To NSFW or not to NSFW: That is the Question

[Zeny]

How do you all feel about connecting your NSFW art to your other artwork (unless NSFW is all you draw of course)? Could it harm potential employment opportunities, and if you think it will, how would you go about with posting it (if you would at all)?
If you don't see the harm in it, how do you feel about artists that do it for commissions exclusively? Do you feel as if it's putting artistic integrity aside, or do you think they can do whatever they want?

 

[CrazyDragon]

From personal experience, I can say I regret doing NSFW art.
When I became older and matured a little more I felt gross about it, and once it's online that's it, you can't just make it go away. I also don't freely share my 'crazy-dragon' alias with anyone, to coworkers or friends because, although my art is clean now and has been for awhile, the old stuff still comes up from other people uploading it and it's embarrassing.

I think overall if you can keep it separate from yourself and identify as a different artist (i.e. different name, email, etc.), you would be safer and can disconnect completely. Of course, if you don't really care about that stuff or what people think of you? I wouldn't worry about going through the extra steps. I'm sure other people on this forum will have better advice/tips.

 

[LumeKat]

I enjoy drawing NSFW
but I'm an alt account, because my main audience can get butthurt about a damn sideboob

 

[Zeny]

From personal experience, I can say I regret doing NSFW art.
When I became older and matured a little more I felt gross about it, and once it's online that's it, you can't just make it go away. I also don't freely share my 'crazy-dragon' alias with anyone, to coworkers or friends because, although my art is clean now and has been for awhile, the old stuff still comes up from other people uploading it and it's embarrassing.

I think overall if you can keep it separate from yourself and identify as a different artist (i.e. different name, email, etc.), you would be safer and can disconnect completely. Of course, if you don't really care about that stuff or what people think of you? I wouldn't worry about going through the extra steps. I'm sure other people on this forum will have better advice/tips.

I can definitely relate with regretting posting NSFW. Honestly, even if someone's unsure I think I'd go with a completely different name/email as well.

 

[Zeny]

I enjoy drawing NSFW
but I'm an alt account, because my main audience can get butthurt about a damn sideboob

Haha I get you. Very different audiences sometimes.

 

[Tavelius]

Hello, I can speak from experience on this subject as well. I've been drawing furry stuff for a few years, trying to improve my drawings, but I always wanted to migrate more towards NSFW things. I did a couple of those here and there in the past years but didn't upload them to my FA page or anywhere else, usually I would only send it to the person and that's that.
Recently though (as in, this past weekend) I finally set in motion a new account to focus on NSFW things. I had been drawing some characters, getting some practice, and coming up with a game plan. I see it more as a new brand so to speak, and I have no connection with my previous account, or myself IRL, but then again, I do this more as a hobby that as a business.
It can be hard to manage two accounts, but it's worth it. Even if you're ok with having your "regular" work associated with NSFW things, I would still advise the creation of a new brand strictly for it, for your sake, and to get a more consistent audience for each of the subjects.

I don't think it makes the art less ... art, but there's no denying even simply watching that sort of thing is looked down on by society. When I created my first account I kept all of it hidden from people I know IRL, but since I became more comfortable with it, I let the name leak out through my online accounts and skype name and what have you, so having them connected in any way is a big no-no. I was already basically living a double life with the last account, so how hard can it be to live a tri-life.

But yes, in an age where employers can easily do a background check on your online presence, I would (and am) completely separate both types of work.

 

[Roger The Jackal]

NSFW is love, NSFW is life

 

[Zeny]

Hello, I can speak from experience on this subject as well. I've been drawing furry stuff for a few years, trying to improve my drawings, but I always wanted to migrate more towards NSFW things. I did a couple of those here and there in the past years but didn't upload them to my FA page or anywhere else, usually I would only send it to the person and that's that.
Recently though (as in, this past weekend) I finally set in motion a new account to focus on NSFW things. I had been drawing some characters, getting some practice, and coming up with a game plan. I see it more as a new brand so to speak, and I have no connection with my previous account, or myself IRL, but then again, I do this more as a hobby that as a business.
It can be hard to manage two accounts, but it's worth it. Even if you're ok with having your "regular" work associated with NSFW things, I would still advise the creation of a new brand strictly for it, for your sake, and to get a more consistent audience for each of the subjects.

