Is posting one's tickling pictures on DeviantArt inappropriate?

[The Last Laugh]

Hello everyone,

Back in 2008 I created a DeviantArt account, posted a few pictures on it, then pretty much abandoned it for a few years. I recently started using it again. I figured I'd post a bunch of pictures taken from my older tickling and foot videos, as well as samples and announcements about my new productions when I eventually start releasing new stuff.

It seemed like a reasonable idea at first, but now I can't help but wonder if it's really appropriate. While I got positive feedback, a few people have posted negative comments, either disapproving of fetish material or clearly totally clueless about what it's all about.

It's generally not a big deal, but one message bugged me more than the others. I don't remember it exactly, but it went something like "It looks like random fetish shit to me, and it doesn't belong here."

Is it possible that my pictures truly don't belong on DeviantArt? Granted, they're not actually art per se. They're small, low quality pictures, and the original material isn't exactly artistic in nature. However, it is my work. I worked hard to create that footage and the pictures I made from it. Isn't that enough to qualify?

Also, if fetish material, especially mild stuff like mine, doesn’t belong on DeviantArt, how come there's a "Fetish Portrait" category available when you post pictures? I admit my stuff isn't like highly artistic and professional bondage art. But one could easily argue that while DeviantArt features a lot of truly beautiful works of art, there's also a lot of pretty bad stuff to be found there. So why not my own pictures?

Generally speaking I feel that posting my pictures on DeviantArt isn't a problem. But I do understand some of the negative criticism to some extent. What do you think? Is it acceptable for a tickling video producer to post samples pictures of his work on DeviantArt? Thank you for the feedback.

Oh, by the way, in case you're curious, you can find my DeviantArt page here:

http://thelastlaugh.deviantart.com/

 

[Oblesklk]

I wouldn't worry about it, assuming the content doesn't violate a TOS.

I'm trying to get better with my photography, so I'll occasionally post non-fetish pics of our models on our DA account and label it as a fetish portrait as you mention above. I've never had any negative comments. When I get one like the one you mention it will likely be ignored. Not all internet posts are golden

 

[giggle-maker]

Don't even put two thoughts worth of worry on this.

It's called DeviantArt for fuck sake! Don't let the haters spoil your fun.

 

[porcelaindoll2]

They have fetish listed as one of the categories on there, so people just need to get over it. If DeviantArt didn't want fetish then they wouldn't allow it, but I feel you on the annoying comments. I have a page as well and got some annoying comments on my fetish modeling pictures. I just shrug, go if you didn't like it idiot then why comment!?, and then just try to forget about.

 

[mabus]

Look, you can't back down anytime some little troll has a problem with you. If you believe in your work, and have fans, who gives a shit what the troll say?

Go look at people like George Lucas, Michael Bay, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc. They produce consistent entertaining work, nit picked or not, they have scores of fans, and they have scores of haters. They never quit, and are all disgustingly wealthy! The people who rant against them have produced nothing, and these entertainers could care less about these little critics.

Just worry about what the people here say, and your customers. They are the only ones that count.

 

[LD_Tickler]

I don't think that something should be deemed "inappropriate" for DA simply because it's graphic, or sexual, or fetish themed. Like they say, there are categories for that.

I suspect that message was coming from a different perspective. It sounds to me like he didn't think your pictures were art. Are your pictures art? I wouldn't classify screen-caps from any producer's tickling clips art. So I think there's room for objection based on that debate. I believe there's a difference between erotica and porn, and while that division can't be identified precisely or universally, it exists for every person.

 

[P[a]pi]

It's completely appropriate. However, I would tag your pics with fetish words, label them as fetish and I'd at least set them to mature warning. If any of the pics show private areas I'd set them to mature strict. Other than that, not much you can do.

Also, there's plenty of fetish artwork (drawn, cgi, photo) on dart. Glad you got an account though. Gonna add you haha.

 

[love feet]

its ok.

