Defending popular artistsI think that people often expect too much from well-known people; this applies to everyone from "celebrities" to popular artists on sites like this. I think that all too often people have difficultly seeing things from the other person's point of view, and they underestimate how demanding "fans" can be.
First, from the celebrity aspect. Whenever I happen onto a famous person's web-site, I am always amazed and disgusted with the sheer number of disrespectful, demanding comments that reek of a sense of entitlement. For example, take Ellen DeGeneres's web-site for her television show, an overwhelming number of the fan comments there are someone asking for her to give him/her something, or expressing outrage that she hasn't personally replied to his/her e-mail. It amazes me that so many people don't understand that someone as popular as Ellen DeGeneres does not have time to respond to every fan letter that she gets. Furthermore, just because Ellen is rich and famous, it does not make it any less polite to ask her for handouts, nor does it mean that she "owes" something to every one who earns less than her.
How does this relate to DeviantART? I think that popular artists on DeviantART face some of the same expectations that "celebrities" do. I do not receive a lot of comments on my works, however, I can still empathize with those who do. Sure, it would be great to get a lot of comments on my work, but that doesn't mean that it would be all good. Imagine being an artist who receives hundreds, thousands, or more comments each week from fans. Now imagine those fans expecting you to reply to each and every comment that you receive. Not only that, imagine those people who comment on your work who feel that you "owe" them a reply on their work in return. And the fans who think that of the thousands (or more) of comments that you receive from various people, that you should be able to keep track of the member names of those that regularly comment your work... and return the favor to them. It can all amount to a rather heavy burden, which makes it no wonder why some artist's turn off comments completely on their works.
So, the next time you comment on someone's work, try to make sure you aren't expecting anything in return. Ideally, people would only comment to show appreciate for work that they love, not because they are expecting something in return. That said, I can sympathize with those that get frustrated with artists who never reply to any of the comments they receive. Personally, if I see that an artist rarely to never replies to any comments that he/she receives, I rarely leave him/her a comment; I don't see the point in taking the time to comment if I am not sure if they ever read their comments. I just don't think anyone should expect someone to reply to every comment they get, nor comment with the sole intention of getting a comment back on their own work.
. I bought it right before my trip to Vancouver in September of 2006, and it has stopped working already!