I don't think it makes the art less ... art, but there's no denying even simply watching that sort of thing is looked down on by society. When I created my first account I kept all of it hidden from people I know IRL, but since I became more comfortable with it, I let the name leak out through my online accounts and skype name and what have you, so having them connected in any way is a big no-no. I was already basically living a double life with the last account, so how hard can it be to live a tri-life.

But yes, in an age where employers can easily do a background check on your online presence, I would (and am) completely separate both types of work.

Very solid advice from an experienced standpoint! Thank you!

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

Me, i've separated my online/art life from my irl one entirely. Believe me, you don't have to draw dongs and vagoo to get slammed for drawing furry stuff. Just being a part of the fandon altogether can cause problems, which is a real shame. There's virtually NO links between me and my furry art. i have separate handles, separate logins, separate sites, separate paypals and even separate web browsers.

 

[Tavelius]

Me, i've separated my online/art life from my irl one entirely. Believe me, you don't have to draw dongs and vagoo to get slammed for drawing furry stuff. Just being a part of the fandon altogether can cause problems, which is a real shame. There's virtually NO links between me and my furry art. i have separate handles, separate logins, separate sites, separate paypals and even separate web browsers.

I do that exact same thing, twice now actually. But yes, it's a real shame because you don't get the support of the people around you. I don't even dare draw anything furry related outside my working space, and even there, I had to come up with an overly complex layout to make sure I'm not caught off guard. I did explain what furries are, and the kind of art I do to a close friend/work colleague of mine, and I just hope that won't come back to nip me in the tail later. I'm still keeping this new account away from him, even though I mention it sometimes in passing, it's too risky to share it.

 

[meowsee]

personally i just never post any of my nsfw art cause i want to keep my accounts sfw - but i think theres no harm in doing it. i mean tons of well known artists of all sorts have done nsfw stuff (whether for their own personal stuff, for someone else, for work, etc etc) and it's always been somethin' people do, you know?

i don't see the harm in it. do what makes your heart do the smiley emoji.

 

[Zeny]

Me, i've separated my online/art life from my irl one entirely. Believe me, you don't have to draw dongs and vagoo to get slammed for drawing furry stuff. Just being a part of the fandon altogether can cause problems, which is a real shame. There's virtually NO links between me and my furry art. i have separate handles, separate logins, separate sites, separate paypals and even separate web browsers.

It's honestly a real shame how artists so often have to go to extreme lengths just to not get shunned.

 

[Zeny]

personally i just never post any of my nsfw art cause i want to keep my accounts sfw - but i think theres no harm in doing it. i mean tons of well known artists of all sorts have done nsfw stuff (whether for their own personal stuff, for someone else, for work, etc etc) and it's always been somethin' people do, you know?

i don't see the harm in it. do what makes your heart do the smiley emoji.

That's true. As long as it makes you happy I suppose!

 

[n1ghtmar3w0lf]

me if i feel like it i do it,mostly it is to show i can do more or less anything, i like to mix it up do a SFW piece then a NSFW to keep it fresh, though on da i generally keep the SFW there and more NSFW on inkbunny and so furry

 

[Revous]

As someone that is a (slowly) growing, full time NSFW artist... I can say I LOVE every bit of it!

I've always had a very mature understanding and acceptance of human sexuality and fetishes, partly thanks to working 8+ years as a nightlife event producer. In other words, I've lived and seen things that make people blush in the daylight, and dive into at night.
When I made the switch to art 24/7, I decided I didn't want to stray from kinkyness because it's just what I'm used to. I'm an adult, I have a very active social lifestyle with likeminded people (fellow alternative lifestylers) so it doesn't impact my personal life in one bit. Even my close family knows exactly what I do and they often give me tips on things like color schemes, poses, etc. To be honest, I faced more prejudice due to the fact I'm ~freelancing~ than the fact it's furry porn.

I also strive to make myself open to every single fetish and kink out there, even those I personally don't find appealing. Because once I sit my furry ass down to draw, it's my personal preferences going offline and my ambition going online. I never judge anyone for any kink AT ALL and hope to one day have a gallery that can be defined as a massive collection of delicious degeneracy hahah

For anyone interested, my link is on my sig! Beware though, very NSFW.

