Regarding #kin
Okay, I’m gonna be “that guy”.
Please be aware that many artists do not want you to discuss anything kin related in tags of their art. For some, tagging #kin is acceptable but beyond that is disrespectful as hell, and you should not be doing it without asking first, or looking for an indication on their blog. 90% of artists do in fact look at tags and reblogs of their work, they will see it and if you don’t want to be a jerk then you’ll pay attention to why this can make them uncomfortable or angry.
Drawn art is an expression of the person creating it, it’s a wholly personal thing whether it’s fanart, commissioned, original. It’s the visualization of the connection an artist has to the topic, you are more than welcome to view it and for it to bring you pleasure as much as it did for us to draw it! It’s very flattering. However, when you discuss the work as if the subject inside is yourself, you’re taking away from the bond the artist has with it and moving the topic onto you, as if the artist has drawn it for you. This feeling is extremely difficult to describe if you don’t do visual or written artwork, you have to trust us on this. Artists can draw for individuals and audiences, but inside their art is still their bond to something they love or care about, you don’t get to break that by inserting yourself as the actual subject of said drawing. As if the work is of you. The artist doesn’t know you, they did not draw it for you to claim as yourself, you can feel that way but you don’t get to make them uncomfortable by having them see it.
If you’re okay with people tagging and discussing kin things in your art, that’s absolutely fine. But people need to be aware that is not the case for a lot of people, and because it’s impossible to police, assume it’s not okay and keep your comments to unconnected posts.
Speaking as an artist who gets this a lot (I draw monsters. It’s bound to happen) I second everything in this post. The more I see people tagging my monsters and even the character I use to represent myself as “me” or “kin”, the more it disgusts me.
If you feel a connection to a character or creature that someone else made, that’s great. It’s wonderful that you can empathize with that artist and their creations. Visual and creative outlets for “life stuff” are healthy, and I’d even say crucial to one’s mental health in a lot of cases. That is certainly the case for me.
Remember, if it means that much to you, it means that much more to the artist. You have no way of understanding what the character might mean to its creator, so please don’t presume that you do.
We didn’t create these characters for anyone but ourselves.
Please, be respectful.
seriously. im even kin myself, but seriously, seriously, please fucking think of the artist. an artist creates characters and art based on their own experiences, which are intrinsically theirs and theirs alone. while all human beings can relate, you will never 100% share the same life as another
dont just swoop in on an artists experiences and claim them for yourself ok, because a lot of artists on this site dont really like it at all. its disrespectful
