Vent Thread

[quoting_mungo]

Some artists run their “businesses” badly and very unprofessionally.

Yeah, I said it. I feel like this is a controversial take… but some artists are incredibly unprofessional in the handling of their commissions. It’s absolutely ok to take your time in commissions. It’s ok to set clear and defined boundaries. It’s ok (and necessary) for real life to come first and foremost. However, the bare minimum is clear communication and integrity. I see several artists get away with treating customers rather poorly and having every excuse under the sun for their bad practices.

It’s unacceptable to me to accept a commission and then make zero progress for months all while advertising more YCHs and taking on more and more commissions. You should focus on maintaining a reasonable queue or be upfront on the timeframe. The number of artists I’ve seen that’ll take a commission, go radio silent, continue posting more YCHs, and then have a convenient excuse every time the customer reaches out is… wild.

There’s no reason a simple art piece (a YCH at that…) purchased nearly a year ago should still be in the line-art phase. There’s no reason when I ask for a progress update that I receive an art piece with one small edit done off the original. And there’s no reason you should be accepting more and more YCH commissions if you can’t even provide for your current customers. If you’re too sick/busy/hurt to finish your original queue… then you should also be too sick/busy/hurt to continue accepting more money from customers and pumping out more YCHs.

Rant done. Sorry, I just genuinely feel some artists are really scummy when they accept gigantic lists of commissions and then take years to get them done all while taking more and more money from people in the meantime and making excuses for it all.

You're right in like 99.9% of cases (and the remaining tiny portion is, like... force majeure shit that they should still be upfront about communicating), and I think there's a lot of people who kinda go "this is my hobby, so don't expect professionalism." Like, if money's changing hands, money's changing hands. It may not strictly be your profession or business-as-such, but, like... would you pay the neighbor kid to mow your lawn and be content with him doing one line of lawn a week while continuing to accept more mowing jobs from everyone else on the street? Obviously not, right?

Like, I'm not perfect and have fucked up on some transactions, but I learned my lesson and stopped accepting money upfront for just that reason.

 

[Judge Spear]

I cannot stand people who don't want to reign in their shitty little kids. I was forced to move recently into a new apartment. It was unfortunate but I actually really like it here. Its not the largest but it uses the space really well and everything is new.

And then some bitch with 4 kids that have no training moved in above me and its like they're throwing each other at the goddamn walls. I really need to record it because the noise is shocking. No one will believe me until they hear it themselves unless they've dealt with this before. It's insane.
It rattles shit on the shelves and shakes my PC monitors. Not that I'm worried about things breaking but its to give you an idea of how much racket they make. And it goes on from the moment they wake up until they leave for school or wherever they go during the day.
They come home, and the noise goes on until well past 11pm. They wake me up as early as 5 am.
Its not even yelling. Its extreme kinds of banging, heavy stomps from running, and what I can only imagine is Brock Lesnar slamming Goldberg onto a folding table. I work in the mornings. My dog is visibly stressed by the noise. I pay almost $1500 for rent. I'm not playing with these ratchet ass people on this.

I filed a noise complaint. And I'm going to keep doing so for the next few days. I went up to air out my grievance to the mom and she straight up didnt answer the door. Twice. So the next person to ring her bell will be a state trooper if she doesnt get a clue SOON.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

No one will believe me until they hear it themselves unless they've dealt with this before. It's insane.

So it's basically the noise of your average college dorm x 11? It's actually not that hard to believe, though the recording would put some legal evidence behind it.

You're doing the right steps, I think. Double-check your tenant agreement and see if there's a noise clause in it - I'm under the impression that tenant agreements are fairly standard, which would mean if yours has one then the neighbor has one in theirs too.

Sorry if it all sounds redundant, I'm trying to help lock a solid legal case here if this goes that far.

 

[a sleepy kitty]

Going back to my old church.

Long story short, made a Christian friend last week, and she offered to drive me to her church. Went twice, got severely traumatized by today's sermon, and I even caught the pastor in a lie. I feel like he is but a false prophet.

AND. HE. LIED.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

got severely traumatized by today's sermon

.....I almost have to ask, and I realize this may not be the best way to help someone deal with trauma:

Did you catch what section of the book was the source material that formed the basis for the sermon?

 

[Baron Tredegar]

Going back to my old church.

Long story short, made a Christian friend last week, and she offered to drive me to her church. Went twice, got severely traumatized by today's sermon, and I even caught the pastor in a lie. I feel like he is but a false prophet.

AND. HE. LIED.

