Community Relations Roundtable: Being a CV

Who are you? What do you do outside of DeviantArt, and what kind of art do you make?

Off DeviantArt, I'm just your average girl trying to balance everything I've got on my plate (I seem to thrive on creating work for myself). For a living, I work M-F in my family's construction business answering phones, doing secretarial work, and providing tech support throughout the day. Photography is my hobby/obsession and I mainly concentrate on portrait and fashion photography. Since my job takes up most of my week, I tend to schedule my photo shoots on the weekends, while editing time is relegated to weekdays after work. Besides work and art, I also love gardening and plants in general as well as experimenting with cooking. I'm also currently obsessed with iced coffee (I'm not sure why that's important, but I figured I should throw it in). I have a tendency to throw myself into everything I do with a full heart and passion for learning and researching everything I can about the subject at hand (example, instead of buying 1 or 2 flavors of coffee syrup, I bought 6.

I'm still Tanya. For work, I run online communications for a local art performance charity and the fire festivals we host in Edinburgh. Best job ever, especially cause social media has been an obsession of mine since social media became a thing. I still do a bit of photography for private clients too, although for inconvenient but unavoidable health reasons it's no longer something I would refer to as my job. I'm fine with that though cause after running a photography business and studio for a few years, it's nice to do other things. I also write, sometimes for work and often just because I need to. Work-photography bleeds into recreational photography, work-writing bleeds into recreational writing. I don't really have a clear boundary between art and life. It's all one big, creative melty thing and I've never been great with boundaries anyway. Outside of art stuff, I'm many things including a part-time forensic psychology student, a volunteer charity trustee, a practising pagan, a vegan junkfood aficionado, and one of those weirdos who hangs out on beaches spinning fire at 3am.

Off of DeviantArt, I am a student. I just received my Bachelor's as a double major in International Studies and History with a minor in Political Science. I am now beginning a Master's program in International Security at Sciences Po in Paris. Aside from that, I'm a portrait photographer, I usually do either fashion, horror & macabre or other types of portraits. Little known fact is that I also paint, just far less frequently. I also wrote a book, I just haven't touched it in years.

Off DeviantArt, I'm a college student and researcher. I currently work in a lab describing new species of wasps for biocontrol.  All the jobs I've had usually involve death and destruction for insects and /or plants. I also work as an outreach coordinator at an insect collection giving tours to people. I really, really love entomology and the other CVs when I first started referred to me as "Bug Erin".  On DeviantArt, I post a ton of stock images, but my background is in traditional art and some photography (insect photography surprise surprise).

Off DeviantArt, I am a GIS intern/tech for the City of Lansing Public Service Department. Basically, I assist in asset management for several different areas and departments for the City, mapping out where things are, what they are, and other attributes associated with them. When I'm not at work I'm into a large variety of things. I blacksmith, write as the mood takes me, photography, brew... I like to keep busy.

Crazy cat lady, foodie, music/tv series/book junkie, coffee addict level Lorelai Gilmore. Student but switching my major. Mainly abstract digital art & photography, I also occasionally branch out to drawing, painting, collaging, writing, composing music and cooking (which I do consider an art).

I'm a flower shop owner/head designer with a background in accounting and marketing, and manage the business end of a somewhat artsy web startup on the side. Apart from floral design I am a published poet and photographer and have worked as a staff photographer for floral-related businesses. I also paint but let's act like I didn't just admit to that.

I run a small janitorial company and spend my time cleaning. When I try to make art it is  usually photography related or more recently writing stories.

Off DA? What is that even? Ha, I kid. I work full time as a bank supervisor with a degree in environmental geosciences, neither of which are artistic at all. An exception could be when I am coloring in referral boards for fun. I am an occasional photographer-for-hire on the weekends but photography is mainly just a fun pastime. Writing as well, though that rarely reaches my DA gallery.

I'm exactly the same person. Legit. I make art for a living and that art is beaded dresses, cross-stitch patterns, and I'm training to be a seamstress.

I am Ironman! ...ok not really.  I am mostly plain old me.  I go by Kim or Pixl on and off dA.  I attend local fur meets on a regular basis and badger the hubby into attending more of them because they are fun. Art wise I draw mostly furries or anthro characters and fantasy type art.  Mostly digital but have been attempting to get back into some of the traditional aspects. I work in a photolab which has changed from developing film into teaching people how to print their selfies off their phones.

