Have you ever thought about what DA is to you? And why do you stay?

Here are my thoughts:

deviantART connects a huge amount of people to each other, though our written and visual arts, our clubs, chat rooms, projects and visions. It is a haven for those who wish to pour out their souls and a wondrous porthole for those house bound. It launches some into stardom, and draws our artistic idols, past and present, into our day to day lives. It reaches across the entire globe, overcoming race, gender, financial and other such barriers.

Here people work hard, and play harder. They make friends, fight for causes and help out those in need. I have seen this so apparent lately, and it is truly heartwarming. With projects like H.A.N.D.S and Project Positivity, we do much to encourage those within our
community to reach out and lend a helping hand, or learn to appreciate ourselves. And as the ambitious take greater strides in drawing attention to matters of noble cause, we, as a community, can contribute to researching for a cure of Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other life threatening illnesses.

We have admins, seniors, beta testers, subscribed and non-subscribed members who do so much to help DA run smoothly, and that it is a fun and interesting place to be apart of. They are willing to lend an ear, a hand and inspiration for those in need.

We are challenged creatively, on a day to day basis, with contests, events and gatherings of the minds. We push ourselves forward, looking for ways to continuously make advancements in our artist pathways, regardless of what they may be. Here, a mangaka from Japan can become best friends with a novelist in England, despite of the miles in between.

But more than just an art community of writers and artists, we are like a family. We care about each other, rally around causes, hold out hands of support and concern. We meet people we can relate to, and those who are more of kindred spirits. We share bonds of trials and triumphs, and rejoice in the fulfillment of dreams, whether they be ours, or of someone else.

Granted, we are not perfect, not by any stretch of imagination. We fight, we have our silly little dramas, heck, we get ticked off at times. We rant, we rave, we throw figurative or literal tantrums. We fall in and out of love, celebrate births, and mourn deaths. We're human, even behind our respective ID's. With that advantage, we have the greatest capacity to live, learn, love and forgive. And that is what makes this place so great.


Why do others stay?

~SquallxZell-Leonhart

"DA has shown me a lot of wonderful caring people who don't snap or bite at you and actually want to help. There are those who are rude but the ones who helped me understand things here more than make up for it."



"DeviantArt is a place that I enjoy being a part of as I try to input my 2 cents worth because I would like to help others in my own small way. And the art work in all genres doesn't hurt either because the talent here is stunning! "



=srag


"I am here for the art..."


"even if I stopped making art for any reason..."


"I will still come here to comment and fav."



*Bahama-dreams

"I started on DA at a friends suggestion. Since I've been here I've boosted my creativity, opened my mind and met many wonderful people here. I've found love support and encouragement. Having friends makes this the best site I've been to."



"Meeting people just for their mind without the encumbrances of physical attributes and such makes these some of the purest of heart friendships in my life."




~TheMightyLemon


"Why I stay is for the many friends I have made in the one year of being here. While my time to post my art as well as comment has been severely restricted due to the job, I do try to stay in touch in between times, if only for a few minutes. If it wasn't for the wonderful support I have received from you all, I would have left a long time ago."



"I too feel this is an awesome place to share one's talent with the world. True, it has it's positives and negatives, but all in all a nice place to be here, wouldn't you agree? "





So to everyone out there who is wondering why we are here? It's simple really: There isn't another place like this anywhere.

We are deviantART. And we are here to stay.