I know that feeling, went to a place like that for over a year. If you feel like talking more in detail about it just feel free to dm me.

 

[a sleepy kitty]

.....I almost have to ask, and I realize this may not be the best way to help someone deal with trauma:

Did you catch what section of the book was the source material that formed the basis for the sermon?

Most of it i dont remember from the book at all

 

[a sleepy kitty]

I know that feeling, went to a place like that for over a year. If you feel like talking more in detail about it just feel free to dm me.

Sure!

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Most of it i dont remember from the book at all

Dang, I was hoping to help deconstruct the lie.

I'll leave this to someone more versed in dealing with the prophecy types.

 

[a sleepy kitty]

Dang, I was hoping to help deconstruct the lie.

I'll leave this to someone more versed in dealing with the prophecy types.

Yeah, he claims to be a prophet.



There are also prophets who support the lying sociopath, Trump.

 

[Kellan Meig'h]

she has 400 500 blood sugar for weeks and woN't do anything about it

Give a few more weeks, the ER doctors will do something about it. The human body can't take 400+ blood sugar for too long before the kidneys give out. Then it's dialysis. That's what killed my brother-in-law; the stress on the body from dialysis.

Some artists run their “businesses” badly and very unprofessionally.

Yeah, I said it. I feel like this is a controversial take… but some artists are incredibly unprofessional in the handling of their commissions. It’s absolutely ok to take your time in commissions. It’s ok to set clear and defined boundaries. It’s ok (and necessary) for real life to come first and foremost. However, the bare minimum is clear communication and integrity. I see several artists get away with treating customers rather poorly and having every excuse under the sun for their bad practices.

It’s unacceptable to me to accept a commission and then make zero progress for months all while advertising more YCHs and taking on more and more commissions. You should focus on maintaining a reasonable queue or be upfront on the timeframe. The number of artists I’ve seen that’ll take a commission, go radio silent, continue posting more YCHs, and then have a convenient excuse every time the customer reaches out is… wild.

There’s no reason a simple art piece (a YCH at that…) purchased nearly a year ago should still be in the line-art phase. There’s no reason when I ask for a progress update that I receive an art piece with one small edit done off the original. And there’s no reason you should be accepting more and more YCH commissions if you can’t even provide for your current customers. If you’re too sick/busy/hurt to finish your original queue… then you should also be too sick/busy/hurt to continue accepting more money from customers and pumping out more YCHs.

Rant done. Sorry, I just genuinely feel some artists are really scummy when they accept gigantic lists of commissions and then take years to get them done all while taking more and more money from people in the meantime and making excuses for it all.

I have a similar (or unrelated) problem with people, adults, wanting a custom guitar build. I spend weeks sometimes with them over email, hashing out the details then when I send a dollar amount for the complete build, I get ghosted. They were just "Kicking The Tires" and weren't serious about a build. I can build a top shelf electric guitar for under $1,500 USD, all name brand components and finishes, the best woods, something they can't get otherwise, since I don't rely on guitar building as my income - I'm retired. Something from a competitive level peer builder is $4,000 USD or higher. So yeah, I get this at least a dozen times a year, that's why the deposit to get in line for a build is non-refundable. That kind of stopped the tire kickers and people that would put down money, then decide "I'm going in a different direction" a few weeks to months later.
BTW, the deposit covers the wood, for the most part. Right now I still have a body and neck to build and recoup from the last d00d that backed out on me. A little over $1,000 USD for the neck and body wood so that one will sell for $2,000 built out. That's one that was left over from the pre-deposit days.

 

[ben909]

Give a few more weeks, the ER doctors will do something about it. The human body can't take 400+ blood sugar for too long before the kidneys give out. Then it's dialysis. That's what killed my brother-in-law; the stress on the body from dialysis.

I have a similar (or unrelated) problem with people, adults, wanting a custom guitar build. I spend weeks sometimes with them over email, hashing out the details then when I send a dollar amount for the complete build, I get ghosted. They were just "Kicking The Tires" and weren't serious about a build. I can build a top shelf electric guitar for under $1,500 USD, all name brand components and finishes, the best woods, something they can't get otherwise, since I don't rely on guitar building as my income - I'm retired. Something from a competitive level peer builder is $4,000 USD or higher. So yeah, I get this at least a dozen times a year, that's why the deposit to get in line for a build is non-refundable. That kind of stopped the tire kickers and people that would put down money, then decide "I'm going in a different direction" a few weeks to months later.
BTW, the deposit covers the wood, for the most part. Right now I still have a body and neck to build and recoup from the last d00d that backed out on me. A little over $1,000 USD for the neck and body wood so that one will sell for $2,000 built out. That's one that was left over from the pre-deposit days.

if she was not lieing to us, she has likely been like this for a while, again, she cannot make her own choices safely

 

[Parabellum3]

 

[Rayd]

Some artists run their “businesses” badly and very unprofessionally.

