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After having just read yet another journal entry by an artist complaining of people not reading the artist comments and wanting to be able to disable faves and why why whyyyy won't people comment if they fave, I have to wonder: What's the big deal? I'm always very happy to get a fave --something in that piece spoke to someone, or even just what they were feeling in that moment, and that's fine by me. I don't expect people to quantify *what* they liked about it, or *why* they liked it, because in my experience sometimes you just don't know. It slaps you across the face like a salmon and you just think "Hey, I like this!" and click it so you can look through your collection later and enjoy it again. If they can/want to tell me what made them fave it, great! I appreciate the time they took to do so. If not, well, I don't fret about it because it's just really not that big a deal to me. Same with reading artist comments, as far as I'm concerned. If they like a piece they may read it to see the story behind it, or why you made it, or just how you did it. If they don't read it, it doesn't take meaning or worth away from your work in any way.

I don't understand what these artists who are complaining are fishing for, I guess. If you want critiques, SAY you want critiques. If you really can't get through the day without knowing why people like your work, make a poll or a journal asking what their favorite pieces of yours are and why, or "why you do watch me?" or something. I've seen some of my favorite artists do this, and their watchers always seem to respond.

I do art for myself, and post it here in the off chance that someone else might enjoy it as well. It's just a tool, a nice way to get my art out there and into more eyeballs --but even if nobody else *ever* saw my art, I would still make art, because I'm an artist and it's what I do. Doing art is what makes you an artist, not what other people think of that art.

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