okay guys we gotta talk.

Instructions

Okay Im kinda sick and tired of how we're handling these situations so I'm posting this as a way to bring attention and how we can fix these things from happening in the future. Its time we hold people accountable. DISCLAIMER: this is in no way meant to harass ANYBODY. If you feel as if this is targeted towards your behavior then that may be another conversation as to why and what I can do to fix my behavior. We on scratch have a major problem, We have a big referencing problem here in the adopts community. I can name what.. 2 situations this MONTH that revolve referencing. I think we need to sit down and reevaluate the okays and no okays with referencing. The BIGGEST thing I need you guys to understand is that unless its a public domain and given direct Yes please trace or heavily reference me, you should NOT trace or heavily reference others artwork and post it without any credits to the inspo. Some artists and uncomfortable with their work being referenced. I would be a bit uncomfortable if my artwork was heavily traced. its not just art style, its anatomy too that counts. You need to be honest about your actions, its okay if you reference to a small extent! everyone uses inspiration to grow! But you have to consider others feelings and hold yourself accountable. You need to ALWAYS ask if you can reference and you ALWAYS need to credit if so. Also, NEVER use referenced art or designs for monetary gain. That's just not okay on a moral and business level. On the business side, your promising a totally original and personal piece of art. It should be personal, not slightly traced or heavily reference doff of someones art or designs. On a moral sense, it can feel like lying to people who order from you and those who want to support you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCUSSING THE DRAMA ASPECTS: Now call-outs. I don't think they're necessary UNLESS and I say this tentatively.. Unless its the person who's at fault calling themselves out and its respectful. If you aren't involved, don't comment. Nobody else has the right to say if the apology you provide is good OTHER then the person you're addressing it to. Nobody can say that your apology is wrong or anything as sometimes like myself, people have hard time writing their emotions. I know I do, back in my drama my apology was sincere, but it didn't come off that way to other people andI understand why. The best thing you can do is take accountability and apologize to people you impacted. Don't scream at others and cause worse drama for yourself. I'll use a good and bad example to start. 1. Good!!! (the recent puppcake situation) Puppcake was asked about referencing by Qwork, which was done respectfully. What did Puppcake do? They released a good, solid apology about the situation where they took accountability for their actions and they're already showing progress on shifting away from works style!! What's good about this? Well they held themselves accountable, stayed out of the least drama you can bring and they kept their apology by actively working on trying new styles. 2. BAD (iykyk..) This user I'll keep anonymous to try to get as little of harassment to them. For years they've been referencing, apologizing, making new accounts and referencing again. The cycle repeats. Recently when I spoke to them and tried to understand why and help give them tips they shut down on me, make a project on a whim, denied everything with no supporting proof and were rude when addressing myself. What's the wrong with this? There's no accountability taken. With each apology, the same thing happens over and over again. There's been not much of a change in their referencing and when asked by creators they become defensive and shut down. The biggest thing is admitting the problem, but you can admit it so many times until people just stop interacting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX THIS? We need to hold people accountable in a RESPECTFUL WAY. Its okay to give constructive criticism, but its not okay to bully people. There is a difference trust me. People should help others, try to give resources that you can use freely to develop your style and hey if you need any I have a lot I'm very happy to provide! Before you comment or post ask yourself, would this cause me problems to post this like drama? doing so will help all of us stay out of drama. Solve situations privately!! I cannot stress this enough, making call-outs makes everything usually worse even when you feel like it. When I feel like wanting to do a call-out what I do to release my anger is I just type things I wanna say on a doc and leave it there. It can really help to get your emotions out if you express it in words. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOSURE TLDR: we need to steer away from heavy referencing trust.