--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_yahoogroups.com, "Les" <trojan@...> wrote:
>shortened for space consideration<
> Rant-Rant-etc...
>
> Sorry to ramble like that Jim, I like your art, and the terrible trio have
> inspired as many laughs as they have boners if not more here.. but.. knowing
> what I know and seeing what I've seen... you're sounding like a bit of a
> whiner.
I'm certainly not meaning to come across as a "whiner". Basically, though, my understanding of the fandom is minimal at best. See, I went to conventions to meet with fans (put a face to a name) and sell my work. I avoided get-togethers, room parties, and the like. Why? Because the convention, for me, was a business event. It would cost me a few thousand bucks to attend a con and print up material; by the gods, I had better work my ass of to make that all back and show a profit! "Cutting even" at a convention would be extremely discouraging; I know some artist's are happy to cover their costs, but if they want to make any extra money, they'll have to work hard, party less, and focus on the business.
So obviously, my understanding of the fandom is probably on par with a "mundane" individual; I've only ever drawn this material. I did not normally hang out with the other artists. I didn't attend parties or get to socialize (I would usually return to my room after dinner to work on sketchbooks until early in the morning. After a few hours of sleep, I'd get breakfast, go to the dealer's room before they opened, set up shop, and start working on the remaining sketchbooks. Like I said earlier, I ran it like a business, and worked a lot of hours during, and prior to, a convention). I've never been one to play anthro video games or whatever they are. I don't role-play. I don't do pod-casts, Twitter, Ustream or any of the other things they have out there. I just draw the stuff. So for me, the fandom (according to what I first learned about it) was about funny animals in cartoons and comics.
I can understand the inclusion of sexual material in the artwork; after all, we're all adults here and that sort of stuff crosses a guy's mind constantly throughout the day. But I cannot fathom why all these other things have become a "staple" of the fandom, when they have nothing to do with funny animals at all. _That_ is what I'm trying to comprehend.
And regarding the general content of the fandom, I honestly do think it needs to focus on more than just sex, for crying out loud. You can't even look at a comic without the characters engaging in sex by the second panel. Story-writing and plots are obviously not some people's strength.
Personally, I'd like to see the genre drop some of the bad shit, like the "hyper-focus" on nothing but depraved shit. If the fans want it to be more "acceptable", then they'd better be prepared to raise the standards. That is what I hope to be able to do with at least my artwork. I would like to be able to present stories and characters in a new way, where even a non-furry reader could enjoy the book without thinking it's "furry" (I prefer the term "anthropomorphic", myself). I would hope other artists would like to be able to step outside the genre's self-imposed boundaries and stretch their artistic muscles a bit. They are certainly capable of it; I've seen some seriously good stuff out there. But the question remains whether they want to do more with that ability, to increase the quality of the material in the genre, or stay stagnant.
Speaking for myself, I'd like to grow. And I'd like to do what I can to make the genre a little better, if that's possible for one person to do.
--JMH
Received on Sun Jun 07 2009 - 00:04:32 CDT