Yeah, I said it. I feel like this is a controversial take… but some artists are incredibly unprofessional in the handling of their commissions. It’s absolutely ok to take your time in commissions. It’s ok to set clear and defined boundaries. It’s ok (and necessary) for real life to come first and foremost. However, the bare minimum is clear communication and integrity. I see several artists get away with treating customers rather poorly and having every excuse under the sun for their bad practices.

It’s unacceptable to me to accept a commission and then make zero progress for months all while advertising more YCHs and taking on more and more commissions. You should focus on maintaining a reasonable queue or be upfront on the timeframe. The number of artists I’ve seen that’ll take a commission, go radio silent, continue posting more YCHs, and then have a convenient excuse every time the customer reaches out is… wild.

There’s no reason a simple art piece (a YCH at that…) purchased nearly a year ago should still be in the line-art phase. There’s no reason when I ask for a progress update that I receive an art piece with one small edit done off the original. And there’s no reason you should be accepting more and more YCH commissions if you can’t even provide for your current customers. If you’re too sick/busy/hurt to finish your original queue… then you should also be too sick/busy/hurt to continue accepting more money from customers and pumping out more YCHs.

Rant done. Sorry, I just genuinely feel some artists are really scummy when they accept gigantic lists of commissions and then take years to get them done all while taking more and more money from people in the meantime and making excuses for it all.

i'd go as far to say that most artists have these habits, just varied in intensity. a lot of very shady conduct is normalized in the furry art community and it's always gotten on my nerves pretty badly. but being a no-clout peon such as i, it's not like you can really say anything about it on a public scale without getting blacklisted by the entire art community for having a negative opinion about artists. it's sad, really.

being somebody that commissions relatively often, i can honestly genuinely say i've only commissioned a small handful who were consistent in contact and turnaround time. i think the most frustrating thing about the art community is the artists that treat their art space as a business until it's convenient to get all personal to allot themselves more time to procrastinate on commissions.

for instance - the double standards on a lot of these practices are real, too, like, if a commissioner misses a day or two on payment without contact, their ass would be grass, but if you were to approach an artist who has ignored you for months on a commission, you're often treated as an unpleasant, inconsiderate person who doesn't have a heart for artists. meanwhile you see at least a dozen passive-aggressive memes about commissioners from artists on twitter.

we see a lot of "artists aren't robots" rants, but not enough "commissioners aren't wallets" rants imo.

 

[PC Master Race]

I'm getting worried for a friend of mine who just went completely silent for weeks now, since 20 sep, without a single word.

On FA he went by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/ruki-the-zorua/ , https://www.furaffinity.net/user/tsushako-the-mew/ , and most recently on FAF he was @The Spirit Guardian , but he left both sites, months ago.

Hate it when you don't know what's going on and there's no way to contact them.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I want a burger so fucking badly. Buuut that’s way more solid food than my mouth can currently do. I had a bit of shortbread because it comes apart easy and I can chew it with my front teeth. (Yeah, healthy eating is on hold until I can eat proper food again.)

 

[Judge Spear]

i'd go as far to say that most artists have these habits, just varied in intensity. a lot of very shady conduct is normalized in the furry art community and it's always gotten on my nerves pretty badly. but being a no-clout peon such as i, it's not like you can really say anything about it on a public scale without getting blacklisted by the entire art community for having a negative opinion about artists. it's sad, really.

being somebody that commissions relatively often, i can honestly genuinely say i've only commissioned a small handful who were consistent in contact and turnaround time. i think the most frustrating thing about the art community is the artists that treat their art space as a business until it's convenient to get all personal to allot themselves more time to procrastinate on commissions.

for instance - the double standards on a lot of these practices are real, too, like, if a commissioner misses a day or two on payment without contact, their ass would be grass, but if you were to approach an artist who has ignored you for months on a commission, you're often treated as an unpleasant, inconsiderate person who doesn't have a heart for artists. meanwhile you see at least a dozen passive-aggressive memes about commissioners from artists on twitter.

we see a lot of "artists aren't robots" rants, but not enough "commissioners aren't wallets" rants imo.

