respecting artists 101: a thread

1) NEVER COMPARE ARTISTS WITH EACH OTHER

Do not compare us to more popular artists such as Sad-ist because this can be very discouraging for us. Don't comment saying "Sad-ist wannabe" or "[artist] did it better". This is extremely rude and can damage our mental health

2) DO NOT PRESSURE ARTISTS

Please remember that we have lives beyond the MCYT fandom and that we are not machines who will continuously produce content for you to enjoy. Art takes a lot of time and energy to make, and we can also go through burnout from time to time.

3) LISTEN TO ARTISTS WHEN WE SAY NOT TO RT, QRT, OR TAG CCs

Respect our boundaries when it comes to these things. We usually ask for you not to rt when we post a WIP because we want to make sure that the final artwork gets more engagements than the wip--

-- A lot of us are also uncomfortable with quote retweets because there are times when the quote retweet itself gets more likes and retweets than the original artwork. This takes away engagement from us, so please try to avoid doing it unless said otherwise.--

-- This ESPECIALLY applies to private qrts, wherein you qrt with your private account! This can make us very anxious because we have no way of knowing what the qrt contains regardless of whether or not you had good intentions.

-- There are also times when we ask you not to tag CCs. Please respect our request when necessary because we may be uncomfortable with the CC seeing a particular artwork. It's not that hard to listen to us :)

3) RESPECT THE ART PERMISSIONS OF AN ARTIST

Each of us have different boundaries when it comes to reposts, using art in edits, using art as PFPs or banners, and etc. Make sure you read our FAQ or carrd if we have one. Directly message us when you're unsure.

4) ALWAYS CREDIT THE ARTIST

Even if you're a small account with very little followers, you still have to credit the artist. Make sure that if you use our art as your pfp or banner, you place our @ in your bio or location! This is basic respect!--

This also applies to using art in edits. Be sure to always credit all the artworks that you used in your video! Furthermore, "Credits to the artist" is not proper crediting. You need to explicitly say who the artist is. --

Do reverse google image search when you are unsure of who made the artwork. Don't be lazy; there's someone out there who put tons of time and effort into the artwork, and it's not right for you to simply take it and use it without proper credits.

5) DO NOT COMMENT ART CRITICISM UNLESS THE ARTIST ASKS FOR THEM

UNNECESSARY and OUT OF THE BLUE criticism can make us feel uncomfortable and self-conscious especially when we are very proud of the artwork.--

-- To add, when giving requested criticism, try to mention the parts of our artwork that you LIKED too besides the flaws that you see! It lets us know what our strengths and weaknesses are! This way, the criticism is more constructive!

6) DO NOT LEAVE NSFW COMMENTS ON ART

Please do not do this. It can make us VERY uncomfortable, and remember that a lot of people in the mcyt fandom are MINORS.

7) DO NOT LEAVE COMMENTS ABOUT IRL SHIPPING ON NON-SHIP ART

If the artist does not intend it to be ship art, then do not mention anything about IRL ships. Two people in the same artwork does not automatically mean that it is ship art! And there are a lot of people--

-uncomfortable with IRL shipping who will feel uneasy from your comment. This ESPECIALLY applies to artworks containing CCs who have said that they are uncomfortable with being shipped. Please respect everyone's boundaries.

8) DO NOT BELITTLE YOURSELF WHEN COMPLIMENTING AN ARTIST

Please. It doesn't feel like a compliment at all, and we usually do not know how to reply, so it just creates an awkward situation for us. For example, do not say "I'll never be as good as you" as a compliment :]

9) TRY TO USE "SKILLED" AS A COMPLIMENT MORE, RATHER THAN "TALENTED"

Skill and talent have different meanings! Skill entails hard work while talent entails gifted, inherent abilities. Calling us skilled acknowledges all the effort we placed to reach our skill level!

to summarize: respect us artists or else i'm gonna punt you into the sun