Update:
When I announced that I was leaving dA, a lot of people asked me to keep them informed of how my new projects were progressing. It's been a while, but I haven't forgotten about you, things have just been hectic.
The organization is up and running, better than expected and ahead of schedule. We will be making an official announcement and going public towards the end of the first quarter of 2006, although work has already begun.
We've spent the better part of a year now planning and laying the groundworks, and now it's all looking to pay off for us. Proper preparation, planning, resources and foresight are after all the key to any successful venture.
Our first three offices are now up and running on three different continents, and that is just the beginning. In advance of our public announcement, I will be setting up a blog, to faciliate communication and interaction with everybody who has shown an interest in our work. I'll be using this blog to divulge and discuss our projects in detail, along with the philosophy, motivation and inspiration behind them. And before you ask, an RSS feed will be available, I'm on it!
I realize that I have so far been rather vague about the exact nature of our work, and I have had my reasons. I'm the kind of person that likes to let his work speak for itself. Just think communities, education, health, art and social values; on a scale and in a manner never attempted before!
So on that note, sometime in February this coming year ill post a link here to the aforementioned blog, and all will be revealed!
Until then,
Saq
PS: Please keep in mind that I don't check for messages here frequently, if at all. If you want to contact me for any reason, email me. It might take me a while to get back to you, but I assure you that I read every email I get.
I'm afraid that the time has come for me to say farewell to dA.I wish I could tell you that it saddens me... but it doesn't. If anything I am relieved. This has been a very long time coming.
My reasons for leaving are many and varied. I am a person with strong principles and I do not agree or approve of the direction in which I see dA headed. I understand that dA needs to develop and adapt as it grows, but for me the cost is too great. The focus has been lost or best misplaced. Or maybe I mistook what dA was meant to be all about.
I am not one to quit easily, and believe in trying to work towards improving things rather just complaining and walking away. I have spent the better part of a year now, trying to bring about positive change on dA, and at every turn I have run into brick walls. Despite all of this, me and others I have worked with have managed to accomplish a lot, and set an example for others as to what is possible.
Then why am I leaving now you ask? Simply because I see no point in putting any more time or effort into a 'community' that seems headed nowhere.... at least no where I'd like to see it go. I am tired of spending months trying to achieve things that should be possible to do overnight in the right environment. I believe in working hard and getting things done..... and I'd much rather spend the same time and effort in places where I can make a bigger difference. You could say that I am moving on to bigger and better things.
My vision was for an online art community that actually promoted serious art and upcoming artists, where the focus was on learning and teaching other, and that's just the beginning. I honestly don't feel any of those apply to dA.... and no matter what might be planned for it for the future, to me the path that takes it there is just as important.
I'm an idealist, and in the end I have to be true to myself. Looking the other way, ignoring the flaws and being apathetic in general is not my way of life. If you can take something positive out of your dA experience, more power to you. I wish all of you and dA all the best in the future, I really do.
As far as the live tutorials go.... I leave it up to the rest of the
#photography team to decide whether they want to continue or not, as it honestly is a lot of work which seems more and more pointless every day. If they do decide to continue, I will do whatever I can to help them for the next tutorial or two until they are ready to stand on their own feet.
I have made some great friends during my time on dA..... you know who you are, and I do hope that we will be able to keep in touch. You might see me in the chatrooms from time to time, but that will be the extent of my activity on dA.
Part of the reason for the timing of it all, is that my life has reached an interesting juncture. I've been given an incredible opportunity that I plan to take full advantage of, I guess you could call it a new job. I am a strong believer in the idea of a community, and giving something back to society.... and I look around me and see a society that needs change from its very basic social fabric, to our way of thinking, to our educational systems. Mind you, it's the global community that I talk about now. Along those lines.......
I will be working with a group of people dedicated and committed to starting a positive revolution, and hopefully influencing how we relate to each other. Our primary foci will be education in both the third world countries and the western world, facilitating global access to health facilities, social and community welfare programs, and promoting art on a global scale.
So while this is goodbye as far as dA is concerned.....
you can count on the fact that this is not the last you have heard of me as far as my efforts to promote art and help fellow artists on the internet are concerned. It might be some time coming, as I strongly believe in good and thorough planning and preparation, but you can count on the fact that you will hear about it when the time comes.... whether you want to or not.
Once again, I wish all of you the best with both your personal lives and your art. I honestly harbor no ill-will towards anyone on dA, or even dA itself. It's simply time for our paths to diverge. My leaving..... it is no big deal really. I know that it's only a matter of time before I am forgotten, it's only natural. I can only hope that the kind of community spirit I tried to promote, will still linger on.
Saq