Why I Left Deviantart

I suppose it was always inevitable, in a way. I was a teenager when I first discovered DA. I lurked for a while, too afraid to get involved. It was quite overwhelming, unearthing so many communities with similar interests to my own. At first I couldn't believe it. I mean... so many people with the same tastes as me? When I thought I was a freak for enjoying them, the only one in the world with some kind of undiagnosed, mental health disorder. Perhaps I do have one: who knows. But at first, DA felt like a safe haven to escape from the absolute fuckery of real life - and let's be honest it can be incredibly daunting sometimes. Don't get me wrong, most of the people I've befriended from DA (and other art sites) are awesome. They're always there to help, even now, after I sensed the moment was coming. It was inevitable that my account on DA would eventually end up being nuked (face the almighty ban hammer of those basement-dwelling Californians who've never seen the sun), so I chose to pre-emptively abandon it for good.

Those who're aware of what DA has become in recent years will know it's decline is unstoppable at this point. The sheer volume of AI-generated 'art' (garbage) has all but destroyed the site. Even with the AI-filter on, 80% of my feed in the final days of my time on DA was littered with AI. And the most alarming trend was the amount of so-called 'fans' of mine - and fellow 'artists' - adopting the use of AI in their own work. Even going so far as to sell and charge for it. What DA was a few years ago compared to what it is now is night and day as far as I'm concerned. It's a dead site full of AI, scammers, tracers, digital 'manippers' (whatever that means) and - most disturbingly of all - pedophiles. It got so bad that I used to receive daily messages from people (assuming they were all older, balding, overweight 'men') requesting loli porn. I won't go into the details on what that is, but it's essentially child porn. I suspect it was the same ring of people going around making new accounts to message me. That and they offered very scandalous prices. What's worse than a pedophile? A cheap pedophile? Amusing to say the least.

I'll be honest. Since abandoning DA for good, I feel liberated. As though a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders. That place had rapidly deteriorated from a safe space I actively participated in, to a toxic ghost town devoid of any real, genuine human-beings. All that remains of DA now is exactly that. A pitiful shadow of its former self with lazy money-making schemes, run by absent, brainless moderators looking for a quick buck. So many of my friends and fellow artists have been banned from DA in recent times, I just never suspected it would get that bad to the point of green-lighting my decision to leave. It finally took me actually looking at my DA feed to realise there was no point in wasting another second of my time on there. They love to contradict themselves as well, freezing my earnings section (only after I'd taken $30,000 in commission sales through my page during my time there). This happened after one client - who was incredibly impatient it must be said - apparently reported me to the moderation team. Yet, I had so many emails from them offering 'future opportunities within the company': not a chance.

DA does nothing to protect artists' work from NFT thieves and scammers. Watermarking your content doesn't stop it being downloaded for free, stolen and sold on the internet on some shady, Russian site. I found a lot of my work on there, being sold on the cover of T-shirts and posters, still with the DA tag! The worst thing about DA though... is the new generation of scammers. A new batch of accounts have arrived in the midst of the AI pandemic. Clearly they've gotten a taste for 'free art' and won't settle for anything less. Trying to get commission work on DA was becoming increasingly difficult. The constant lies, negotiations, low-balling and even begging at times just to try and get by - it wasn't worth it. 90% of those I first met and befriended have either been banned or left DA entirely. I see their point now. Sad as it is that there's no viable alternatives (Pixiv, Artstation, etc., are all ghost towns as well)... I suppose I can take comfort in at least posting my work on here, knowing it won't ever get the traction it did on DA. But I can hold my head high knowing I escaped when I had the chance, before things got much, much worse.

As much as I enjoy dabbling in NSFW art, there came a point when people stopped viewing me as an actual human-being, rather they considered me a machine. One whose only purpose was to pump out art every week. I suffered (and still do from time to time) from major burnout as a result of the endless pressure I faced, not only from commission clients, but people harassing me for updates. The site felt like it was just a source of cheap, casual masturbation. I'm sure that's all it ever was to 99% of those who still use it. I, on the other hand, viewed it was a place to share my rather niche interests/kinks. I guess there comes a time in life when fate pushes you along to the next, big thing.

I'm twenty-four now. I spend most of my time competing at a high level in badminton: in all three disciplines. On top of that, I have coaching every day. It's become my life, overtaking any dreams of pursuing a legitimate, long-lasting career in art. I'll still post the odd comic page for fun, but the days of churning out comics week in and week out are long gone. I certainly lay the blame for that at Deviantart's feet. Now that I know I can focus on what really matters and still do the odd commission for clients... without that horrendous pressure? It feels like a major burden has been removed from my life. And I couldn't be happier.