shooting a fire escape, and someone asked me "what are you doing?" with a confused look. I said "What I do." Looking back, that was cheesy to say, but I really didn't feel like being bothered at the moment.
Yeah, I've tried branching out into portraiture, but I've only posted a very small amount of anything like that. I've been reluctant to ask friends to do any kind of modeling for me, just because I fear a less-than-my-best final product. If I shoot buildings or landscapes, I don't have to worry about them asking me, later, if they can see how well I captured them. If I do portraiture, the subjects tend to want to see what I've done. I worry that I won't come up with anything creative enough. I suppose I just have to play around and through experience I should see improvement and versatility.
As for rural or scenic photography, I simply haven't had the opportunity to do anything of the sort, for the past six months or so, being fixed in Boston with no car and little free time. So all of my photography has been what I could see within walking distance of my dorm. All very urban. I used to do almost all nature photography, though, before I started driving around downtown Kansas City. I guess I liked it enough that I continued on that style, here in Boston. There's a lot to see in the public alleys that is overlooked, really. A different kind of beauty, I think. Maybe it's weird for me to really enjoy the sight of a rusty fire escape silhouetted against a clear blue sky.
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All this time I never thought
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That all we had would be all for naught
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But oh well. I suppose I probably came off overly whiny in my journal entry. My apologies...
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All this time I never thought
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That all we had would be all for naught
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All this time I never thought
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That all we had would be all for naught
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BrushtoCanvas.net: The Artwork of Marietta Eiken
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