Thumbshare forum is in a pitiful state. In fact, it has always been. It's a place you go to trade for the appreciation of your art, or buy that appreciation, or get it from someone hoping to trade it. I have to wade through pages and pages of

'Fave Spree,'
'Favorite vs Favorite,'
'A watch for a watch,'
'pick a fave from my gallery, and I'll pick one from yours.'
'Share your newest anime art! favs and comments will be returned! <3'

It's just... sad.

I can't help wondering how people can insult themselves and their work like that. Don't they have pride? The appreciation of your art, the recognition of your work don't come from trading. None who trade it for something else really feel it. How can anyone deceive himself that what he gets from trading means anything but a trade?

When I do art, if I get no faves and I want faves or appreciation, I promise myself this: 'Do better' or 'Try harder.' NOT go to Thumbshare Forum and trade for it. Because by doing that, not only you trade your faves, you trade your soul.

Not a topic in the first two pages show anything resembles giving. Everything is about taking or trading. I haven't seen a topic looking to GIVE critique. I've from time to time made a topic telling people I'd give critique to people who ask them. As you can guess, those topics fail miserably. When I do give critique to people who (seem to) ask for comments, I sometimes even get convinient excuses like 'I'm not asking for critique. Just sharing,' plus flame, while I have no doubt that if the critiques were positive only, they would gobble them up like no tomorrow. Some even got defensive and called for help from a `friend or a $friend, who readily pointed out that there's a critique function. (Which, incidentally, you have to pay certain people for, while it was once free.)

Sad...

Long live the art.