Hi,

I'm not really the type to keep a regular Journal, and have thus far eschewed from using this function (my loss really) on DeviantArt. To be honest, I don't think the world is all that terribly interested in my random musings, and when that conceit does grip me, I have my ArtBlog. However, apparently a real drama has been unfolding lately here on DA that compels me to be, I guess, conceited:

Are people really asking for others to Fav then UnFav then Fav their "Good v. Evil" Entries?

First, I don't decry anyone from promoting themselves and their art. Promotion, no matter what you think of it, is an integral and very important part of being a working artist. I'm neither particular good at nor like doing it myself on DA, but, to be frank, it's one of those "ugly" realities and, well, you really just have to suck it up. However, after first vaguely hearing about the "Good v. Evil" drama (I'm really not in touch with the going on's of DA), I found entries not only asking for the FAV-UNFAV-FAV unholy trinity, but also promising to donate X amount to charity on a win, etc. I've also found many posts on how Unfair the Judging is, that it's only based on popularity and favorites, etc.

Now, while I totally support self-promotion, such "Bargaining" is rather unnecessary. Art is a profession, and a profession, I believe, is bound by an ethic. It's part of what we call "professionalism," and such behavior is, to honest, unprofessional. It doesn't reflect well on the artist. It can only hurt your art, and that is the opposite effect Promotion is supposed to have.

On the equity of the Judging, this is something I cannot comment on with any sureties. I simply don't know enough about the judges, the community, and the "behind-the-scenes" as it were. What I can offer, though, is the following: The Contest has always been very clear about who would Judge at each stage of Judging, and the Criteria for said Judging. When I entered my piece, I was acknowledging these facts, and agreeing to the terms as explained in this contest. I also entered in the good faith that each piece would be judged fairly to the best ability of each judge, and if I hadn't been confident in this then I wouldn't have entered in the first place. This is very similar to freelance work, in this way, and you can even draw comparisons between the Contest's Official Rules doc. and a contract (though contracts are actually binding).
As for Fav's dictating who wins, again the Contest Rules were very clear that only 1 prize (i.e. Community Prize) would be judged by popularity. Do I believe the Judges to be fair? Well, by entering my piece, my answer was "Yes."

Granted, I was lucky enough to be a Semi-Finalist, and so the above may smack of hypocrisy, but let me say one thing. I cannot speak for others, but if popularity alone decided who moved on to the Semi-Finals, then I stand shocked that I made it. I am not a popular artist on DA. I had, prior to this Contest, under 700 views. I have not expended resources to promote myself, and I'll be honest, I spend much more time on keeping both my Portfolio and Art Blog sites up to date. These are choices I've made, and I don't begrudge them. Granted, I could have been the token obscure artist thrown into the Semi-Final mix for appearance's sake (I hope not), but I also don't think it would be too productive if I constantly operated under this kind of suspicion for everything DA related. Maybe I'm too naive. I don't know. All I do know is, had I not made it to the Semi's, I'd like to think I would, without harsh word or tone, be able to congratulate those who did, and wish them the best. Otherwise, I'd be bald from multiple hair-tearing-outs!

Wow...sorry for the very long-winded post, and if you've made it this far, thank you! Let me finally end this rant with a selfish request: If you like my work, thank you. If you like it enough to add it to your Favorites, thank you. If you don't like it, but are willing to help me make it better, thank you. For me, all three are made of win as it were.

Thanks (man, I use that word too much!)