DA is Trash!

The new version of deviantart is such absolute trash its phenomenal.  Its far worse than I ever expected.  The adolescent monkeys running it have destroyed any semblance of functionality.  I can’t find my art, or other people’s art, or the art in my group, or any submissions to it.  Its phenomenal!

And its not just me, the feedback they've been getting has been overwhelmingly negative.  It was a good thing for me for a while.  And for a lot of people.  A social media that let me connect with other artists and share beautiful art and encouragement, so its sad to see it go.

So basically all I'm saying is I'm not active on there and won't be for the foreseeable future.  The only places I have left to share my art are here, and tumblr:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jpmorrow-art

Thoughts on the Virus and Stuff

My life is so much better now, I've got all this time off, I can work on projects, its great!  I know its hard out there and people are suffering, but there are some advantages.  Which begs the question, why can't I get time off work and sleep in and laze around and work on my own projects the rest of the time when there isn't a pandemic?  Why can't the world of freedom and opportunity among those of us blessed with 'non-essential' jobs apply to anyone whether there is a virus or not?  Certainly there are some people who don't want time off work, or from various social events, and they have my sympathy, but wouldn't it be amazing if people could take time off when they want to?  It is technically possible but in my personal experiences I find it constantly infringed upon.

I would like to introduce an apparently unrelated subject that is also relevant to what I would like to say.  I am here reminded of one of my lifelong goals which is to build a ruined castle and live in it.  Non ruined castles are wonderful in many ways, but a ruined one would have several advantages as follows:

• It would be crumbling and overgrown, with lush green foliage, and wildflowers, making it beautiful and picturesque.
• I only need part of a tower to live in, and some suggestions of foundations here and there, and it will look like it was part of a much bigger castle back in the day, and maybe even a great big city.  So I can suggest something much greater with less materials, time and effort than a conventional fortress.
•  It may look ruined on the outside, but the interior rooms will actually be quite well furnished and insulated, making it quite as comfortable as anywhere else.

And I could go on, but the point is ruined castles, and all sorts of ruined buildings are beautiful in many ways to a greater degree than their non ruined counterparts.  And yet all too often ruins are associated with disaster and neglect.  Perhaps their inhabitants died long ago of famine or wars or plague.  But my point is that it is possible to construct brand new ruined buildings to enjoy the ruined building aesthetic without the necessity of a disaster in the first place.

For another obvious but excellent example, the zombie apocalypse would have advantages too numerous to mention, such as:

• Not having to pay taxes, rents, healthcare, or student loans.
• Being able to just shoot your enemies in the face instead of being helpless while people are incessantly annoying and insulting.
• Living in a picturesque ruined hideout, of course.
• All sorts of adventure and excitement.
• A sense of purpose in life, from always having the task of killing zombies.
• Lots of wide open spaces and not too many people, (except zombies).

And I could probably go on, but my point is this.  I think disasters have many benefits that we should seek out and not have to wait for them to befall. Of course disasters should be prevented wherever possible and I am not in any way supporting the virus, the destruction of castles, or the rise of the undead scourge, and yet my point still stands.  What these benefits are and how they are to be achieved, I leave as an exercise to the reader.  But I think it an important thing to mention.  And the advantages of trial and hardship are as often mental or spiritual benefits as physical ones, such as discipline, work ethic, honor, and so on.  Yet these things too can be cultivated with peace and gratitude when there are no great trials to be undergone.

So those are my thoughts brought about by this regrettable, (and regretted) pandemic.  I will close with the standard reminder to keep your distance, stay safe, wash your hands and so on.

Thanks for reading,

-Johnpaul