aj-arty - Tumblr blog

[aj-arty]

Tumblr is apparently doing some crazy nonsense again, so it seems like a good time to remind everyone that Pillowfort.io is a new social media platform that aims to give users control of their content and how it’s seen and shared, as well as provide better communication tools to promote conversation and creativity. If this sounds good to you, you can donate $5 to our PayPal and you will receive a registration link the Friday after your donation. And if you decide the site isn’t for you, you can request a refund for up to three weeks after you sign up. (All money we receive through this process is going towards paying our hosting expenses and compensating our programmers.)

[aj-arty]

Tying your self worth as a creator to how many followers, notes, and reblogs you get is unhealthy

I really truly feel like we need to talk about this, especially as someone who has grown up as an artist online.

I’ve absorbed some unhealthy mindsets over the years and have since spent a long time unlearning them, this is definitely one of the most insidious ones.

It’s SO easy to get into a mindset that unless you get x number of notes on your work like all those other creators, what you make isn’t worth anything.

But the truly nasty part about this mindset is you never reach “x number”, because it always gets bigger!

100 notes, 500 notes, 1,000 notes, 10,000 notes… as soon as you get a single post that reaches one of your milestones - you want it to get bigger.

It’s not surprising i mean there’s entire video games where the only reward is the number getting bigger, there’s a sense of validation from seeing that number grow.

But the internet is fickle, you cannot predict what will be picked up and what won’t. This is important to remember, so much of it is based on chance and not on your personal skill.

Like, there’s a constant stream of new content being put up online every second. Having someone see your post at all is honestly amazing if you think about it.

Anyway, it’s so so easy and so unbelievably unhealthy to fall into a mindset of ‘nobody reblogs my work, I can’t create anything good’. But it’s just not true!

Your value as a creator is not determined by a number on your social media page.

It’s determined by you, and what you value in your work. For your own mental health, try not to focus on the numbers.

Focus on the people - your friends, that person who likes and reblogs everything you post, the people who wait excitedly for your next creation. They’re the ones who matter, not the number at the bottom.

It’s not easy, but the less you tie your self worth to a nebulous, unreachable number the better you’ll feel about your work.

[aj-arty]

First kiss...

[aj-arty]

idk what to say here really other than that im living up to my url i guess

[aj-arty]

You’re not alone trust me. This scene destroyed me.

Okay but is anyone gonna talk about this scene because it got me fucked up

[aj-arty]

Working back into my original characters because I was watching the movie Burlesque and thought of my son Elo for the majority of the film. He would rock the Burlesque look...im gonna add some colour and details later tonight after work.

[aj-arty]

Kirby the snelf is watching you, if you are naughty he will make sure snanta doesn’t give you any delicious noms!

[aj-arty]

A pair of wholesome boys flirting hanging out right after their aim practice. Next time it’s wrestling practice and I can’t decide which one of them will have to pay for the drinks ㆁᴗㆁ I’m working on a tiny comic about this, I’m not sure if this is supposed to be an AU story or not because I’m picturing it on Gibraltar Base a few months after Hanzo arrives there by Genji’s invitation, I’m really not so good at writing/making stories tbh. Only one thing is granted, there will be a lot of alcohol, shirtless wrestling and confusing manly blushings.  

[aj-arty]

dat face

[aj-arty]

Maybe I just do.

[aj-arty]

“I thought that I was better, that I was finally happy. But I ain’t, the happy moments just hide the sad feelings but once in a while they return and I notice I haven’t improved at all..”

—

[aj-arty]

This scene right here literally broke me, it was like that moment in your life when you see someone crying for the first time since you’ve known them </3

“It’s lonely even when you’re standing next to him. It’s strange. He’s intelligent. Sometimes even witty, in his way. And he’s certainly half-human. More than half-human. He’s a person in his own right. But it’s like he’s a cold spot in the room. It’s not like your sadness. … I can shout at you or tease you and get a reaction that lets me know you’re still in there. His sadness is like an icy well. It’s bottomless. And it swallows up your voice and anything you try to drop into it.”

[aj-arty]

TIP: Mood board for Characters for visual learners

I know that people have their own ways of writing/drawing but this is a piece of advice given to me by a fellow creative writer. Before now I would sometimes write with no reference, no images, just the loneliness of my youtube playlist and a cup of tea and I’m a very naturally creative, visual person - so this was the wrong way to write i.m.o.

So one evening I took a moment away to create quick mood boards (like my friend suggested) to have up when I’m writing scenes focussed and in favour of one or more character(s) in my graphic novel. This is the sloppiest but quickest mood board threw together for Elo but literally I have this bad boy up on my screen while writing and it SERIOUSLY helps remind me of crucial character development aspects more than dozens of scribbled sticky notes pinned to my monitor ever could because the imagery makes me remember quicker.

I highly suggest this to anyone who is a visual learner/artist like me. Think what defines your character’s...well...character. Like what has made them the person that they are using only images. 

Sorry I’m not very good at explaining this shit aghhh.

[aj-arty]

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Ohohoho~

My protagonist is getting pissed in the current chapter of my novel.

Is it bad that I love writing scenes where a character gets angry af?

Maybe it’s because I have a bad temper myself and i can relate?

[aj-arty]

Common Meanings of Snakes in Dreams

I’m spending the day studying, writing and just unwinding away from the shit-hole of a world I’m living in. I feel trapped, lost and with no way of escape besides diving into my own created universe and expanding it with more symbolic meaning to both history and my own life. 

Different cultures assign either negative or positive characteristics to snakes, so its important to consider the dreamer's culture.

Depending on the context of the dream and the dreamer’s culture, snakes may represent someone that is trying to harm the dreamer in an underhanded, sly, and sneaky manner.

Snakes can be seen as phallic, and they are symbols of sex and temptation. They often represent something negative, fearful, untrustworthy, or mysterious.

As a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge, and wisdom. They may represent self-renewal and positive changes for the dreamer.

When you observe their biological nature, you will see that snakes are skilled predators that adapt and shed their skin, and may be poisonous. These traits could be viewed as both negative and positive. The experience that the dreamer has with snakes is important for determining the true meaning.

The type of snake should also be taken into account because there are different meanings attached to each type. A boa constrictor, for example, may indicate to the dreamer that they are being suffocated, restricted, or repressed in their waking life.

I found this article online about meanings of snakes in dreams because last night I dreamt like normal but there was always a snake looming over the scene - one of which was a sexual dream and the other was a dream where I felt like a failure - at a quiz night with a friend and the subject was art and I was like...yeah I can do this - I actually didn’t have a clue what any of the paintings were and who painted then even though now I do...it was so surreal - like someone had stripped me of my knowledge in my dreams.

source: https://exemplore.com/dreams/Dreaming-of-Snakes

[aj-arty]

Too many snakes in my life right now.

[aj-arty]

drawing mchanzo cuddles is selfcare