LadyMalvoliosander

Despite what I wrote in my last journal, I'm uploading photos again today. I missed the process, the act of doing something with them instead of just leaving them on my computer to rot forever. Uploading them here was a way to make a statement about their value, in my eyes, to distinguish them from all the lesser photos sitting in folders with them.

That said, I think I'm unlikely to return to the sort of sustained interaction with other people I used to have on here. I'm not going to return to being a daily user either. I still don't like the redesign but it doesn't look as awful this time round. So when I do occasionally come on here, it'll be very much a personal thing. But given that I'd been looking unsuccessfully into alternative sites, it made less and less sense to me to say I'd left DA forever. If I was to start afresh somewhere else, I'd want it to be somewhere where it was easy to connect with people I knew irl, otherwise I'd just be leaving this place where I have had a few online friends and some kinda microscopic presence and going somewhere where I knew no one. And more importantly there's all the continuity and narrative in my DA account. I can look back at pictures from nearly any time and know what I was doing with my life and why, and the descriptions are a largely accurate representation of my headspace. Like a visual diary with just enough text to intrigue. So I do want to continue using DA for the sake of continuing what I've started, even if I no longer have the same desire to be part of the community that I did when I was at my peak of use.

For the last few months I've been logging on less and less frequently and today I realise my dislike of the new design is strong enough to prompt me to write this. I am not saying never. I may well continue to log in from time to time, look at a few artworks from people I was friendly with, and leave again. I may even upload something once or twice a year for old times' sakes. If I join an alternative platform I'll post a journal here with a link in it, but I'm not sure what I'd use. I've toyed with the idea of instagram but I'm not sure about joining it when it is so focused around connecting people who know each other in real life, as I wouldn't want to offend anyone or make them suspicious by refusing to add them, but I would also like to retain the ability to be selective of who sees my art. It's somehow much more intimidating showing it to people I know, so I don't often do it (some specific friends excepted of course).

To everyone I've had positive interactions with on here, I wish you well. To the people I met here and now have on facebook, we'll keep in touch. To everyone else, it was lovely seeing the contents of your beautiful minds and I may see more in a few months. But mostly... byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.