04-28-2020, 11:21 AMsköldpaddor Wrote: I am not going to butt into the argument happening here but I do want to say that I think it's a little silly to imply that people who are making graphics primarily for the money don't also have an appreciation for "the joy of art" or whatever. Yes, I do it because I like it and it's a creative outlet for me. But I am choosing *this* creative outlet specifically because of the benefits it gives me to make my player better. I love creating things! But this isn't the only way for me to express myself creatively and I don't think it sullies the honor of art for me to say that I am choosing to spend my time on this outlet because it pays money that improves my enjoyment of the site in the form of my player being better. I also like to paint! and bake pretty things! and decorate cakes! but when I choose to spend my small amounts of free time on this one it's usually because my boy needs the cash. That doesn't mean I don't have fun doing it, but it for sure influences why I decide to do this and not some other artsy thing.

This was really well said and probably frames how I feel about doing graphics in the current SHL landscape perfectly.

I really enjoy working with photoshop and making graphics. I didn't do it before I joined the SHL (and if anyone remembers my first graphics it was obvious) and after buying Photoshop I've taken a lot of time teaching myself to do random stuff through Youtube videos. Hell, I've started tinkering with GIF sigs in PBE and NSFL and I'm having a ton of fun, messing around with stuff almost every other day even if I don't submit them.

But, it still takes me a really long time to do things that shouldn't take me that long. I still really enjoy it. So now I do graphics in other leagues because I actually get the player side reward as well. Here I feel like I'm wasting my time "for the love of doing graphics" but I would rather devote that free time to other leagues (or other tasks) that will help my player out as well. That's what I'm here for.

But maybe that is by design with this system? I have essentially hit a wall in my SHL grades so maybe weeding people out like me is the goal. I definitely don't deserve 5/5's, I've never made a perfect sig especially compared to the titans of graphics that kill it consistently. I guess if the aim is to have people grind for a while until they get to that level then it is working?