Past, present or future?

[raiindust]

Era-placeable? What do you miss from past icon community days? And what do you appreciate in the here & now

Sometimes I get very nostalgic for the icon days of old. I remember stumbling across theskilltester, and being both intimidated and in awe of everything that place represented. I remember participating in the Phuck Up the Oldies meme way back when, and

Comments

[naginis]

I miss the time when icontests were more popular. I remember when I used to mod basic_icontest, sometimes we'd get 50 entries, it was insane compared to now.

I also miss some makers who left LJ, or at least the icon-making part of LJ (born_butterfly, capelle, sarisafari, innocent_lexys, fare_lady, heartoutofstone, ohfreckle, xeyra, adina_mpj. Just to name a few).

And also the time where people commented on others icon posts more is a time I miss.

[spittingfish]

heartoutofstone hasn't so much left lj, I don't think. She's just very busy irl for the moment. She still talks about icons from time to time and her last post was only in December.

[accordion]

I miss the days when bright, colorful icons were enough. It seems there's more appreciation for or emphasis on complex or texture-heavy icons these days, which are stunning and I find very inspiring, but I also miss the simplicity of the bright icons that makers like mouthfullofdust, -jems-, and burymyregret (just to name a few) used to make.

[firstillusion]

I agree with this. A lot. :)

[blossombunny]

i miss eternalphoenix_ and mariarita....they had flawless stock icons

[blueymcphluey]

aw I'm really glad that theskilltester is remembered fondly. They were definitely some of my best days also :)

The thing I miss most is definitely the community. The way you could mutually learn from fellow iconmakers (either through memes or creating new friendships). I definitely see the trend of migrating to tumblr continuing as it gets bigger and more exciting on a daily basis, while livejournal gets worse with every news update, but I still haven't found another platform that provides the same kind of artistic symbiosis that livejournal used to have :(

I've come to a stage in the past couple of years where I've discovered that I've grown and evolved and while the icon community is a truly valued part of that growth, my priorities have changed and I don't see it being a big part of my future (aside from the occasional capchallenge to keep my Photoshop skills sharp ;))

[firstillusion]

my priorities have changed and I don't see it being a big part of my future
Even though I'm not in a creative atmosphere professionally the way you are, I feel the same/something similar.

[firstillusion]

I miss some of the trends, I miss the simplicity that accordion mentions. I miss some makers, but what I miss most is just the atmosphere of the people who were at their most active when I was. I feel as if the icon community has gotten sharper and harsher and... I can't explain this properly, but more self-centred? I have chosen to stay away from anon_icon, because I just don't believe in anonymity for myself. There is nothing I will say anonymous that I won't say under my own name. If it's something negative, I will find the words to say it respectfully. I personally find that we owe that to each other