In the offline world, I am a customer service rep for Service Ontario, which means I process forms and phone people, mostly.  It's dull but the government pays REALLY well so I'm there to stay. Art-wise I don't do much these days.  I have tendinitis in both of my hands and that limits me a hell of a lot.  In the past I have done all of the following: drawing (digital, traditional, mostly anime style), pixel art, digital dolls, modeling, writing (poetry and prose (fiction mostly), sewing and I worked for a summer as a sculptor's assistant.  I have recently been more serious about pursuing sewing through cosplay as sewing hurts my hands the least.  I just really like creating and seeing what others create

Aspiring landscape architect, full-time dreamer, geek, and cat fanatic. Mostly focused on Digital Fan Art (Elder Scrolls, Zelda,...), I also dabble in Pixel Art, Traditional Drawing, Photography, and Literature.

I work in a car factory 40 minutes away from home. I've been there for 14 years now.

Being a scientist, off DeviantArt I have no connection to art at all. It's sometimes funny when I discuss art related topics with people in real life, and at some point they are like "how would you know about it anyway?" People don't expect of me to have a creative outlet.

I'm a froggy 38 yo man from France, serial traveller and having spent more time out of France up to now. I'm a miner. I actually still play like when i was a child in a sandbox, but with bigger toys I actually mined out ore for gold, aluminium and bauxite. I run out now mines and hundreds of workers. I am a perpetual self learner about photography. I have a special touch and feeling with street photog... I love People. I love Situations. I love all which is related to candid situations. I love to be silently not visible but so present

Off DeviantArt I write, I photograph and I draw (but you're never gonna see that, mwahaha). I supervise the International Support department for a company that sells stuff around the world.

I am a perpetual student, I just finished my masters and I hope to begin my PhD really soon. I make a living out of being a student, working in a laboratory and learning how to be a researcher. I mainly make polymer clay art: jewelry, miniatures, some sculptures, and other stuff. Sometimes I also make other crafts.

Off DeviantArt, I’m a conceptual illustrator for a research laboratory.  I make drawings of things that don’t exist yet but might someday.  It’s a fun gig but I can’t talk about it publicly since most of the work we do is sensitive.

What led you to want to be a CV initially? What makes you enjoy being a CV now that you are one?

I actually didn't even think about becoming a CV until another CV, Mrs-Durden, mentioned the idea to me.  Once she mentioned it, I started really becoming attached to the idea.  I've always loved doing features of other artists' work on DeviantArt, so being on a platform that I could make a bigger difference with what I choose to feature was a huge deal to me.  And it has been wonderfully rewarding, I love discovering new artists and featuring them whether it be through DDs or through one of my journal feature series. I also love working with other people that have the same passionate outlook about art, the whole team is amazing and keeping in contact with them is frequently a bright spot in what is often a boring or normal day.

This feels like such a cliche but it's true - I have a lot of love for the DA community, I've found a lot of support and encouragement here, and I wanted to dedicate more time and energy to facilitating that experience for other artists. That's what I enjoyed about being a CV at the beginning and it's still what I enjoy and what motivates me. I've been in and out of the Community Relations team a few times over the last decade, as time has allowed for it, and I love being part of this community within a community.

I'm not exactly sure why I wanted to become a CV. It feels like it was forever ago. I suppose that I wanted to take the "next" step in terms of serving the community. I felt I was doing a lot already, and that to do more I needed the privileges given to CVs. I also always envied how close the CVs seemed to be, and wanted to be a part of something like that I think. What do I enjoy now? The community, as always. The amazing photographers I have come across and the incredible connections I have made, make it all worth it.

So funny story....I hadn't really be interested in doing the whole CV stuff untill the previous stock CVs, Elandria and PirateLotus-Stock reached out to me and said, "hey have you ever considered being a CV?" and then I was like, "No....buuuuut maybe now I am?". I guess being asked kinda sparked an curiousity about what the hell CVs actually do because I didn't really know beyond set daily deviations. I think the best part is HOLDING THE POWEEEER to set daily deviations. That's what makes me enjoy being a CV because I love sharing cool stuff with the whole community. I want people to find stock and use it and there's so many amazing things out there.

Honestly, the first time around as an MN@, I didn't have any active interest in being a volunteer. Tachy-on approached me out of the blue, asked me, and I decided oh well, what the hell. When I came back as a Chat and Forum CV, a part of it was I genuinely missed helping chatters out on dAmn. I missed being a part of something pretty sweet, and I enjoy helping people.