I'm someone who moves a little slower than I should for some clients and when they poke me for an update, they always have this skittish tone and have to reassure me that they don't mean to be pushy. To which I immediately respond and reassure them that they're entitled to asking for updates. Truthfully, they shouldn't have to ask. I should just be more punctual. It's a bad habit I'm trying to work on that stems from poor time management and partially my irregular commission schedule. The almost fearful tone tells me that they've either dealt with or seen artists rage on clients and think I'll be the next. Which is actually really...heartbreaking? Like think about that. That's SAD.

Clients do some annoying as Hell things but like I said in the AI thread, furries in particular are the best clientele you can get as a semi professional online. I don't think people understand this. They pay handsomely wait patiently, and actually value you. And they're really excited when they get their piece which is a great feeling.
As opposed to like the general DA audience, weebs, or the sort of shit I dealt with when I made advertisements.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I'm someone who moves a little slower than I should for some clients and when they poke me for an update, they always have this skittish tone and have to reassure me that they don't mean to be pushy. To which I immediately respond and reassure them that they're entitled to asking for updates. Truthfully, they shouldn't have to ask. I should just be more punctual. It's a bad habit I'm trying to work on that I stems from poor time management and partially my irregular commission schedule. The almost fearful tone tells me that they've either dealt with or seen artists rage on clients and think I'll be the next. Which is actually really...heartbreaking? Like think about that. That's SAD.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know when I contact people with any kind of criticism (used VERY broadly - asking for updates fall under that umbrella) I don’t want them to feel bad. I probably have something akin to rejection sensitive dysphoria, and it wouldn’t surprise me if similar is overrepresented in the fandom, between a possible higher incidence of mental illness and furries having a lot of socially awkward people. And if you (gen) know it would make you feel bad to get a message, you’re liable to want to cushion the blow for others.

But I’m sure some people also have indeed seen artists get ugly about messages from clients, justified or not, and you’re right that those reactions can themselves inspire apprehension. There’s no perfect, universal solution because not all artists are “good,” and neither are all commissioners. As soon as someone gets burned their vigilance understandably goes up. And with that vigilance comes reactivity and distrust.

 

[Judge Spear]

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know when I contact people with any kind of criticism (used VERY broadly - asking for updates fall under that umbrella) I don’t want them to feel bad. I probably have something akin to rejection sensitive dysphoria, and it wouldn’t surprise me if similar is overrepresented in the fandom, between a possible higher incidence of mental illness and furries having a lot of socially awkward people. And if you (gen) know it would make you feel bad to get a message, you’re liable to want to cushion the blow for others.

But I’m sure some people also have indeed seen artists get ugly about messages from clients, justified or not, and you’re right that those reactions can themselves inspire apprehension. There’s no perfect, universal solution because not all artists are “good,” and neither are all commissioners. As soon as someone gets burned their vigilance understandably goes up. And with that vigilance comes reactivity and distrust.

I imagine you come up to an artist with "Hi! Just wondering how things are going."
Me, I've gotten "Hi, I'm really really sorry to ask. I don't mean to be a bother, I know you work hard. But may I have an update? Again I don't mean to be pushy so I apologize if I'm pestering you".
And in my head I'm like "....pestering?? YOU paid!! :C"

 

[Minerva_Minx]

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know when I contact people with any kind of criticism (used VERY broadly - asking for updates fall under that umbrella) I don’t want them to feel bad. I probably have something akin to rejection sensitive dysphoria, and it wouldn’t surprise me if similar is overrepresented in the fandom, between a possible higher incidence of mental illness and furries having a lot of socially awkward people. And if you (gen) know it would make you feel bad to get a message, you’re liable to want to cushion the blow for others.

But I’m sure some people also have indeed seen artists get ugly about messages from clients, justified or not, and you’re right that those reactions can themselves inspire apprehension. There’s no perfect, universal solution because not all artists are “good,” and neither are all commissioners. As soon as someone gets burned their vigilance understandably goes up. And with that vigilance comes reactivity and distrust.

True.

