R-E-S-P-E-C-T

For those few of you following my nuzlocke or waiting for something else to be uploaded, I owe you an apology.  It's been longer than usual getting part 5 up, and it's going to be a while still.  I was sick for about a week so schoolwork piled up on me, and then writer's block struck.  So now I'm swamped and stuck in a writer's block.  Fun stuff.  I'll probably be back up and typing by next weekend.

From this point on this is a rant journal about a completely different topic.  Feel free to disregard.

I really have a problem with people who favorite just to get pageviews for themselves.  It's really disrespectful.  By doing that those people dilute the meaning of a favorite.  They make "favorite" no longer mean anything at all.  It becomes a button for advertisement, for self-centered self-promotion.  It irritates me to no end!  If I get a favorite it means something to me.  I feel happy that I've created something that speaks to someone else.  When I get a fave and go to thank someone who then says, "Yeah I loved your piece! My work is pretty good too, you should take a look through my gallery if you have the time," or some other such nonsense, it really bothers me.  I KNOW I can look through your gallery if I have time.  Why did you favorite my work if all you want is for people to look at yours?  You're giving the impression that you didn't really think my piece was all that good; that you're just too insecure about what you're doing that you feel the need to fish for compliments and pageviews.  Go crawl back into your hole and read your own work, if it's so wonderful!  
     I understand the desire for feedback and critiques, I want those too, but there are groups for people interested in that.  Go join a group that shares your interest or artistic style, or one formed solely for the purpose of providing constructive feedback.  Go form yourself a yes-man group, if that's what you want.  There are ways to promote oneself that don't involve lying to and misleading people.  Because yes, I consider using the favorite feature for anything other than marking your absolute favorite works as lying.  You're lying to the person who made the artwork, and you're lying to anyone who looks through your favorites folder.  Stop using favorites as bait, and use them for yourself.
     What I'm trying to say is, be an artist.  Love your work and what you do.  You don't need to be desperate for favorites or pageviews to prove anything.  No matter how many watchers, favorites, pageviews or comments you have, your art is still the same: it's still the same art.  Having a hundred comments on a painting doesn't change the painting.  It doesn't change the fact that you should be proud of your art.  Fishing for compliments and viewers makes me think you don't respect your art, and by extension you don't have enough respect for yourself.  If I end up with no watchers and no one coming to my page, I'm okay with that.  I'll still write, I'll still have fun with it.  I won't feel any less of an artist, because art is art.  It's not mathematics, there isn't a wrong answer.  Have some respect for yourself and what you do.  You are worth it.  When you don't have respect for anyone and least of all yourself, I feel like you're not really earning anyone else's respect.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start feeling like you're another person in the world same as everyone else.  You'll find you get more sincere followers and comments if you do.

"What you want, baby, I got it.  What you need?  You know I got it.  All I'm askin' is for a little respect" -Respect by Aretha Franklin

If I favorite something, it's because I genuinely like it.  I don't always have time to comment as well and for that I apologize, but I hope you don't ever think that that's because I'm minimizing the amazing work I've faved.  I'm an artist, and I know you're an artist too.  I respect the time and emotion you've put into your work, and faving is my way of saying "You did a great job.  Keep doing what you're doing, and be proud of it."  Now that I know that's not the message always communicated by a fave, I'm going to try to leave a comment on every piece of art I fave, and I'll try to make as many of them constructive as I can.

Okay.  I'll get off my soapbox now.  I need to go play some Dragon Age...