PirateLotus-Stock, Elandria and CelticStrm-Stock inspired me through the phenomenal work they were and still are doing. I've only been doing this for a little over a week but so far I really enjoy getting to know our team which is basically art nerds of the very best kind! Also picking DDs and getting suggestions is fun

Ten years ago I wanted to be a volunteer for the status and the social aspect of the team. fourteenthstar and moonbeam13 were like "noooope" to my dozen or so applications, which I completely deserved at the time. Then when I did become a volunteer a few years later, I wanted to unite the various photography galleries/communities into an official hub using the @groups platform - an idea that years later developed into CRPhotography under the guidance of my successors. This term, honestly, I just wanted to give DDs to the great work I was featuring in my journal already. I enjoy getting the opportunities to lead initiatives like Project Educate and various gallery restructures over the years, and especially enjoy featuring artists for DDs. Getting to share the love and attention of the community with deserving users is the best perk, hands down.

I spent way too much time in chats and I have been friends with a lot of people who ended up being volunteers. I had an idea of what I was getting into, moderated chats in the past and wanted to help out the people I talked to everyday and the new people I would meet. Now that I am one I have had a lot of fun doing things with the community either just having fun joking around or doing events and challenges. Seeing what people come up with based on whatever challenge I come up with has been very interesting.

I enjoy being part of a team and the idea of working with other like-minded deviants from the community was very appealing to me. Some other appealing factors were getting to work on community projects (on what seemed to be a "bigger" scale than what I could do on my own) and having the chance to moderate chats (#devart, really) that I hung around in often. The teamwork and moderating is basically what I expected it to be, so no big surprises since I became a CV. It's been fun so far!

DA has meant so much to me over the years and I just really wanted to give back.  I love this website.  It is my home in every sense of the world and I have met a lot of fantastic people that I cannot imagine living without now.  Now that I am a CV I love doing little things that make someone in the community happy; a DD here, a feature there, a contest, etc.  I also love doing behind the scenes projects but it's been a while since I've worked on any of those (i just love knowing how things work!)

The extravagant hats we got to wear. But since we were stripped of that privilege between my first and current term I'd have to say the sensation of fulfilment you get from knowing you made someone's day by giving them a helping hand, pointing them in the right direction, getting them out of a tight spot, or putting their art into a particularly bright spotlight. You know, all the good stuff. Seriously, there's hardly anything so wonderful as a heartfelt 'thank you'.

Actually I didn't want to be for a long time because I thoughta lot of work and responsibility came with the role. In the past I would have rather used my time to create art than waste it in forums and chatrooms. X) I was afraid I wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations of the community, which can ruin the fun of it real quick. However, after so many years as a member on DA I felt like I wanted to do more than just show my own art here. Over the years I started to enjoy organizing events more and more, so I decided it would be cool to take some more responsibility. I've learned that being a CV is actually not at all what I expected. I did expect way more criticism of people not being happy with my DD selections, or other complaints that I don't do a proper job. But it has been nothing like that. I got only positive feedback so far and that's amazing. Makes the role so much more fun.

Wanting to do more for the community, and thinking I had an actual shot at being a CV. I was one of those classic people whose dream is being a CV for years before I actually got to be one. I enjoy it because setting DDs and making unknown people happy is the best feeling. It's hard to find Lit DDs sometimes, but the reward of knowing you gave un unknown soul 24 hours of spotlight is priceless! Especially for Lit, that contrary to visual art, takes more time to appreciate. (:

I really like the Artisan Crafts community, the people are very kind, affectionate, positive, passionate and generous. I wanted to get more involved in this community, feature the best aspects of it and make it stand out. Sadly it's a gallery that receives very little attention from non-crafters, so it has always been my goal to make crafts more noticeable. I really enjoy being a CV, I get very happy someone tells me they got a lot of faves or feedback in their work, met new crafters or learned a new technique.

So much of my artistic growth has been shaped by the DA community and I felt like it was time for me to give back to everyone who has given me so much.  The biggest joy I have as a CV, is being a steward for positive interaction and having the ability to foster new engagement for growing artists.

How much time/what percentage of your time on DA do you spend doing "CV-specific" things?

It really depends on the day! My biggest responsibility as a CV is setting DDs, and I usually spend 15-20 minutes per day browsing the newest fashion photography uploaded.  Depending on the day and the photographs that have been uploaded, I might also spend some time scheduling DDs and writing up descriptions for them. Fashion photography is a pretty small category on DeviantArt, so I don't have a ton of work to look through and I don't get as many suggestion notes as you might think. I usually spend a ton of time on DeviantArt doing lots of other things that I wouldn't consider CV-specific though (like if you don't see that I'm active on DeviantArt every hour or two, I might be dead).  I have two weekly feature series  and I also do editing for projecteducate articles.  Besides that, I obviously spend time browsing art on the site (I suppose this could relate to being a CV but I would still be browsing regardless), interacting with my watchers by replying to comments etc, and uploading new art into my gallery. In my experience, being a CV is more based around the amount of time you can and/or want to put into the day, rather than set-duties.  While I have lighter duties, CVs for huge categories like fan art or digital art don't get it as easy as me

It depends on the day. I really don't know. Sometimes it's literally just CV-specific things but other days I'll spend hours looking at art, reading journals and generally drifting about DA enjoying the stuff everyone else creates. I would miss that side of things too much if I didn't make time for it.

