shinxistudio

[shinxistudio]

My first speedpaint is live on YouTube! :3

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

Studio Thoughts 2024MAR01

I've been thinking a lot since first finding out about the MidJourney deal Tumblr is taking. I've been wanting to make this post for just as long. (This sounds ominous, but it's not.) (Cut for a giant wall of text. Massive rambling.)

I don't know what to do. I've made an infinite number of new accounts across all the different social media I can find. I had to make a sheet to keep track of all the different websites I've joined. The thought of trying to post and maintain 20 accounts minimum to cover myself depending on where people flee to is overwhelming. I'm already averse to updating the accounts I have now. It takes too damn long as it is. (I need to set up PostyBird for the love of god. It doesn't work on a lot of mainstream sites, though.)

I want to share my art, but I don't want that to mean that I'm giving up my rights to it so some fuck can shove it into his dataset to create images and act like they're superior to something made by a real human and the human experience. I've opted out of the 3rd-party sharing option that they gave us, but I know that doesn't mean anything without proof. If they were giving data over that they shouldn't have from private conversations and password-locked blogs, they're not going to give a shit if someone toggled a setting. The whole issue with these datasets is the lack of consent to begin with, so why would they stop Now. I don't even know why they plan to pay Tumblr for the data in the first place because how much of it has already been scraped before they decided to tie it up in a bow for them?

I hate that people just parrot "Nightshade and Glaze!!" as if they're not open-source software that the tech bros can reverse engineer with the available coding. (As well as being easy to remove/get around in the first place.) Not to mention the stupid amount of processing power to use them, if they even work on the type of art you're putting into it in the first place. Even if they worked for your art, they're not accessible to everyone. That's not fair to artists who don't have or can't afford the highest-end PC parts. And even if they Worked to prevent AI it would only be a matter of time before they Didn't, like the constant fight UBlock is having with blocking YouTube's new coding to prevent ad blockers.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of feeling that the modern internet hellscape is just not meant for artists because the algorithms expect you to post as much as possible in order to get seen. I'm tired of artists finding a place to settle only to feel the need to move again and again because they just want their work and themselves to be respected. I miss old DeviantART when it was still a giant hub and community for artists instead of the shell it is today. I still see a lot of people still posting when I check in every now and then.

I don't know what the answer is, because I know data scraping for generative models isn't going away. I can only hope that it cannibalizes itself into hot garbage by taking in generated images that weren't tagged as AI. I would love it if all the wild shit people post on here could make the dataset completely unusable.

At the moment it looks like the only thing I can do is continue to watermark my art heavily and post low-quality versions. I've never had a large enough following to worry about art theft, but I can't control an all-consuming bot scraping everything.

I've been toying with the idea of making my own website and it's seeming more and more appealing. I've seen that you can make your own Patreon-adjacent subscription setup and have a pay-to-access feature. I don't know if that could help prevent scraping or if there are methods to get around that, too. Can bots scrape Patreon itself?

I'll need to update my LinkTree with all the other hundreds of sites that I'm on I guess. I was hoping that this long-ass post would help me come to some sort of conclusion or peace. I think I just gave myself more work to do. I also feel bad that my only other text post here is so hopeful, only to be slapped down immediately in this one.

TLDR: I'm gonna keep posting but like, I'm Not Gonna Like It. MidJourney Sucks. Tech Bros Suck. Ya'll can eat my entire ass.

[shinxistudio]

My very first commissions on VGen! 🥹💜 I'm so happy with these cuties, and can't thank their owners enough for wanting to support me!! Your characters were so fun to draw and I'm super proud of them, hehe. I'm so close to getting verified, so any support is greatly appreciated! In order, characters belong to (Instagram Usernames) - @/honeycharme @/08cchi @/sproutiesrkgk

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

2023 in Review

2023 was a very tiring year, to put it mildly. I know everyone has been having a rough time, not just me. There's so much going on to be angry or upset about.

I want to at least try to focus on the positives and my own development that's happened over the course of this year. This post will likely be super long and rambling, so I'll put it under a cut here.

If you don't want to read it all (valid), I want you to know that we can make 2024 a better year together. Things will be better. We will make them better.

As far as my own personal growth, I've done quite a few things that I was always nervous to do or felt weren't possible.

