If you are new to the issue at hand then please read the following to acquaint yourself with the details: [link]

First of all - I can’t say how amazing it has been to watch deviantART act as a community over the course of the past week. Deviants from every corner of the world-wide web have joined in with their thoughts, suggestions, and concerns. It doesn’t matter what their viewpoint is. The important thing in this case is that they are talking: open dialogue is healthy and it can invoke change.

Everyone should have access to information. It then becomes their duty to formulate an opinion – hundreds of which I’ve read in the last 24 hours.

Before I continue I’d like to address the issue of ‘flaming.’ If you come across an opinion that differs from your own you are not granted the right to flame (don’t spam like it is going out of style – that will not accomplish anything). In the vast majority of cases that right does not exist. You do have the right to start a dialogue and counter that person in a constructive manner. That doesn’t mean that you have to skirt the issue – you can be direct and add sarcasm if you wish.

The original deviant and their respective dA account that sparked the concern is a fellow community member who is here to enjoy artwork (as the rest of us are). Give him a chance while directing your voices to those in charge. I would like to thank everyone who approached recent events in a constructive manner – you have my utmost respect / gratitude. Simply put, you are the backbone of dA.

Some people have asked if I posted my editorial and journal in order to boost my popularity (in other words an act of selfishness). I have received hundreds of comments, dozens of new watches & favourites, and a rather large amount of page traffic. The numbers mean nothing to me - if anything they let me know that people are concerned. I have nothing to gain from this except for the satisfaction that people are talking (see above). I have strong feelings for the community because of how it has affected my life – I care about the site and I would like to see new members enjoy a healthy community in return. That is all.

I did receive an email from Spyed;
____________________________________

“This message was created automatically by mail delivery software (TMDA).
Your message attached below is being held because the address
<myaddress@myaddress.com> has not been verified.

To release your message for delivery, please send an empty message
to the following address, or use your mailer's "Reply" feature.

<spyedsaddress@spyedsaddress.com>

This confirmation verifies that your message is legitimate and not
junk-mail. You should only have to confirm your address once.
If you do not respond to this confirmation request within 14 days,
your message will not be delivered.”
____________________________________

I have sent a blank message – but received another error message.

Despite the aforementioned TMDA, Spyed was kind enough to write a reply in his journal – and perhaps that is the best place as more people are likely to read it. I am grateful that there has been a reply – addressing those that are concerned is important and it lets users know that someone is listening. It’s hard to develop a relationship with a wall! Because of his response we now have a better history of CSS journal development (and we now know that it will be a new feature for subscribers), but I’m not sure the real concern has been addressed. To quote an original comment written only hours ago, the subscription / features were given to the artist in question because he is a friend of the administration (and that no further explanations would be needed).

I’ve come to realize that I need more ‘friends’ in life. Perhaps we’re all in the same boat? Start looking now before they’re all taken! George Orwell would undoubtedly state that ‘All deviants are equal but some deviants are more equal than others.’

I am not jealous of the features that sparked this debate. I never wanted them. As many have pointed out they are trivial. The real issue is the principle behind them. And that principal is touched upon by Mr. Orwell above.

But now I’ve been given one of those features. I won’t have to give dA a single penny until September 20th, 2030 (the time between now and then is double my current age). I’m not sure I fully understand the reasoning behind this as the sarcasm was either understood / not understood. Several deviants asked what I would do if I was to receive one of these features. My answer came quickly: I would either turn it down or leave the site.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about it since then. I could request to have it removed, I could open a new account, or I could leave dA completely. Since I feel a great attachment to the community I think that following one of those three routes would waste 24 years of artistic support that I “deserve” (emphasis on the bunny ears). It is my goal to turn my dA account into a community resource – the subscription will help fund that. Here is my reasoning,

1) My dA account ( `londonxpress ) will cease to function as a place where I showcase and sell my work. The artistic display and sales of my artwork will be handled through my new Woomp! account (www.woomp.com/iota). This will be a stepping stone towards the creation of my own domain.
2) All of my prints have been deactivated. My gallery will be purged except for a select number of deviations (mainly those that are accompanied by a lengthy description of the technique used so that people may learn new skills). Any artwork that is posted in the future will be in the form of a step by step tutorial.
3) The account’s journal will still be updated on a regular basis in order to support the deviantARCADE project – hopefully on every second day (in accordance with the current routine). Each journal will showcase a new set of thumbnails and provide art related news updates or community development ideas / projects.
4) My page is your page. Make it your home and submit news / thumbs in the form of notes so that others may be able to access it through journal entries and news articles. The more conduits for information the better.
5) I will still be here to answer your questions and lend support where I can.

In order to bring this back to an editorial issue my closing words are this. As a member of a community you have the power of voice. Use it when you are concerned. Use it when you have an idea. Use it to support others. Never give up when something stands in front of you. If you have the ability to spread information then you have an obligation.

** We haven’t inherited deviantART from past users – we are borrowing it from future users. **

Respectfully yours,
Evan McMaster