In many cases, the most astounding discoveries of individual and collaborated talent are stumbled upon through the cyber by the general public. From here, the interconnectivity of the virtual databases allows for the discovery of these talents by more and more people, daily, on a global scale. In the case of YouTube, aspiring vocalists, musicians, comedians, dancers and athletes display their videos in an effort to get their name out, to be exposed. In parallel, deviantART allows for the display of original art as well as provide entertainment and inspiration for viewers and other artists, as well. It is ultimately, “the largest online social network for artists and art enthusiasts,”[1] with a continuously growing number of members. The website, formatted in a quasi-gallery style, provides an immense catalog of categories spanning from Digital Art, Photography and Animation to Artisan Crafts, Scraps and Doodles. Sure, in a general sense it is easy to quickly scroll and file through the submissions; however, with attention to detail and a certain appreciation, an artist’s progress can be well mapped – an added specificity which can influence the audience on a more psychological level. In a way, deviantART refrains from degrading the quality of art’s aura as the increase in talent only fuels other inspiring works, continuously building on its ever changing foundations.
In addition to an individual’s viewing pleasure, deviantART provides the artist with the option of selling their original work for profit; an ideal way to distribute their work in a more tangible form. Though this, artists can build relations with the online community outside the cyber. Similar to many social networks, the website allows for in-text personality building though the available “deviant” information on individual member profiles, the sharing of activities to other social networks, and the ability to comment and have subscribers. Even though deviantART is considered a social network, the intentions for its availability seem to remain well intact – sharing creativity in endless forms of art mediums bounded by individual inspiration.
I like how you make it parallel YouTube and DeviantArt. Those websites does offer a place for amateur artists and possibility to be exposed as you mention. I agree that these are good examples showing how people who create works of art make use of cyberspace. I think it would be interesting to explore if there are artworks whose medium are specifically YouTube Video or DeviantArt.
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