How much time I spend on DA doing CV things depends entirely on what is going on in real life. When I'm a full-time student, ironically enough, I spend the most time on DA. I don't have time to shoot and do most of my other hobbies when I'm fully invested in my studies, so that leaves DA as the perfect procrastination place. In times like that I can spend up to 5 hours per day doing CV things. Right now since I'm on vacation and doing lots of shoots, working out, going out a lot etc, I don't spend much time on DA at all. Maybe half an hour per day doing CV things. Minus times like the other day when I was on DA for +24 hours almost non stop sorting stuff out for "I Challenge You".

Pfft maybe like 30% of the time? Out of the 7 hours a week I spend on DeviantArt, maybe 2 are for cv stuff. The rest is just reading messages and looking at art. I write an feature and pick a few dds and then return to regular content.

I usually spend a few hours in the evenings online in some capacity.

To be quite honest, I've been spending a loooot of free time on DA already before becoming a CV. Not a lot has changed thus far. Can't say what percentage 'cause I'm still figuring things out

Very little, to be honest. Most of what I do is stuff I already did - browse, network, chat, collect, curate, admin my groups. My CV role is more incidental and on the fringes of my regular use: If I find a really good piece I give it a DD. If I am in devart and someone links porn I ban them. If someone alerts me to something I can help with I deal with it; if I can't help I tell them where to go to get the help they need. I am on DA for a couple hours a day, and maybe ten minutes of that at the most is spent doing things only a CVv can do.

Probably 50 percent of my time is CV related, either switching between moderating chats and forums or helping out fellow CVs with projects or something they are working on. The rest of the time I am checking messages or maybe joking around on chats or forums.

I'm honestly doing a lot of the same things that I did when I was not a CV, so I'm spending a similar amount of time on DA. But these "same" activities include 2-3 journal features per week, running 1 or 2 contests per month, moderating chats every evening, and other things here and there. The biggest difference is selecting Daily Deviations and this part does add significant DA time during the week. Are we looking for actual, numerical guesses? Fine. Searching for DDs is probably 25%, moderating chats/forums and putting journal blogs together is probably 50%, and the remaining 25% is me being a complete spazz and posting nonsense polls and status updates to keep the masses entertained. You're welcome.

My internet is real slow (an ungodly 15 Kb/s) so my CV time is disproportionate because of that. If I'm getting regular DD suggestions then I spend probably an hour loading notes and checking the artwork. If I'm picking out DDs on my own (via gallery browsing) I've timed myself spending a decent six hours at it in a single sitting.

An hour or so a day, mostly checking DD suggestions and looking for more amazing art in the galleries.

It varies from day to day; some days it's 95% of my time on DA (usually my DD setting days or if I'm helping with contests/events) and others it's 10%.  It depends a lot on what's going on on-site and balancing my other responsibilities.

60 - 80%? Depends strongly on how active I am concerning my own art. Right now, thanks to a long-term art block, most of my time on DA goes into CV-related activities.

Most of the time I spend on DA is dedicated to search for pictures to feature as DD, and at the same time I search for undiscovered talents to feature in my Spotlights.

Well, to be fair, nothing is really non-CV-specific anymore. As before I spend my time answering comments, browsing art, doing stuff in groups, but whenever I browse and look at art, the first thing I check is whether it could be a potential DD lol. In all the groups I'm part of I took over more responsibilities, so I have to make sure that submissions are voted on, the blog is running properly and continuously, and that the group appears active in general. People expect me to show presence as a CV, so I basically try to be around everywhere and show myself. In the past I sometimes took weeks to reply to comments, nowadays I try to avoid that, but I cannot really make any promises.  At least I managed to keep creating art regularly during the past year. I try to force myself to publish at least one art piece per month. I'm a tiny bit behind right now, but it's more than I expected before becoming a CV. I must admit that the constant browsing is draining my inspiration though. It has become a lot harder to come up with a decent idea for new artworks.

