~CoraBlue

You guys may have noticed that the last year I've been really slow here. I know there are a lot of you that don't follow me on other platforms and I feel like an explanation is way past due. I want to leave this journal on the front of my page for awhile to talk about it. Maybe it's just venting. Without a bunch of fluff these are just my honest thoughts.

I feel like FA has become a storefront first and a community second.
I feel like the site itself is a pain in the ass to use, especially as a comic artist. Comic links kill me.
I wish FA rules regarding human content were different.

On the first point, it used to be that the front page was full of excellent art. And I mean in the aesthetic sense, I'm in no way saying the things on the front page aren't literally art. But they're primarily ads. YCHs and adoptables are half the front page these days. Often written out in tablet pen over the front. Often watermarked. Most of these submissions have bidding wars in the comments. I try to keep my Patreon calls to action neat and tidy. Only on things my Patrons fund. Never watermarked. That's just my personal definition of courtesy, as insane as that might sound. The ads here feel loud. It makes posting art here feel less artistic somehow. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm only saying how I feel.

I want to keep this user page alive at least, but if you wonder where I am. Well. I'm around. I'm always on Discord. I'm just not usually here. The internet is competing pretty damn hard for artists these days, and frankly FA is having a really hard time keeping up. Do you still surf here primarily or have you gone to Discord or Twitter or some other community space? Really interested in where everyone is at.

EDIT: So far what I've taken away from this discussion so far (lots of long answers, thank you for your interest) is the following.

People recognize the problem but just avoid the front page.
For many FA is not a place to find new artists or art by strangers, it's a place to follow already known artists.
Social media (Twitter especially) is very roundly rejected as a possible alternative by the community.

Still listening.