I imagine you come up to an artist with "Hi! Just wondering how things are going."
Me, I've gotten "Hi, I'm really really sorry to ask. I don't mean to be a bother, I know you work hard. But may I have an update? Again I don't mean to be pushy so I apologize if I'm pestering you".
And in my head I'm like "....pestering?? YOU paid!! :C"

I totally see @quoting_mungo being that super nice, motherly type commissioner.
As for your comment on being paid, some of us actually know or can tell when this is a side gig and also take into account there is usually a queue for an artist. I feel bad at times on some of my commissions because they are extraordinary artists who probably have a queue of months, i just don't know where I'm at. So if I call or write for an update, I assume a half dozen other people are doing the same. So, sure I may be asking, even entitled, for an update, but the artist on the other side is human. Because I have been burned, I don't pay up front ore than a deposit with the remainder after the fact. A friend of mine once said, "the slowest, cheapest job is when you're paid in advance. Just no incentive to move fast or go above and beyond."

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Lessons in Nonverbal Communication, Videogame Edition:

An open display of crying in the corner actually does work sometimes to get a recalcitrant player to take a hint.

For context: The game in question was Fall Guys. 60-player battle royale with a myriad of different rounds. Can play solo or in a group of up to 4. They even have a special "Squads Show" where players randomly group up into teams of 4.

You can't type into a group chat in this game. You have grabs and 4 taunts that you can set, and that's pretty much the extent of communication you get here. In theory.

One of the squad-only rounds, "Pixel Painters", has you stepping on tiles to form pixel art to match something on a display. This event can easily be ruined by one player of the squad randomly stepping on tiles constantly. I've had that happen twice.

Both times, I have two options: First, I grab the player and push them away from the tiles. I'll do this several times. If that lesson doesn't stick, I realize our team won't win and do the other thing: walk into a corner and just stare at it. This is what I refer to as "crying in the corner".

The first time this happened, the players didn't take a hint and we got eliminated. I kind of expected that outcome. The second time? When I'd been in the corner a while, the other players stopped, approached.... the other proficient player on the squad did the "chicken" taunt (yeah, there's that)... and the recalcitrant player actually stepped aside and let the other two of us carry him. With 10 seconds left, we were the last qualifying team in that round. (I must confess I was laughing my ass off when we made it.)

Yes, I'm that good at the event. I've done the round with a two-person squad before (rookies had ragequit in earlier rounds in that scenario) and I think I can actually do the round solo if it came down to it. (Any event primarily reliant on the hex tiles is a critical weakness of mine sadly.)

It's too bad I choked on the survival round two rounds later and it's kind of a pity I don't remember the player's handle. That particular guy WAS an actual rookie who needed a lesson (as evidenced by the Starchart round after that, where I was the first to finish and he was the last to finish), and not just the kind of clueless futzer you get in squads occasionally with this game.

So yeah. There's my "nonverbal communication" story of the day. Hopefully I don't get too many recalcitrant teams with that round, but the fact that that technique works at all means it's something I can keep in a pinch.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I imagine you come up to an artist with "Hi! Just wondering how things are going."
Me, I've gotten "Hi, I'm really really sorry to ask. I don't mean to be a bother, I know you work hard. But may I have an update? Again I don't mean to be pushy so I apologize if I'm pestering you".
And in my head I'm like "....pestering?? YOU paid!! :C"

Oh, I absolutely will be like “I don’t mean to rush you, take the time you need, I just wanted to know how you were coming along (etc).” I would hate to bring more stress to someone’s day.

 

[Fallowfox]

Turns out the bbc news website redirects to a version with adverts in the US.

 

[Minerva_Minx]

Ok, finally have energy to study for college. Just gonna open my books, take my test
"MOM! Ineed you to move you chair for trash."
"Mom! You're blockimg the door to the backyard. Can you, like, do your homework away from the kitchen?"
"Mom, do you like me?" As my girl sits down right next to me to game, eat ice cream, and ask questions.
"Hun, am I bothering you? You want some tea? You don't have to be snippy with me, missy!" As wife watches tv on her ipad across from me.

GTFO, I am trying to f'ing study you monsters! Why?! Why when I need time to study?!
God, i love my family but I want a tranq gun.

 

[Baron Tredegar]

Ok, finally have energy to study for college. Just gonna open my books, take my test
"MOM! Ineed you to move you chair for trash."
"Mom! You're blockimg the door to the backyard. Can you, like, do your homework away from the kitchen?"
"Mom, do you like me?" As my girl sits down right next to me to game, eat ice cream, and ask questions.
"Hun, am I bothering you? You want some tea? You don't have to be snippy with me, missy!" As wife watches tv on her ipad across from me.

GTFO, I am trying to f'ing study you monsters! Why?! Why when I need time to study?!
God, i love my family but I want a tranq gun.

I dont have kids but I kinda know how this feels. Ill be working on my college homework and assignments and my dad keeps wanting me to help him with random yard work and projects he thought of because hes bored.