When my life doesn't eat me up, I spend 3 hrs per day on average on DA... Between groups, answers, fans, fans and fans (mwuhahahhahaha... Actually just kidding as i'm not that kind of CV like brennennn or isthisthingstillon or Talty who, whatever they do, will make gold and being so adored )

All of it. My main Lit group, theWrittenRevolution, is being babysat by a group of gentle souls right now. I don't have much free time, so all my time is devoted to being a CV because that's what I signed up for and what people deserve. (:

Probably around 80% of the time, I try to browse the Artisan Crafts gallery every day but that's something I did before anyway.

I spend about anywhere between 1-2 hours a day on DA doing just CV things.  I spend the most amount of time on DA when it’s a day where I’m creating a feature for my category.

Is your experience of DeviantArt different as a CV than it was as a regular user, and if so, how? Does being a CV impact your artistic life?

I definitely think it has impacted my experience on DeviantArt in a positive way.  I've always been very enthusiastic about posting on DeviantArt, but I think being a CV has given me more purpose to what I'm doing on the site. I've also come across so many new artists that I might never have before, and I hope the people that pay attention to the DDs feel the same way when they see the features for the day. I wouldn't necessarily say it has impacted my artistic life other than often being inspired by the artists I feature though, because I have always been enthusiastic and excited to create and post new art.

It's important to me as a CV to still be a deviant. All the things I love about DA don't vanish with the extra responsibilities. They're just more things to do in a place that I'm happy to be in. I still submit art, post journals, enjoy other people's creations, keep up to date with what my friends are doing, all of that. I don't think being a CV has really impacted my artistic life. I still spend about the same amount of time taking photos as I did before and I don't think that changes because of anything other than work or university being extra busy at certain times of year. I think the only thing that's really different between being a regular user and a CV is that when I was a regular user, people didn't go out of their way to pick fights with me because they're annoyed about some aspect of DA that has nothing to do with me. It doesn't happen very often even now, but I occasionally find myself mid-conversation with someone and realise that they actually just wanted to take their annoyance about some corporate level decision out on someone. It's the way things go though. Sometimes people are just looking for someone to yell at because they're frustrated and it doesn't matter that the person they're yelling at can't fix the thing that's frustrating them. I give as much information as I can and I'm always polite and do my best to understand where people are coming from. Sometimes people get that, sometimes they don't, but I've gotten better at recognising the point where I can't actually do any more to help.

Being a CV makes me see DA in a different way a lot of the time. I feel like I understand the struggles CVs and staff go through a lot better (staff only to the extent of what I hear through the team, obviously, since being a CV is nothing like being a staff member). I also am more critical now of the angered journals about DA that get posted. I used to post similar journals and make similar complaints as are made today, but now, as a CV, I understand why things are the way they are a lot better, and I understand that finger-pointing and anger does no good. I obviously have more privileges as a CV on DA so that of course adds some fun. And I have the added perk of having a whole team of people to rant and rave with. Being a CV hasn't really influenced my art, however, other than for the fact that I have great talented artists on the CV team with me to consult about things.

It's not all that different except that I can set dds. I basically have the same experience lol. Honestly I don't see where being a CV has really impacted my artistic life since I'm a lazy blob and don't draw as often as I should.

I barely even remember, but from what I do, not much has changed. There are certain responsibilities I have now, but it's not changed how I use the chats, forums, or the site in general.

Yes it is but not as much as I would have thought. If anything, I draw inspiration from the experience. And I get in touch with a lot more artists which is always a perk!

My experience of DA isn't much different. When I became a volunteer most of the team were already my friends, and the two managers at the time were two of my best friends - so I didn't find the social end of my site experience different. I also didn't find the "admin" end of it very new since I had been involved with a few projects before volunteering that introduced me to the more business-y end of the site. People interacted a bit differently with me (lots of people were suddenly either my famewhoring new best friends or thought I had sold out) but that passed in a couple weeks. Since being a GM for the first time I have to admit I approach the site differently now - it can be hard for me to take off that customer service/marketing/market research hat that volunteers here wear, even when I am a senior member. I also think more carefully about the fights I pick and how I interact with other users. Sometimes. When the other user is lucky. Being a volunteer in no way impacts my artistic life. When I am on DA, volunteer or not, I am surrounded by good artists making good work. That is inspiring to me. DA makes me more productive as an artist, and being a volunteer doesn't change that productivity in one direction or the other.