 

[The Last Laugh]

Look, you can't back down anytime some little troll has a problem with you. If you believe in your work, and have fans, who gives a shit what the troll say?

That's not the issue I'm concerned about. I don't care if some people don't like my work, especially those who aren't into tickling/foot fetishes and just don't get it. And I'm not backing down. After getting the message I mentioned I just posted more pictures.

Go look at people like George Lucas, Michael Bay, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, etc.

Ouch. If you were trying to encourage me, I'm afraid you picked the wrong examples. I'm so-so about Lucas, think Bay and his movies are lame, don't care at all for Stern and absolutely despise Limbaugh. Being compared to them doesn't help at all.

I suspect that message was coming from a different perspective. It sounds to me like he didn't think your pictures were art. Are your pictures art? I wouldn't classify screen-caps from any producer's tickling clips art. So I think there's room for objection based on that debate.

Yes, that's what I was talking about. When I asked if it was appropriate, I didn't mean in terms of decency or something like that. Hell, DA is full of risque works of art, including stuff that borders on porn. I was asking if pictures like mine, who aren't really art, belong on a site like DeviantArt. While I didn't appreciate the tone of the message I mentioned, I think that person did have a point, to some extent. Like, say I posted my foot pictures in the tickling pictures section here on the TMF. Obviously people wouldn't find them offensive. But they're be justified in saying that they don't belong in that section, because they'd be off-topic. So one could argue it's the same with DA.

That being said, I'm not entirely convinced that posting my pictures on DA goes against what that site is about. They might not be art per se, but they're my creations, and I'm proud to post them for interested to see. So my intention is to continue posting my pictures there, at least until a DA moderator decides that my pictures don't qualify. In which case I'll remind him/her about the "Fetish Portraits" category.

 

[wishfoot88]

lets be honest about deviantart for a bit, quite alot of the content on that site is of questionable artistic status, and alot of people tend to follow the same trends. the amount of times i have seen an account dedicated to some camwhore taking pictures of her eyes and changing the colours. DA is so repetitive, and is rarely about straight forward, pure "art", its more a multi format site that people use to spread stories, their own pictures, whether its photographic or otherwise, and get to meet one another.
i wouldnt worry about it really, DA is very unjust at times, i mean my account is fairly well spread and with a decent amount of watchers and my art is shit! while other artists who deserve the exposure seem to fall through the cracks.
plus, there is always one person who goes above their station and thinks they can tell other people what art is and they seem to think they can dictate what content is allowed through. if you think tickling pictures are not acceptable, then you should see some of the other stuff on that site...

 

[911]

Art is subjective, if someone doesn't like it they can look at something else. There is sexual art on the site and what you have is a type of art. Don't let asshole comments bother you.

 

[The Last Laugh]

lets be honest about deviantart for a bit, quite alot of the content on that site is of questionable artistic status, and alot of people tend to follow the same trends. the amount of times i have seen an account dedicated to some camwhore taking pictures of her eyes and changing the colours. DA is so repetitive, and is rarely about straight forward, pure "art", its more a multi format site that people use to spread stories, their own pictures, whether its photographic or otherwise, and get to meet one another.
i wouldnt worry about it really, DA is very unjust at times, i mean my account is fairly well spread and with a decent amount of watchers and my art is shit! while other artists who deserve the exposure seem to fall through the cracks.
plus, there is always one person who goes above their station and thinks they can tell other people what art is and they seem to think they can dictate what content is allowed through. if you think tickling pictures are not acceptable, then you should see some of the other stuff on that site...

Very well put. I agree with you and with what most people have said in this thread. I don't know if the proliferation of material that isn't really art (or at least good art) on DeviantArt is a good thing for that site. But considering the current state of things, I don't see how my pictures are any less appropriate than a fair percentage of the stuff found on DA. So I'll continue posting my work there until I have a more compelling reason to remove it.