 

[Zeny]

me if i feel like it i do it,mostly it is to show i can do more or less anything, i like to mix it up do a SFW piece then a NSFW to keep it fresh, though on da i generally keep the SFW there and more NSFW on inkbunny and so furry

Hmmmm I can see that. So kind of separate accounts but not at the same time.

 

[Zeny]

As someone that is a (slowly) growing, full time NSFW artist... I can say I LOVE every bit of it!

I've always had a very mature understanding and acceptance of human sexuality and fetishes, partly thanks to working 8+ years as a nightlife event producer. In other words, I've lived and seen things that make people blush in the daylight, and dive into at night.
When I made the switch to art 24/7, I decided I didn't want to stray from kinkyness because it's just what I'm used to. I'm an adult, I have a very active social lifestyle with likeminded people (fellow alternative lifestylers) so it doesn't impact my personal life in one bit. Even my close family knows exactly what I do and they often give me tips on things like color schemes, poses, etc. To be honest, I faced more prejudice due to the fact I'm ~freelancing~ than the fact it's furry porn.

I also strive to make myself open to every single fetish and kink out there, even those I personally don't find appealing. Because once I sit my furry ass down to draw, it's my personal preferences going offline and my ambition going online. I never judge anyone for any kink AT ALL and hope to one day have a gallery that can be defined as a massive collection of delicious degeneracy hahah

For anyone interested, my link is on my sig! Beware though, very NSFW.

This is kind of an extreme standpoint as opposed to a lot of other artists, but I suppose that's fascinating all the same. It's interesting how much real life affects what kind of art freelancers make so often.

 

[Liala]

I've always had an interest in NSFW and do NSFW, but don't post it on my main blog. Not because of embarrassment or anything since on my main blog, you can see that I enjoy drawing big tittied women and in general, sexy anime girls but not really any sexual nudity. I honestly get the separation between them because people already heavily judge for doing any type of art as freelance and will probably judge even harder if you did any type of NSFW art. However, I find all that depends on who you interact with and allow in your circle.

Me personally, my friends wouldn't be surprised at all. I keep it away from my family because... well reasons. but all of my friends pretty much know I like porn. They found my stash when they went onto my laptop and found the folder.

But to answer your question, it all depends on what you are personally comfortable with. Me personally, a lot of my favorite artists are porn / NSFW artists or do porn on occasion. I.e Ricegnat and Sakimichan. I honestly think that porn has the ability to be artistic, I mean, you put in the same amount of effort drawing it as you would a non-porn one right? so it doesn't make sense to me personally that people think that it pushes aside artistic integrity. For years artists have been drawing nudity and porn lol and I don't see any harm in doing it because its basically a visual or written representation of people screwing. It's the drawn version of erotica. Plus, assuming you aren't celibate or sex-repulsed, you have sex or have had sex at some point so seeing it drawn is really nothing really out there unless it is kinky or fandom specific porn.

I personally have two different handles for my mainly porn things and my maybe a bit ecchi (mostly juts skimpy cloths and boobs) but not really porn + regular things because I don't want to alienate the watcher I have. That said, I honestly want to become more open with the fact that I like porn and drawing it.

 

[WolfNightV4X1]

Well, if you mean as a professional artist, I imagine it can harm you if you dont separate it distinctly enough. You can in fact have separate accounts, your professional portfolio should be under a different name (probably your own),

That said, if employers are going to be looking for your real name, they likely wont find your work under some obscure internet name.



In my case, as a nonprofessional, I KNOW employers wont find me because I dont use my first and last name on the internet, my username is uniwue as a separate entity from my real name, and yes while it's distinctly my own and I dont really have separate accounts, real world people dont know me enough to snoop my art accounts and wouldnt know where to look. I'd say in general, people putting dumb shit on their facebook are at risk, when they could be loping the internet freely under a pseudonym with nothing to tarnish their name on a real world identity. The closest people can find is if they find my instagram, searching my full first, middle, and last name. Few people actually would go about typing all three together, as people dont think of middle names when they go about searching someone

 

[Revous]

This is kind of an extreme standpoint as opposed to a lot of other artists, but I suppose that's fascinating all the same. It's interesting how much real life affects what kind of art freelancers make so often.