It has been different as a CV, I have posted more journals as a CV than I have my entire time as a CV and I am far more involved that I was before and more people come to talk to me about their issues. As a regular users there were times I could vanish or be a lot less active.I think being a CV has impacted my artistic life, I spend more time thinking more critically about what I do and how I would do things because I end up having a lot more in depth conversations about art on a more regular basis because of the people I interact with everyday and they things they deal with personally and on DA. They also encourage me or just yell at me to make more of my ideas for art actually into art.

Being a CV makes the DeviantArt experience a bit different, absolutely. People come to you with questions and the expectation that you're on the same level as staff, which you're not. Sometimes it's a question you can answer, other times no. I look at my actions on DA with a more critical eye than I did before I was a CV. I get the chance to do administrative tasks that I didn't before, like making decisions on some CR-run groups and events. Volunteering hasn't impacted my artistic life. I still post when I want to!

It's not so different. I get more notes and I feature the DDs, but otherwise I still feel normal. It is impacting my art in that I have to spend a few hours picking DDs instead of arting though. That's negligible,

I wouldn't say things have changed much, other than gaining watchers faster.  *waves at everyone.  "You're all awesome!"*  As for affecting art, not really.  I tend to get project ideas at work and make little doodles so I don't forget them and then come home and get distracted by life, chores and video games.  Same as usual XD

Yes. I find I am a lot more conscious of what I say and what I post.  I have always been self conscious and having the extra eyes on me was likely going to make that inevitable though   Some users just act different with staff/volunteers/popular deviants and that took some adjusting because I don't feel too different from any other user.  None of which is bad, just different. In the course of my time as a CV, I have graduated university, been unemployed, gained a full time job and acquired a disability, so I think those things more than being a CV have eaten into my artistic creation time.  I still surround myself with art and other artists so that has remained the same and I always enjoy the efforts of others

Not at all really. Sure, you get to know different people a bit more closely, and you might have access to some different features, but besides that...it's pretty much the same for me. I still talk to my old “pre-CV” friends just like I did before, I still manage most of the same non-CV related projects, draw about the same amount, and it's not like that little heart next to my name works like a police badge. (Most) deviants still don't fear me.

Of course, it's funnier, and more interesting. I see DA very different as before being a CV. When I joined the site it was like the perfect lace to learn and to force my self to improve my skills, I discovered my love for the photography thanks to the site, and of course I learned everything about Macro here. And being a CV made me be more critical with myself and with my photography, because we are like examples for many and that's a big responsibility.

Of course you see everything from a different perspective once you're part of the volunteers. There are at least two sides to every story, and with a little bit more insight you tend to have another opinion on a matter. We are all regular people. I sometimes get the feeling that on the internet some people tend to forget that. I often see people rambling about how DA becomes shittier every year, complaining even about tiny things like the recent Office Outlook plugin. Frankly I don't understand this negativity. Everyone is really invested in this website and spends a lot of time making it a nice place for everyone. It's rude to imply that anyone would deliberately drive people away.

Nope. Not at all. It's all about being committed but even more. My artistic life is as being a CV changes everything as being focused not about what I do, create, but toward what others do, create and celebrate through their Eye, Vision, World and Art. I do feel being a CV brings out of me the best of a Witness about how amazing are Artists in the Community and how they should be in the spotlight...

Definitely is! Being a CV gives you a lot of perspective on what workload it actually puts on your shoulders, and lets you understand more what staff and CVs do, thus giving you more empathy all around. It impacts my artistic life in a certain way, yes - reading a lot, to find DDs, is certainly making me a better writer. I have less time to critique, which is my biggest passion, but I read much more.

As a CV people pay a little more attention to the questions I ask and the things I say, and it's an honor to be able to pick DDs, but other than that any user can make exactly the same things a CV can do. Since I became a CV I'm lucky people have sometimes reached me with crafts specific questions, like what's the name of a certain craft, if I know of any tutorial for this technique, if I know anyone who takes commissions with a certain theme, and I'm always happy to answer them.

Being a CV has definitely brought something new to the table in my DA experience.  It feels like I’m more connected to the pulse of the community but in a “behind the curtain” sort of way.  So much of what the CVs are doing is working for something larger than themselves and that means that you have to be willing to devote yourself to the community without soaking up the spotlight yourself.  As a CV, I’m focusing much more on making sure every action I take is to benefit the community and other artists.

What one thing about being a CV might surprise the community?

I suppose it might surprise the community that we're just like every other group, real people with very different and varying personalities and perspectives. Once you become a CV, you don't automatically become part of some big well-oiled machine that works as one hive mind (plot twist, we actually are, I'm just not allowed to tell you). I don't think I've ever worked with such an international team and it's really a pleasure seeing that despite the fact that we're all different people, we also have the same passion and love for art and artists (most of us also love cats so there's that connection too). No matter our lives or personalities, I feel that we are the same at the core despite the fact that we're quite scattered all over the world.