Oddly enough, an issue that's been bothering me a bit more than the negative comments I've been getting has to do with people who clearly enjoy my work very much. People who are familiar with DA know that one can add another member's pictures to their list of "Favourites". It's like a photo gallery that features work from other people. One doesn't even have to ask permission to do so. I've no problem with people doing it with my pictures. It's quite flattering, actually. However, I'm not entirely comfortable when someone systematically adds pretty much all of my pics to their Favourites, or at least all the pictures that correspond to their personal tastes (like all the foot tickling pictures, for instance).

I mean, it's fine if they like my work, but my pictures can't ALL be their favorites, can they? If they want to collect my work, they're welcome to download it to their hard drive. That way they can access it as many times as they want. But why add everything to their DA accounts? One can easily visit my own DA site and see all of my pictures. They don't need to same gallery appearing on other DA accounts. Why do some people do that? Is there some kind of prestige that comes with collecting someone else's work like that? They do realize that it's not their own work, right?

To be fair, it's not really a problem. I don't think it hurts me. If I didn't want people to "favourite" my pictures all I'd have to do is change a setting to prevent it. But I don't intend to. It's just that I don't understand why someone would add all of my pictures to their account, like they're "appropriating" them in some way (without my permission, I might add). It's probably harmless, but I can't deny that it bugs me when I check my DA account, see that I got 40 new messages, only to find out that they're informing me that the same person favorited each and every one of the latest 40 pictures I added to my gallery. I often get such feedback messages less than a minute after adding a few pics. Oh well, at least they do it because they like my work. Can't be a bad thing, can it?

 

[asutickler]

Meh, the site has a "fetish" category, and it's named DEVIANTart. Pretty sure you're ok.

 

[BlackestLily]

However, I'm not entirely comfortable when someone systematically adds pretty much all of my pics to their Favourites, or at least all the pictures that correspond to their personal tastes (like all the foot tickling pictures, for instance).

I mean, it's fine if they like my work, but my pictures can't ALL be their favorites, can they? If they want to collect my work, they're welcome to download it to their hard drive. That way they can access it as many times as they want. But why add everything to their DA accounts? One can easily visit my own DA site and see all of my pictures. They don't need to same gallery appearing on other DA accounts. Why do some people do that? Is there some kind of prestige that comes with collecting someone else's work like that? They do realize that it's not their own work, right?

To be fair, it's not really a problem. I don't think it hurts me. If I didn't want people to "favourite" my pictures all I'd have to do is change a setting to prevent it. But I don't intend to. It's just that I don't understand why someone would add all of my pictures to their account, like they're "appropriating" them in some way (without my permission, I might add).

I think I can shed a little light on that. It's easier to have your wanking material in one area.

A lot of people who make accounts who do mass favs like that usually contribute nothing and have no icon, writing, or anything else. But if you look at their collection of things they have favorited, it's usually their fetish based loves. This way they don't have to go hunting and have a neat and perfect folder to hide from, say, a spouse. Log in, there it is, enjoy it, log out!

 

[The Last Laugh]

I think I can shed a little light on that. It's easier to have your wanking material in one area.

A lot of people who make accounts who do mass favs like that usually contribute nothing and have no icon, writing, or anything else. But if you look at their collection of things they have favorited, it's usually their fetish based loves. This way they don't have to go hunting and have a neat and perfect folder to hide from, say, a spouse. Log in, there it is, enjoy it, log out!

I guess it might be useful for keeping the material hidden away from curious eyes. But otherwise I don't understand why they don't just download everything to their hard drives. It seems so much more convenient to me. I mean, some of these compulsive favoriters must live in spouse and family-free homes, right?

Also, if I ever decide to close my DA account, won't my pictures be deleted from all the lists they've been added to?

It's ok if some prefer to use DeviantArt to store tons of pictures, including most or all of mine. There's no harm in that, I guess. It's just that it doesn't seem very convenient to me. I don't even have a "Favourite" gallery myself.