deviantART's Community Relations Team provides a unique collective effort that seeks to create and sustain collaborative relationships among deviants and to develop innovative opportunities within the global art industry. These relationships are meant to provide and encourage opportunities to foster creative genius. The CR Team acts as a window of information for the community on how to utilize deviantART in a way that will empower and enable themselves as respected and successful artists.

Our ultimate vision is a community of artists that come together unified and strengthened by sharing the belief that they hold the artistic power to create and shape their own success. In order to realize our vision, our mission must be to exceed the expectations of our community, whom we view as partners, and we will accomplish this by committing to our shared core values. Our core values are listed in FAQ #84: What are the Core Values of the Community Relations and Operations Departments?


Director of Community Relations :

Table of Contents

1. Goodbyes
2. Hellos
3. Want to be a Volunteers? Some Changes and Clarifications
4. Soliciting for Prize Donations and Community Run Contests
5. Daily Deviations .. Revisited
6. Game Development Art
7. Charity & Fundraising
8. Community Projects
9. Official Contests
10. Important & Interesting Links
11. Featured Favorites
12. News from the Galleries

1. Goodbyes

Every person that comes into Community Relations, enhances and touches the community in a positive way during their time - and they should be celebrated for their efforts and love for the community.

With that, we give our love, adoration and eternal gratitude to `lovetodeviate, `lemontea, `allhopeislost, `Kaotika, `skifi and `Thebuild

And a huge congratulations to $arachnid15 who has moved into the realm of paid staff as our official Test Monkey (There is irony about the spider killing the bugs.. get it.. see what I did there?? Spider killing bugs? Oh forget it)

2. Hellos

We welcome some new faces to the Volunteer team!

^fllnthblnk - Literature
^SparrowSong - Literature
^armaina - Pixel Art
^Mistress-Jaeden - Pixel Art
^2dazed - dA Related
^ctJemm - Anime
^taenaron - Space Art
^gucken - Space Art
^cosfrog - Glamour Photography
^orangefruits - Commercial Photography
^savagebinn - Anthro
^Synfull - Emoticons
^DeMaulwurfn - Emoticons
^ForksOfTheSalad - Game Development Art
^technographer - Game Development Art
^PorcelainPoet - Photography
^Sander-Seto - Text Art
^splintered13 - Wallpaper

3. Want to be a Volunteer? Some changes and clarifications

We have updated FAQ #85: Can I be a volunteer on deviantART? with information about becoming a volunteer with MN@ or Community Relations

There are hundreds of people that express interest everytime there is an opening and I'm often asked why people don't get replies to their requests or why someone was chosen over someone else. It saddens me when someone notes me asking me why they aren't good enough.

This is really the wrong way to look at things. These decisions are not easy for me to make and I weigh them based on many factors, including (but not restricted to) time on deviantART, activity in the community, suitability to the team, understanding of the gallery of choice, fit with the current team members etc.

Not being chosen doesn't mean you're lacking, it just wasn't meant to be at this time. There are many ways to get involved with the community that don't require a symbol and I suggest that if you're serious about volunteering, you start by getting acquainted with the current volunteer team and getting involved with the community. The community, staff and volunteers are all responsible for making deviantART the powerhouse of awesome that it is

4. Soliciting for Prize Donations and Community Run Contests

I receive, on average, anywhere from 10-15 requests for prize donations for various community run contests, per week. On top of that, I'm finding the Volunteers are being asked for prize donations as well. $chix0r is also experiencing a similar trend and as such we're working on developing guidelines for requesting sponsorship of contests or projects.

Please note that the volunteers (the people with @ and ^) do not have budgets and it's unfair to put them in a position of guilt by requesting prize donations from them. These requests should be coming to myself or $chix0r .

Along with guidelines for requesting prize donations we will also be putting together guidelines for running contests successfully, in order to provide some assistance to those of you that enjoy orchestrating these types of events. I would encourage you also, to try running some art challenges or themes to encourage teamwork and creativity, instead of always relying on the idea of contests.

