On the 5th of May at Noon PST a selection of our artists will be participating in a multi-stream event featuring the community member BestSammy. This is a voluntary tribute stream. The artists participating are individually electing to chip in to this communal gift. What originally began back in the Fall as a two person idea has blossomed into sixteen artists signing on to take turns streaming their gifts. As such, the number of participants may still increase in the coming days.
More often than not, artists share the same commissioners. We call these ‘regulars’. Sammy is one such regular, and many on staff have done work for BestSammy.
Regulars are the backbone for the art community at large, too. Without routine commissions not only would TCP artists be struggling to make ends meet, the entire community as a whole would suffer. Regardless of the subjects and themes contained within a piece, regardless of whether the characters depicted are crowdpleasers or have limited niche appeal, everyone (viewers and artists alike) benefits from every single commission produced.
Without regulars the quality and quantity of art we see on a daily basis whilst browsing would be greatly reduced. Without regulars gallery purges would be more frequent. Without regulars artists wouldn’t (as frequently) think outside the box, streamline their processes, and seek ways to work smarter (not just harder).
Regulars provide the community stability.
Each regular an artists shares with another artist forces them to buckle down and hold themselves to a higher standard; much more than they would if gone unpaid and permanently left to their own devices. Because regulars also breed friendly competition!
But this tribute is more than just a display of appreciation toward one of our most generous and dependable regulars; it’s a show of solidarity. It’s a celebration of experience.
We, as artists, also identify with our most prolific regulars.
Art is fantasy fulfillment. It’s the safest form of escapism–in theory. And every single artist can relate to being ostracized, analyzed, pedestaled and pigeon-holed just for actualizing what they desire. Artists pick up the pen because they have needs, commissioners become regulars because they have needs, and viewers keep their eyes fixed to the screen (searching, waiting) because they hope to find their needs met, too.
The unwanted, unintentional spotlight Sammy receives for buying what they need is the one we artists can’t escape, either. Perpetually.
So, comrades, please join us on May 5th at Noon PST for Drinks, Drawing, Diapers, and Cinco de Sammy.
We hope to do more events like this in the future!