That we don't have all the magical powers to fix all the things or have all the answers to every question, and that this is because of where we fit into a much larger structure, not because we don't care. Even though what we do is explained pretty clearly in the Help & FAQ section of the site, and most CVs have something on their page about what they do and don't have responsibility for, I end up answering lots of questions by directing people to someone else who can actually answer their questions, or advising them about where to find information or ask for practical help from someone better positioned to offer it.

It's not always fun. It's not always a great time. The privileges you're given as a CV aren't that big of a deal. There isn't that big of a difference between what you can do as a member and what you can as a CV. We don't always all love each other on the CV team, heck, sometimes we hate each other (I remember many days when I would have gladly strangled isthisthingstillon, hosagu or morbidman187 for example.) Another big surprise? We don't know as much as you think we do. Staff don't tell us all the site secrets. We're usually left in the dark almost as much as the community to be honest. We don't have that much of an influence on things. This wasn't just 1 thing but, fuck it, there's a lot that would surprise people.

I don't have power to remove porn. I wish I did when I stumble on it and it's not flagged as mature content because damn sometime I need brain bleach.

There are at least 2 people on the team who are not cat lovers I KNOW, RIGHT???

I have no more contact with staff as a CV than I did before being one. Sometimes I have less. I've talked to moonbeam13 daily for the last seven or eight years. I give her unsolicited job advice when I am off the team. Daily. She totally hates it so I don't recommend you do that ever. Also I can't ban people, so, yeah, stop getting mad at me for not banning people.

This isn't my job and there are times I am actually not available.

I did not get a phone number directory of all the staff so that I can call and text them whenever I want and be BFFs. Big disappointment.  Really, I think it would honestly surprise some of the community that being a CV does not make you insta-popular. Seems shallow but I think a lot of people believe that being a volunteer is a one-ticket way to becoming a mega-star.

They seem to think that I can just ban people whenever? Hey dudes, it might surprise you that I have to report people to the help desk like everybody else.

The bootcamp for learning telepathic...wait..I can't mention those?  How about the secret island with the invisi....no?  hmmm... Being a CV comes with no super powers.  That is all  >.>

The fact that being granted the heart doesn't open the door to the magical land of Narnia. I think too many deviants, in particular aspiring CVs, have a very exaggerated (and possibly romanticized) view of what becoming a CV entails. But seriously, we're all completely normal and lovable, albeit sometimes slightly crazy, people here on the team, and nothing we do is shrouded in magical mystical fog.

The relationship we (the CVs) have, it's a true friendship.

I don't actually get as many notes as one might think. I was always under the impression CVs get tons of notes per day with DD suggestions. That's true for some CVs, but it's not like we're all drowning in them. Selecting DDs is only one small part of the job. The majority of us spend their CV-time showing presence in chatrooms, forums, by commenting on other peoples' art, hosting contests, organizing groups, posting educational and feature articles, and so on and so forth.

Being a CV is not all flowers and rainbows, sometimes between life, work, DA and all other things it can be hard to keep up with all the things you want to do, and there's a lot of guilt I personally feel about that, even though it's a volunteer position so whatever can be done is good. Also, being a CV doesn't make you automatically popular. I know, shocking right? But it is true, you need more than a heart by your name to be a community beacon. There's a lot of hard work involved!

We don't bite. We don't mind your notes and your messages. We're not as ridiculously busy as people sometimes think. We are here for the community and we love to hear from you.

Just how few Daily Deviation suggestions some of us get!  It’s insane!  Don’t be afraid to make suggestions!  With all the fantastic artwork on DA, we should be expecting tons of DD suggestions every day!

Any advice for people who might want to be a CV some day? What do you think makes a good CV?

I think if you'd like to become a CV then you need to want to be a CV for the right kind of reasons, but also you need to realize that you don't have to be a CV to be influential to the community!  A good CV has a good grasp of their category, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they themselves have to be a master at that category. For example, there are plenty of fashion photographers on DeviantArt and I definitely wouldn't claim to be in the top 10 most talented or popular of them, but I would like to think that I know what makes for good or interesting fashion photography.  So, I think a knowledge of the category is key. A love for DeviantArt and the community as a whole is also extremely important, as well as being able to play well with others but still have some back-bone to defend your DD choices (which might get called into question every once in awhile).

Stop romanticizing the whole CV thing. Don't make it some weird dream, or a goal that you're waaaay too intense about. It shouldn't be some crazy goal, it should just be a fun opportunity for you to give back to the community and perhaps learn about art and teamwork in the process. If you do become a CV, don't make the mistake (that I made) of thinking you have to do EVERYTHING yourself and you have to be everywhere at once. Being a good CV does not necessarily mean posting 10 journals every day, hosting a contest every week, setting a billion DDs no matter what, moderating every single chatroom you can get your hands on, etc. Being a good CV is simply about giving your community what it wants, and you can only know what it wants if you do some research and ask the community yourself. And what they want could be something that only requires a couple of hours of your time per week. Remember this is a volunteer position, you're not getting paid, so no need to work like you are. TL;DR it isn't about being an over-achieving prick that burns out after a year and it isn't about doing what you think is best or what you think people want, it point blank isn't about you at all really. Chillax, have fun, don't take yourself too seriously.

It's about the community, not you. Being a CV isn't about promoting yourself or your agenda. It's about listening to the community and showcasing them.

The biggest thing I can say is, outside the initial effort of filling out the application, don't ever try to become a CV. That should never be the goal of any user. Just be yourself, find a community that resonates with you, and be än active supporter of it. In the end, CVs are site users the same as anyone else.

Be a cat lover. No srsly: If you are passionate about art, kind & honest towards people and aim to help make this community thrive, you're right on track. Also a sense of humor doesn't hurt. Which is why I still wonder how I got the spot

Don't go out of your way to try to be a CV. Apply, sure. But don't make being a CV a goal. If you do good works in the community and fit well on the team personality and work ethic wise, Danie might find or make a spot for you. If she doesn't, you are still in the community, still doing good works, with 98% of the same resources. If you feel you aren't getting enough done without being a CV, becoming one is just going to disappoint you. A couple extra buttons and a new symbol won't make you suddenly a rockstar. You have to become one on your own first. This is a position that more often than not finds you, not the other way around. A good CV just sits in the middle of their existing network on DA and yells "PIVOT" a lot.

If you want to be a CV make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Being a CV can be a lot of fun but what makes a good CV is someone who can step back and look at what they are doing and adjust themselves if they need to.Sometimes being a CV there is a lot of abuse from other users either random or because they don't like the choices you made. These things can ruin things for you and it is important to know when to just let things go and accept that it really doesn't matter. I take my responsibilities seriously but this is something I chose to do, not something I have to and it doesn't control my life.

Do things for the community because you want to do it and not because you want a heart symbol after your name. You don't need to be a volunteer to support your communities... You can run features, contests and challenges, you can engage others without a heart symbol. I think a good CV is someone that can engage their community through DDs, educating them (see: projecteducate), showcase great artwork and efforts, being an active member of the chats & forums (if their interests lie there)... It's not rocket science to me. Be community-centered, not self-centered!

Generally just being a positive influence in the community and helping where you can.  You don't need super powers to make a good impression

Be patient, be kind to your community and do both because you enjoy it not because you want attention or a special symbol.  Run contests, do features, help others and if you enjoy those things, the rest will fall into place.  Just be kind

Same advice as I'd give to people who are desperately looking for their soulmate: stop trying so hard and just let it happen. If you love helping out, promoting other artists, and simply spreading the love, then there's really nothing to worry about. Keep doing what you're doing, put your heart and soul into it, but don't consider becoming a CV the ultimate goal, but rather doing your best for the community. And that's exactly what makes a good CV in my eyes: wanting what's best for the community and always having both eyes and ears open for those who need help. Simple as that.

Be passionate with DeviantArt, share, learn and teach as much as you can. A good CV is the one that knows how to give back to the community what the community gave them, in my opinion.

If you are a potential candidate, don't try too hard to suck up to people. Being a CV should come easy to you because you enjoy being active and doing something for the community. Maybe you applied a couple of times already, but you wouldn't be disappointed if your work is not recognized right away because you just love doing it anyway. You will be noticed eventually.

You're first of all a Devious Deviant Artist. You become a CV because you're committed and that you're able to love, love, love and love, support and sustain art.

My advice would simply be: don't work towards being a CV, work towards being a integral part of the community you belong to! That's the important part, really. I think a good CV is someone who listens to the community and takes cues from them on what is needed.

I think a good CV needs to be selfless and apply because they love the community. You have to do it because you want to feature the work of others, not because you want to be popular.

I think if you want to be a CV, you shouldn't wait until you are one before you start helping the community.  Start doing it now!  Create unique features and develop new ways to promote artists.  Go out there and find some awesome DD suggestions and start touching base with the CV team!  Being a CV starts with your community spirit!