5. Daily Deviations.. Revisited

I seem to go over this particular point in various ways many times over and it's very likely the people needing to be reading this response, aren't the ones reading this newsletter regularly. However, let it not be said that I don't respond Daily deviation selections are done by a group of people I have selected. Some are volunteers and some are paid staff and they were chosen by me because I trust their opinions and value their eye and I regard them as community leaders. However, they are human and sometimes mistakes are made. When a stolen image is discovered it's dealt with almost immediately. There are guidelines for selecting Daily Deviations but there are no "universal rules" as explained in the last newsletter. You will not love every Daily Deviation selected, I can guarantee it. However, instantly flaming the artist or the selector has got to be one of the most confusing and frustrating practices I'm witness to on deviantART. I appreciate your passion in communicating your disagreement with anything to do with the site, but flaming an artist on their deviation is both rude and misplaced anger. The artist has no control over their image being selected and it's demoralizing to have your piece ripped to shreds because some third-party decided to put you in the spotlight. Receiving a Daily Deviation can be both a blessing and a curse. Our selectors use an archaic daily deviation planner that is on the chopping block to be rewritten and updated, but currently it is all we have. As a result, sometimes we have the same artist being featured before the 3 months is over. I assure you, the world will not end. I'm sad that the response to an artist being featured twice incites such anger and disregard for, what I feel, is the core purpose of Daily Deviations - to showcase great artwork. However, what I feel is great, may not be your idea of great but maybe the response is not to freak out at me or the artist I've selected but rather, try to step in my shoes and see what I've seen in the piece and if you still don't 'get it' accept that it's not for you and move on. I feel it really selfish to believe that everything we do here is going to be to your liking, art is personal and I'm not about to vanilla-coat everything to appeal to the masses - that would be far from deviant now wouldn't it?

6. Game Development Art

Video Game Art has been renamed to Game Development Art to better define the purpose of this gallery.

We had an error with the 3D Characters and monsters gallery that affected submissions but this has now been fixed.

We will be expanding upon the gallery now that we understand what is needed and how to better deal with the obvious miscat issues

We love to hear your suggestions so keep them coming!

7. Charity & Fundraising

Support ^StJoan in the 2009 Houston Aids Walk
Support `Beccalicious in the Race for Life
*Ilenora is raising funds for victims of the Victoria Bush Fire
Support $Moonbeam13 in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer
Support *gimp in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer
Support =fireflyx in the March for Babies
Support `Flutterings as she raises money for Breast Cancer Research through sales of her Awesome mugs!


Have a charity or fundraising effort you want to promote?? Note me with the details!

8. Community Projects

Want to show your devious pride and get involved in ongoing Community Projects? Check on one of these:

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

World Cancer Day

The deviantMIX Project

Random Acts of Kindness

Project Positivity


These projects are open all year round, despite whether they represent a particular 'day' or 'month'

9. Official Contests

Be Fella's Valentine Coloring Contest - Deadline February 28, 2009

deviantWEAR Design Battle - Deadline March 1, 2009

Bloodlust - Deadline March 14, 2009

Kick Your Own A$$ - Deadline June 28, 2009


Please note that all contests end on the deadline stated at 11:59:59 PM PST

10. Important and Interesting Links

Ribbons 4 Jen Contest

Pull up a Chair!l

Interview with Filmmaker Kealan O'Rourke

MN@ Newsletter

Featured Chatrooms - March

Weekly Help Desk Updates - February 26th, 2009

Torn Studios Interview ft. $y2jenn

To be Heard and Seen

Updated Bot Registration Policy

Keith's Super Awesome Photography Battle

Werewolves: Anthro or Not Anthro

Respect our Models Week - Compilation

dA Heroes Project!

Behind the Symbol with damphyr

Don't worry, be happy it's the internet

Calling All Plushie Makers

Art Training versus Craft Training

Want a free subscription?

Refreshing Photography

Design a Deviant Contest

Get Involved with Feature Friday

Voices Around the World: Carnival/Mardi Gras

Fleshy Features #1

3DLove #3

Anthro Community Share - February

#AskAndShare With a pro!

The deviantMIX Project

deviant's Short Story Published

deviousness Award - February 2009

Seniority Announcements!

dA Knitters February 2009 Collection and News

tradART: On the Streets - February 2009

Interview with "Hellblazer" artist Sean Murphy

The blueprint of.. Duct Tape Queen of Hearts

Community Awareness: deviantART in my eyes

The King of Land Contest

All Around deviantART

Best Kept Secret Collection vol. 1

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

Behind the scenes: Enter the comic world, Volume 3

Devious Artist Spotlight

Beat that Meet

Time Travel Prompt

Highlights from Valentine's Day E-Weddings!

Noticias marks the first year!/b>

A special offer from deviantART and Corel!

11. Featured Favorites

12. News from the Galleries

Ring Master

Anime

Anthro - ^Katmomma

Artisan Crafts

Comics & Cartoons - :devthiefofworld:
Comics & Cartoons - ^Cedarseed

Digital Dolls
Digital Dolls

Designs & Interfaces

deviantART Related

Digital Art - ^JunkbyJen
Digital Art - ^cosmosue
3-Dimensional
Photomanipulation
Vexel

Fan Art

Film

Literature

Animals, Plants & Nature
Artistic Nude
Horror/Macabre
Macro Photography
Photojournalism ^Helewidis
Photojournalism - ^estudio
Pin-Up Photography

Resources & Stock - ^Hanratty-Stock
Resources & Stock - ^znow-white

Space Art

Traditional Art - ^limnides