Yeah, I've seen so many furry artists (and not so furry artists) avoid mixing NSFW and real life like the plague. Of course, I understand not everyone can be open with their families and all, but it's indeed fascinating how society can put a weight even on literally fake, cartoon porn pics.
I'm very thankful I don't need to hide such a huge part of my life, I mean, it's my job. Imagine having to hide you're a manager, doctor, policeman, etc from the world, would be a bit maddening to me.

 

[MissNook]

Well I'm doing both NSFW and SFW drawings. I decided to seperate one of my account to be totally SFW since I knew there were minor watchers among them and I didn't want them to find those pictures in an account that was just for SFW things for years. Also I was a moderator at that time on an artist's forum and since I was the one to keep people from putting 18+ stuff on the forum, that just couldn't do
But well I'm glad now have an NSFW account on a specialized site and a furry account here. I'm the kind of people to think each kind of public deserves a specific attention, so I will post furries arts (lewd or not) here, lewd art (furry or not) in my NSFW account, SFW art (furry or SFW version of NSFW too) in my SFW account.
And I've done NSFW mainly because that's fun for me and the community is great. I wanted to improve my anatomy skills and that is going well. And I think I'm more open-minded now than before and that's really cool too ^^

 

[Zeny]

I specifically joined FA because I wanted to explore stuff outside the norm. Also trying to disconnect my profile here with my other accounts from other sites. The great thing about FA is that its has artists who dabble in such

Ahh yeah FA is definitely a good outlet for unusual interests/

 

[Zeny]

Well I'm doing both NSFW and SFW drawings. I decided to seperate one of my account to be totally SFW since I knew there were minor watchers among them and I didn't want them to find those pictures in an account that was just for SFW things for years. Also I was a moderator at that time on an artist's forum and since I was the one to keep people from putting 18+ stuff on the forum, that just couldn't do
But well I'm glad now have an NSFW account on a specialized site and a furry account here. I'm the kind of people to think each kind of public deserves a specific attention, so I will post furries arts (lewd or not) here, lewd art (furry or not) in my NSFW account, SFW art (furry or SFW version of NSFW too) in my SFW account.
And I've done NSFW mainly because that's fun for me and the community is great. I wanted to improve my anatomy skills and that is going well. And I think I'm more open-minded now than before and that's really cool too ^^

So three accounts? That's not bad! I think I'll end up having 3 accounts with similar content as well haha

 

[Butt_Ghost]

NSFW is meh/fine, I know a decent amount of people that have been completely transparent about drawing/posting it that have game, animation or film industry jobs and haven't had any issue despite their NSFW work being easily connected to their professional profile.
That said, none of their stuff could be described as "Fetishy" and I think that tends to be the distinction. Regular artists and industry pros by extension don't tend to be put off by "normal" NSFW but if it's Furry then it's definitely worth keeping separate if your career goals involve studio-based creative work. The association between "Furry" and "Nasty, fetishy stuff" is so strong that, really, if you're looking at most full time, paycheck type creative industry jobs and you're really, truly that worried about your online presence hurting your chances of employment then there should be as little of a connection between your professional profile and any involvement in the Furry community as possible.

 

[Zeny]

NSFW is meh/fine, I know a decent amount of people that have been completely transparent about drawing/posting it that have game, animation or film industry jobs and haven't had any issue despite their NSFW work being easily connected to their professional profile.
That said, none of their stuff could be described as "Fetishy" and I think that tends to be the distinction. Regular artists and industry pros by extension don't tend to be put off by "normal" NSFW but if it's Furry then it's definitely worth keeping separate if your career goals involve studio-based creative work. The association between "Furry" and "Nasty, fetishy stuff" is so strong that, really, if you're looking at most full time, paycheck type creative industry jobs and you're really, truly that worried about your online presence hurting your chances of employment then there should be as little of a connection between your professional profile and any involvement in the Furry community as possible.

It's kind of sad that just creating furry centered content can be taken as a sign of unprofessional habits. I suppose it all has to do with the industry and employer however.