destinysWalrus

Tumblr has just informed me of a lady who has detailed crochet patterns for making realistic flowers. Especially including roses.

I can't crochet. Suddenly I desperately want to learn. I've tried before; I don't expect to accomplish it. I know how to knit. I'm good at almost any other craft thing I've turned my hands to. But apparently it's a common thing that people who knit have trouble with crochet and people who crochet have trouble with knitting.

But. But guys. If I can do it. If I am clever enough - perhaps I can figure out how to mimic some of the fun multicolored roses I've photographed.

The challenge compels me. Shall I rise to it?

So, I don't really know how to respond when people thank me for faves?

Social interaction is awkward, and also, most of the time you're thanking me for a gesture that I performed in order to thank you.

See, it's been a while since I did any photomanipulations, so it's been a while since I've been deliberately searching for art (specifically stock) to look at. If I'm seeing new art, it's for one of three reasons:

1. I randomly saw it on the homepage when I opened DeviantArt, and thought it was cool.

2. I follow you, and one of the things that I got notified about is something I thought was cool.

3. ...see next paragraph.

The third reason is because you have recently favorited something that I posted, and thus made me aware of your existence. If you've appreciated a thing I made, or photographed, it only feels polite to go look at what you've made, or photographed. I especially make a point of trying to do this if I don't recognize the username.

Caveat: I don't always have time for this, but... oh well that's life.

It isn't an automatic "fave for a fave," I'm not doing this mechanically or as a transaction. I don't want anyone to feel like they've obliged me to do anything, or like the faves aren't honest, or like they are entitled to a fave because they faved something of mine. What happens when I notice people favoriting my art is that I go "oh hey that person exists, I wonder if they've made a cool thing?"

And then I go idly poking around the gallery. Sometimes I find something, sometimes I get distracted or tired or whatever, sometimes I find lots of things. And sometimes when I find things to favorite, the artists come back to my page and go "oh hey thanks" and I can't help but go "???" in my head - like, I thought I was thanking you? And you think you need to thank me for that? Okay then, I will respond politely but remain confused privately, in my head.

After all, if we're going to be in an endless cycle of something, thankfulness is one of the better ones!

Anyway, I've wanted to express this for a while but didn't know how. I still don't have any concrete conclusions but at least I've gotten the words out of my brain.

Okay I do have to admit that I'm fascinated by AI in general, so I'm not necessarily against the whole concept of AI-generated art. But I do want the results to be clear on "AI was used for this", I want all the training data to have come from people who gave permission for it to be used that way, I want ethics.

So honestly, if asked for permission? It isn't an automatic "no". It's a "please explain to me what you want, why you want it, and what you plan to use it for." And a "please give me some evidence that you respect rules/boundaries".

The same as if a human wants to use my stuff.

Unfortunately the evidence so far is that AI art generation things and the people producing them are not acting in accordance with those (should be very basic) requests. So I'm obliged to be grumpy at them and disapprove.

"The Rose is the flower of love - the world has acclaimed it so for centuries. The pink roses are love hopeful and expectant - the white roses are love dead or forsaken - but the red roses - ah, Leslie, what are the red roses?"

"Love triumphant," said Leslie, in a low voice.

(from Anne's House of Dreams, fourth-written and fifth-by-internal-timeline book of the Anne of Green Gables series)

(It is noted, a few paragraphs earlier, that Anne favors the pink roses, Gilbert the white, and Leslie the pink)

A collection of the identified roses that I've photographed, compiled into three journals. It would be one, but there's a whole bunch and DeviantArt probably won't let me fit them all into a single one.

For roses Abby's Angel through Deidre Hall, see here: Rose Varieties 1

For roses Diamond Eyes through Maurice Utrillo, see here: Rose Varieties 2

All these photos are stock, my rules for which can be found here: Stock Rules

Last updated: 1/12/23

Newest added variety: Sweet Mallie

Newest added photo: Sweet Mallie

Minnie Pearl

(miniature, pink blend)

Memphis Magic

(miniflora, dark red)

Memphis Music

(miniflora, red blend)

Millstone

(miniature, red blend)

Moonstone

(hybrid tea, white or white blend)

Morden Sunrise

(shrub, yellow blend)

Neil Diamond

(hybrid tea, pink blend)

Passionate Kisses

(hybrid tea, medium pink)

Paul Ecke, Jr.

(shrub, "orange" blend)

Pinnacle

(floribunda, red blend)

Peachy Cheeks

(floribunda, orange blend)

Princess Katelyn

(miniflora, pink blend)

Rabble Rouser

(shrub, deep yellow)

Red Intuition

(hybrid tea, red blend)

Rock & Roll

(grandiflora, red blend)

Rosie The Riveter

(floribunda, orange blend)

Shazam

(floribunda, pink w/light yellow blending)

Shirley's Bouquet

(hybrid tea, white or white blend)

Stainless Steel

(hybrid tea, mauve or mauve blend)

Sweet Mallie

(miniature, yellow blend)

Sweet Revenge

(miniature, orange blend)

Tranquility

(shrub, light pink)

Tournament of Roses

(grandiflora, light pink)

Victorian Spice

(floribunda, medium pink)

Watercolors Home Run

(shrub, "yellow" blend)

The Wedgewood Rose

(shrub, medium pink)

Whisper

(most likely hybrid tea, white)

White Licorice

(floribunda, light yellow)

Yabba Dabba Doo

(shrub, pink blend)