I'm still anxious now that AI is even more of a problem than NFTs and standard art theft, but I want to share my art! I hate that I have to sacrifice quality by watermarking and making everything into JPGs, but it's the only way I'll feel safe enough to still share my art. I'm also anxious about getting chewed up by social media in general and ruining my mental health by feeling like I have to be Always Posting.

1.) I've started posting my art again publicly, on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and here on Tumblr. I've started streaming on Twitch again, too.

I've tried to maintain an art blog or something similar multiple times before either getting too protective of my work or giving up. I don't want to give up again.

I've also started interacting with other artists more. I want to make more art friends! It just sucks that trying to reach out and comment often on Instagram takes so much of my energy.

2.) I've opened my own online shop on Etsy.

I've only made one sale so far this year, and it still means the world to me. I've always wanted to have my art on shirts and prints. The designs I've started off with are some basic ones, and I want to push to have even more detailed and cooler stuff. It's scary trying to sell my art as merchandise, but I want people to have stuff that they'll be excited to have and wear. I've ordered one of my own designs that I was the most excited for and I love it. I love being able to wear something I made.

I wish I had the space to do all the prints and things myself. I'd love to be even more involved in the process than using print-on-demand, but then that also requires me to have more time for order maintenance and less time for art and myself.

3.) I've opened commissions on VGen.

My friend was kind enough to give me a verification code, and I've opened a few offerings. I still need to advertise and push my stuff, but I feel a lot more confident in my art than I have in the past. I've tried to offer commissions before but always felt my art wasn't good enough. It didn't help that people rarely wanted my art, either.

4.) I'm cracking the code of my own brain.

I always have issues sticking to habits and being productive. (I'm almost certain I have ADHD, but trying to even get to see a doctor for an official diagnosis is something I haven't had time or money to pursue.) This year I created a scoreboard to try and gamify things that I need to do. It really helped me get through this year, all the way to about October when it became too much to maintain. This past month I've revamped it to make it more fun and easier for me to keep up with. I'm super happy with it so far, and I hope I can manage this one all the way through 2024.

5.) I'm taking my health more seriously.

I've been aiming to exercise at least 3 times a week, go for walks, or do anything to keep me moving. This has definitely helped my mental health and it's something I want to continue this year. I walked 1200 miles as a personal challenge! This year I'm aiming for 1500! I want to aim even higher, but I don't want to pick something so outrageous I burn out or don't bother finishing it. My rule is always that I can raise my goal but never lower it.

My friend got me into Conqueror Challenges, and big shiny medals have been a motivator for monkey brain.

I feel like I wrote this all mostly positively with a negative spin. That wasn't my intention, but I'm also being real about where I am and where I want to go in my life. I'm still learning and figuring out what I really want. I just know that I want art to become a much bigger part of my life again, and I want to be healthy so that I have that much longer to create even more art. I have so much planned and so much more that I want to make or media I want to try.

I was also able to lose some weight and I think that's made a difference, too. I don't feel as brain-fogged or as tired. I need to focus on sleeping more, though.

6.) A small thing, but I'm taking good care of my plants.

I love having plants so much, but they usually don't last very long. I had to get rid of my plants when we first adopted my cat, but I've made space for them that will keep him safe and out of them.

A coworker gifted me a plant for my birthday at the beginning of 2023, and it's still going strong. It's gotten huge since then. Looking at it honestly makes me so proud. One of my dreams is to one day have a green house or sunroom filled with different plants, and a garden to grow our own fruits and vegetables. It would make me so happy if this guy could be the first in its permanent home there.

7.) I've been doing better mentally and with handling my emotions.

I've always been highly emotional to the point that I couldn't control them. I'm still working on it, but I'm getting better at not letting my emotions lead my actions and taking time to think things through. Journaling has helped a lot, and I'd like to start meditating regularly to see if that helps, too. My girlfriend has been so patient and helpful with this since we've been together, especially in this past year. I'm incredibly lucky to have her. 😭 💚

I want to be hopeful for 2024. I want to put out more artwork and have more fun that I can share with others to make this year nicer for us all, if only a little.

If you read this far, please just know that I'm proud of you for making it through this year. Whether you were able to do things that you wanted to do or not, you survived and I'm happy you're still here.

I hope you have a much better year in 2024, with more love and kindness, more fun, more good food, and more rest. 💜

[shinxistudio]

I'm also offering these cute page doll chibis on my VGen!

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

I just opened my VGen commissions! Check 'em out on https://vgen.co/Shinxi if you're interested. I super appreciate it!! 💜

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch More Commentary Below

I can never settle on one chibi style, but I really enjoy this one! In the future, I'll probably offer even more different styles to choose from. It's just more fun to switch things up, but I also feel like artists tend to get pigeonholed with certain commission types people like from them. Regardless, I hope ya'll enjoy my art as much as I enjoy making it. ;v;

[shinxistudio]

Third card in my artist TCG series! I love the chunky hands/feet type of style, but oops it's mostly cropped here lol

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

More Commentary Below

I'm aiming to have 5 or so cards in this first test series. Just two more! I'm not even done with this one, and I'm already thinking about what my next ones could be... oops. Brain go brr

I love drawing her with her antennae/feelers hanging down like this. Something about it makes me think like, Y2K era or something, I'm not sure why.

I'd love to get a nose piercing like she has in this pic, but I'm scared of the stabby

[shinxistudio]

The second card in my fake artist TCG series 1! 💜 I really liked playing with the messy painterly shading effects

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

More Commentary Below

This was 100% a happy accident style-wise. I really like how it turned out almost like, impressionist-styled? with the chunky brush textures especially on the one sleeve. I threw a lot of different colors on with different layer filters, too, to switch things up.

Fun fact: Shinxi (mascot) is a sort of shifter species, she can change her appearance and coloring into whatever she wants. (Will that stop me from drawing her mostly the same way? Probably not, but I'd like to! LOL)

[shinxistudio]

My last design that I currently have up in my Etsy shop! I always thought the different takes on the yin-yang symbol were cute, and wanted to try out my own.

The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

Last of my four red panda designs. This one was the first design I made for my shop!

The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

Third of four red panda designs!

The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

Second of four red panda designs, teehee.

The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

My next shop design! I've made a few red panda shirts to start since they're so fun to draw. The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

My second shop design! This one is my favorite so far. The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops.

My Shop 💜 My Socials 💜 Instagram 💜 Twitch

[shinxistudio]

The first design I dropped in my store! The design is on unisex and fitted/women's cut shirts and tank tops. 💜

Links and Commentary Below

The unisex shirts go up to 5XL, but I'm disappointed in the limited color selections for that size. ;n; I want to be size inclusive so it's stupid that the same colors aren't available across all sizes. The tank tops go up to 2XL and the fitted/women's cuts to 3XL. Not sure why they have even more limited size options.

shinxistudio.etsy.com - Find my shop here! 💜

withkoji.com/@Shinxi - All of my socials are collected here!

instagram.com/shinxistudio/

twitch.tv/shinxistudio

[shinxistudio]

My official Etsy Shop Opening!

Links and Commentary Below

I've been open for a bit, but I wanted to make the announcement here, as well! I just really like the pic I made and want to use it lol

I need to find a better way to offer stickers, so those aren't up in my shop just yet. The printing service I use would make them stupidly expensive and I don't feel comfortable charging $7+ for one whole sticker. I don't have the space or means to ship them out myself yet, or I would just do that. :T

shinxistudio.etsy.com - Find my shop here! 💜

withkoji.com/@Shinxi - All of my socials are collected here!

instagram.com/shinxistudio/

twitch.tv/shinxistudio

[shinxistudio]

I've been wanting to make my own artist trading cards for a while. 🥺💜 I figured I'd start with a small series of my mascot girlie! I'd love to have prints made up of these one day to trade and collect.

Links and Commentary Below

This was the first full piece I finished on my new tablet monitor I got secondhand from my friend! It really made something click in my brain and got me used to a screen monitor. Before I'd only ever used a regular drawing tablet.

I'm aiming to make this first "series" be around 5 cards or so, and then I can move on to making another series! The next ones will probably be random OCs with additional themes? Not sure yet, but these are super fun so far.

I'm still nervous about posting my art online so don't mind the low res and watermarks, lol

withkoji.com/@Shinxi - All of my socials are collected here!

instagram.com/shinxistudio/

twitch.tv/shinxistudio