[Shadowflight13]

hello friends and followers. i have a small announcement to make. if you don't want/need the full context you can just read the tl;dr! the main text does turn into a bit of a vent, so fair warning! I don't want anyone to read any emotional stuff they aren't equipped for right now. <3

tl;dr: taking a hiatus from the social side of CS. still posting art and adopts. discord is the best way to reach me (Shadowflight13#6850).

so basically, I am taking a sort-of hiatus from CS. my mental health has been very, very bad lately. and honestly? it still is. it is a struggle for me just to keep going each day and a lot of the stuff on CS isn't helping. particularly, the social side of things. I've noticed a change in myself the last few months that I just absolutely despise. I've been constantly comparing myself to other people here, everything from art to popularity to who has more friends than I do. it's honestly very ridiculous of me. I've been so jealous and angry and I hate myself for that. logically, consciously, I am happy for people who have friends and groups to belong to and really awesome art that gets a lot of attention!! but that little voice in the back of my head just won't shut up and I'm afraid it's going to start hurting my relationships, friendships that I don't want to lose.

so I'm making the decision to take a step back. this means I will no longer be responding to every comment i get on my art. I'm sorry, I know people like to know their compliments are appreciated and it's really nice to be noticed by an artist you like! but i just can't keep up this pace. it's drawing too much of my attention to how many comments i get, instead of focusing on how nice people are to me.

it also means I won't be forcing myself to comment on every single art piece made by every single one of my friends. I'm sure you guys have noticed a lapse lately, and I'm really really sorry about that. one of the things I took pride in about myself was my ability to always be positive and supportive for my friends. but it's starting to feel really tiring and just. hard to produce the kind of energy and enthusiasm you guys deserve. I'm sorry I can't be your cheerleader right now, guys. I'm really, really sorry. please don't take this to mean that I suddenly don't like your art, or worse, that I don't like you!! i do, I promise, I promise I do! I just can't keep it up right now. love you guys <3

of course, this doesn't mean i won't respond to any comments on my art, or not comment on anyone's art! i likely still will, in moments that I'm doing better. it just won't be consistent, and I don't want anyone feeling left out or offended if I happen to comment on one person's art more than another, or respond to someone's comments more often than others. more likely than not, it just comes down to timing and how I'm feeling at that moment, how much energy i can muster.

I will also still be posting adopts regularly! so if you're in varis or fauns, don't worry about that! i will still be very active in both species. normal art will also continue to be posted regularly, though I'm sorry if a lot of it is vent art. just the way things are gonna be for a while I guess.

all of that said, my activity on CS in general is likely going to drop quite a bit. probably won't be checking trades, other than for art stuff. I'll still check pms, but it won't be very consistently. so the best way to get a hold of me for anything is through discord! My discord is Shadowflight13#6850 and my dms are always open!

I could always use more friends, so if you're lonely and/or just want to keep interacting with me regularly, I encourage you to reach out on discord!! if you're like me and don't know how to start a conversation, feel free to ask me about my characters or my stories or whatever, I love love love talking about my characters and I promise I won't put any of this emotional stuff on you heh.

if you're already talking to me on discord/in a server with me, you have nothing to worry about on that front. I'm not abandoning you guys, promise.

anyways, that was a lot. sorry about that. I'm kind of nervous to post this at all but I feel it would be worse to just stop interacting with people on here with no explanation, so here goes nothing i guess.

tl;dr: taking a hiatus from the social side of CS. still posting art and adopts. discord is the best way to reach me (Shadowflight13#6850).

[TheSongOfTheStars]

Oh Shadow I hope you feel better and that thinks balance out for you.
I had noticed that you seemed quiet but you'd been drawing a lot earlier in the month for artfight so I just thought it was burnout.
I know it can be super, super rough when you're pushing yourself to be there for your friends and be the listening ear, especially when no one else listens back. If you ever need to talk or just want to chat to take your mind off things then you know my discord and my dms are open
<3

[gardog]

I feel ya. As someone who constantly deals with social anxiety, it feels horrible to not respond to people who comment or to go on a social media platform with intentions to post something, only to second-guess yourself the moment you get there and shy away. I get it. Although, as someone who's been pretty much quiet their entire life, I suppose I'm sort of used to it... I can see why some people wouldn't be, though, and see it as something wrong with them.

There's nothing wrong with you or anyone else who may be feeling this way. Humans are complicated creatures; we crave attention but, at the same time, shy away when we are given too much of it. Everyone needs a break from society every once in a while, don't worry. You're not alone <3

By the way, when I was posting in your server earlier on discord, that was the most I had spoken to basically strangers in years, besides art-related things, of course. You can say that snapping turtle was my motivation to post something ^^

Baby steps c:

[Bluepup429]

No worries, I 1000% get how you are feeling and everything. :"0 Hope you feel better soon<3

[SurgeFire]

i get and understand you shadow; i don’t have a big response since i’m not good with words, but i’m here for ya. i hope things get better!

[Loelya]

really hope you get to feeling better! its good that you're taking whatever steps you need to get to a better place <3

[Lucikan]

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been struggling Shadow, and I hope you feel better, your self care comes first and foremost. Everyone needs a break sometimes to take a breather.

If ya ever need to talk about anything I'm here for you! Sending you the best of wishes <3

[pipsnseeds]

I'm so sorry to hear about this, you're an amazing artist and I'm usually comparing myself to you more than anything else. I really want to be able to draw like you someday, thank you so much for putting something nice in my cs feed every day. No pressure, your mental health should always come first! Wish you the best in future and I hope life works out for you c: