I'm writing this at midnight on my computer's notepad while listening to jacksepticeye while feeling stupidly emotional, so take everything I say going forward with a mountain of salt.

I'm afraid of the direction that online art is constantly shifting in. Newgrounds is a wonderful constantly mind blowing website with so many diffrent types of art that I am constantly blown away with the abilities and creativity I see here. I think it's important for this website to exist in the grand scheme of digital art, in the state we are in. There are very few art websites or social medias as big as NG that are run by community members and artists that interact with their users as much as newgrounds. I know some people complain about this website having a Tom Fulp Circlejerk but I think it's important that the biggest users and moderators on this website are just normal ass people. We live in a time where the art community is constantly under attack, be it from AI or Corps buying out websites, or even the minute shit like websites being vauge so that they can get away with posting shitty garbage to keep weirdo's on their site. Newgrounds is one of the few sites highly pushing against AI, pushing against and corporate fuckery with what art is posted on the website (be that for better or for worse). It allows mediocre artists like me to still have art as a hobby despite everything going on. I don't make it any sort of secret that I use Twitter to improve my reach and post art even more than I do on NG, despite that shit I just talked about, but I post here for a solidarity among artists. Front Paged Art isn't determined by an algorithm, it's determined by admins sitting their ass down and looking at the art on the website. I know This is just me going in circles but I just appreciate how human this website is. It's not trying to pretend it's something it's not, it's purley authentic in what is here. I have met friends I appreciate more than any other people from this website due to the human nature of it.

Growing up I posted my art on DeviantArt (https://www.deviantart.com/gamenerds/gallery go nuts) and it was miserable. I know as an artist I've obviously grown, but that's not what I'm speaking on. I remember deleting my posts because thousands of whole ass adults would come and harass me for my shitty 13 year old furry art. I understand it was ass but I stopped drawing for years after, only really picking it up again a couple years ago and joining NG soon after. And while I didn't get better through any means outside of sticking with it, I have seen some truly shitty art here, but then seen the same artists months later already having grown a ton. The people on this website create such a positive environment for artists to thrive in and it honestly touches me a ton. I know this is just word vomit but I feel like I should just write down my feelings somewhere, so here is that somewhere.

I just want to say I'm very proud on the progress ive made in my skills since 3 years ago