Return to deviantArt and Falls of Clyde charity offer!

Hello landlubbers!

This is a sort of information post because I want to share what's been going on the last days! Some of you know, some don't, but I've been a member on deviantArt since June 2009 – yes, that's almost exactly 10 years ago as the exact day is 16th June. I used to be active there up until around mid 2013 and I posted both cosplay photos as well as my art. But then my activity died as if hit by a wall, partly as a result because I shifted all focus to this blog instead, which was new and standing on wobbly legs back then. Another reason is because I ran into a severe art block and lost inspiration to draw (and uploading my art was the original reason I joined deviantArt). I felt discouraged and disappointed in myself as I felt like I didn't improve my art at all for years – it was pretty soul-crushing as drawing used to be my main interest for most of my life and I felt like it was one of the few things I truly excelled at and enjoyed.

So my deviantArt was neglected and dead silent for years, until now. During the past couple days I've been going through my gallery, favorites, groups, everything. I deleted every single cosplay-related thing I had ever uploaded there as it was too much of a hassle with the different watermarks, despite my Ukitake cosplay being the very reason I even got popular on deviantArt in the first place. But I just didn't want to have my cosplay stuff spread out anymore and it felt better to have it all neatly collected in this blog instead. I also left a lot of fandom groups that I had lost interest in, including all cosplay groups as I wouldn't be submitting content to them anymore.

And then the main thing – I started up art commissions again, woop! I used to do them ages ago but put commissions on hold because of mental health issues (which I still have) and because I lacked the energy. I also felt pressed to sell myself short to get customers because everyone does it and it makes me angry and sad that it has to be like that; it hurts the artist community and the value of art. But I'm not falling for that pressure anymore – I now value my time, my effort and my art and I have thus made a completely new, revamped art commission journal and scrapped the old one.

Used with permission by Save Falls of Clyde - International.

Also, during the summer (likely longer) I'm doing special charity sketch commissions! I care very much about our planet's ongoing climate crisis and I also care about preserving history and thus I have chosen to support the rescue effort of the Falls of Clyde tall ship. She's the last remaining four-masted, full-rigged, iron-hulled ship in the world and on top of that she's a whopping 140 years old, which puts her on the list of the oldest ships still afloat. She's a former museum ship, an U.S. national historic landmark and also the last surviving sail-driven oil tanker and, despite all of these feats, she is now facing a very real and very urgent danger of being sold for scraps or intentionally sunk. And as someone who loves all things marine (yes, I had a fish craze before Pokémon came out and took that place) it would break my heart to see her gone. Especially as I have come to realize for not so long ago that my dream job is at sea, I've just been blind for too long to the innermost spiritual calling.

And if anyone wonders what's gonna happen if Falls of Clyde gets rescued and restored to her former glory, it's a lot! She's gonna be refitted with the latest eco-friendly technology and she will do many things that will benefit all of us in some way: fair trade sail cargo (emission free like in the old days), pick up and recycle plastic waste from the oceans, sailing holidays and she will also offer 'education at sea' to the children from the poorest communities, to help them grow and learn valuable life skills. Odds are that she will be based in Scotland, where she was built in Glasgow in 1878. Let that year sink in. (pun not intended)

So if you care even a little, please for the love of all things good, consider commissioning me and picking the FoC charity option, you quite literally get free sketches for donating to an important cause! And it doesn't even have to be more than 5€, every little helps! Or just donate directly to the campaign if you don't care about my art, that works too. xD

Thank you so much for reading, help spreading the word around!

~ Shiro Samurai