IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS...
Not sure how familiar everyone is with DeviantART, but for artists of just about every outlet - DeviantART is a pretty big deal.
There are groups, just as there are on LinkedIn & on FB, that you can submit your artwork to, in hopes that you "win" the contest or that it gets favorable reviews instead of scathing critiques. On DeviantART, there are groups that it's an honor just to have them ACCEPT your submission (oh man, those "Your 'Artwork' has been declined by SnootyPhotographyGroup" notices just STING!)
One of the larger & more 'critical' of the groups will only allow members to submit ONE piece of photography per month to be considered for acceptance. (Ugh, now I sound like a college freshman & it's Greek Week....oh God make it stop! ;) )
Their guidelines for submission are so plentiful that they don't just have a long list of rules like most groups do, they have a "Submission Guidelines JOURNAL" if you can believe it. And yet there I've been, month after month, trying to figure out which ONE picture is not only artistically up to par, but measures up on all the technical levels they critique as well, only to submit a photo each month & receive the dreaded "DECLINED" notification.
Well NOT THIS MONTH BABY!!! This little grasshopper macro picture I snapped a couple months ago is officially the first of mine that's been "accepted" by the group.
And, you know, it's not like I won money or was discovered by a nature magazine that now wants to fund my travels to take pictures of wild, exotic creatures for the next year or anything, yet it still felt awesome!
To know that I'm growing as an artist, to know that not only my photos are improving - but my eye for what's considered both artistically and technically "a good piece of photography" is improving as well - - it just felt great. It truly is the little things in life sometimes.
(Now..... when do I get my Greek letters for my hoodie???) ;)
(Just kidding - - this is totally good enough!)
