Slight Existencial Crisis

[superduperfiller]

I'll likely delete this sooner or later but I've had this thought plaguing my head for a while now. I'd like to be a "regular artist" and work towards putting my stuff out there, and at the same time I enjoy furry stuff & nsfw, and occasionally draw those types of things (I have that range in my art of both furry/non-furry.) While I am aware this site does a good job at keeping people from seeing pages marked as adult, I still feel as if putting both types of works out there in any sort of form will bite me in the ass later on. That thought of having a regular public image then someone going "ha this guy draws furry junk in a private place" kind of scares me a bit lol. Any thoughts on the subject matter? Is it worth essentially juggling two online personas? Or would it be best to just keep it in private and between specific trusted friends? I'm not sure what types of art jobs I may be involved in down the line but I wonder if even a place as locked down as this would cause issues.

I suppose to clarify, between those two identities I value putting more into my regular one [that I would like to grow out of simply being a hobby] over a furry one, so that's why I'm wondering if I should even put any furry stuff out there at all. That's about it for my anonymous message, hope to get some responses!

 

[TyraWadman]

You wanna know what kids used to say to my human art in highschool?
"Haha can you draw me porn???"
People are gonna be immature regardless and I don't think your chances of getting hired will be reduced if you do a great job.

Do you think you can juggle the facade and maintain it. If you slip, will you break down? Do you want the stress of looking over your shoulder every minute? I personally wouldn't. But there's nothing wrong with whatever you settle on.

 

[superduperfiller]

You wanna know what kids used to say to my human art in highschool?
"Haha can you draw me porn???"
People are gonna be immature regardless and I don't think your chances of getting hired will be reduced if you do a great job.

Do you think you can juggle the facade and maintain it. If you slip, will you break down? Do you want the stress of looking over your shoulder every minute? I personally wouldn't. But there's nothing wrong with whatever you settle on.

I've thought this over and honestly I think I might just drop the whole double identity shtick. I've had two twitter accounts i've juggled where I enjoy normal things and another for furry things, but at this point it just feels dumb to not associate with furry stuff at all on my main that I even feel hesitant associating with furry friends on main. Thinking I might just merge my accounts because I enjoy what I enjoy and don't have it in me to drop one over the other. That said, I think i'll still keep nsfw things private between me and some friends, so I'm not sure where I sit yet on making a proper furaffinity when twitter is my main place. Thanks for the down to earth and blunt response, feeling like I needed something like that.

 

[Glossolalia]

I keep my furry and non-furry work completely separate, because for me they feel like two entirely different things- different style, different medium, different reasons for making them. I don't worry too much about people finding out I draw furry art, because I think at worst it comes across as a kind of silly side hobby. I am cagey about nsfw stuff though- I haven't even posted any to my FA account yet, I think because I feel like it's one of those lines that once you cross it, changes people's perception of you as an artist permanently.

 

[quoting_mungo]

If you decide to use two different identities/names for your different types of art, assume people will find out. Is it better to be upfront about it or for there to potentially be a Big Thing down the road if your general content gains traction and someone publicly makes the connection?

 

[Connor J. Coyote]

@superduperfiller
Hmmm... (I've been meaning to reply to your thread lately), and I apologize for the late reply.

But, in any case..... (I'll just say, that): if you enjoy doing Furry-based artwork and you prefer it "not come back to haunt you" later on, (in the real World) - then, maintaining two separate online identities might be the best idea for you going forward, (I think); as - you'll be able to "have your cake and eat it to", so to speak.... (and that way there) - you can continue to create Furry-based artwork whenever you'd like to, and not have to worry about any negative ramifications that may come from doing so..... (just so long as you're able to maintain things separately).

If you feel that Furry-based artwork is just a hobby, then - (it's probably best) to just treat it as such; and not worry so much about getting any exposure, or extra followers, or whatever..... and, (by taking this approach) - you may even find yourself enjoying it a lot more; as opposed to having any sorts of stresses (or worries) about it.

To be honest though - (many of us in the Fandom) could also say to you: that, creating Furry-based artwork (whether it be the SFW or NSFW varieties) - is nothing to be embarrassed about, to begin with; but.... that's probably a more "personal" type of decision that one has to make for themselves.

And, (alternatively): if you're thinking that doing this artwork (my potentially embarrass you, later on) - then, you may prefer to not only just treat this as a hobby - but to also - keep your Furry interests just to yourself (and the people you know well). And, if that's the case - then, just doing it privately might be a good way to go.... (where you also won't have to worry about maintaining a separate identity at that point, either).

But - (if you eventually decide that the latter option is the best choice for you), then - you'll also have to live with the notion that none of your Furry-based artwork may be seen publicly, (which is the trade-off that you'll need to accept), if you decide to keep things more personal and more private.

 

[Hogo]

There's value in doing the work that goes into maintaining seperate identities if you have the anxiety about the optics in the future that you seem to.

So yes.