A Toast to a Princess and a Bummer: The Farewell Interview!

Bummer

Believe it or not, back at the time when I was a new artist on the block, The Smog had the art demand fairly covered, so my first appearance was actually as a writer! Birkal caught wind that I work as a clinical laboratory scientist irl, so I was invited to participate in our old Pokémon Biology series. Apart from later becoming the host for those articles, having access to The Smog's workshop also meant that I could see if there was a need for art for various articles, so whenever a problem arose, I took the initiative to draw an illustration or two. So while we nowadays prefer to have a surplus of artists, I still find it somewhat funny how my art wasn't what got me involved, but it's certainly what made me stay.

Bummer

As I've mentioned earlier, Pokémon Biology became somewhat of an adopted child of mine, where I not only participated myself but also drew the avatars and illustrations for everyone involved. That article combined three things that are close to my heart: art, biology, and humor, so collaborating with other people to make a fun, quirky article made for some good times.

Other than that, having artists you've approved and then watching them exceed your expectations have always been memorable moments, as it's always better to have more variety among our illustrations rather than just one or two powerhouses. And naturally, burning the night oil to make some last-minute illustrations before bed are also some fond memories, however taxing they may have been.

So yeah, no specific memory stands out to me; it's just been an all-around good experience.

Bummer

I doubt I'm the guy who would provide the most insightful answer to that, but the immediate effect seems to be that our artists have an easier time to decide if they can pitch in with an illustration or not. Back when we had monthly releases, we could have a long list of various articles without art, which could be intimidating for those with little time on their hands. But now that all artists are tagged whenever there's an article going live the next days and still doesn't have art, I've seen a larger variety of artists respond, which is great, as they can decide for themselves when and how they can help. It also remedies the problem of having practically no art assignments for most of the month and then having a full batch of requests to cover a week before release, as the articles are now released on an individual basis.

So through an art perspective, I like it a lot.

Bummer

One thing I find absolutely hilarious about me becoming the Art Leader for The Smog was that it caught me completely off-guard. Because I was a steady contributor and also managed the art index at the time, Birkal and the rest of the staff invited me to their staff channel and asked if I would be interested in helping out with other management issues—to which I agreed, particularly as I had no other responsibilities at the time. However, as far as I can recall, they never explicitly said that I was to become the Art Leader, or a Smog moderator for that matter, so when the announcement was made about how I was the newest staff member, I would sincerely doubt that there was someone more surprised than me.

However, becoming Art Leader of The Smog did not mean I became the Art Leader of the site, as that role was still reserved for Birkal and Zracknel because they were in charge of rewarding contributing artists with art badges, as well as managing Smeargle's Studio and other art-related issues. Birkal did have a fair share of activity in other areas around Smogon, though (such as CAP), so in the end he felt it was necessary to step down from his Art Leader position too. So because I had already proven that I was a fairly reliable person through my Smog management, Zracknel invited me to co-lead with him. And while I personally didn't deem it necessary to make me a super moderator as well, Smogon's staff team as a whole saw it fit to entrust that position to me, which has made my work easier. So even though my smodding wasn't as dramatic as the time I joined the Smog staff, it nonetheless was exciting and made me view the site in a whole new light. Although it took some time for them to realize that I had virtually no smod powers because the paperwork hadn't been filled in correctly (shoutout to Toast++ for realizing that).

Bummer

I'm sure that if I go dig through the archives I'll find some highly unusual applicants, but there were those who struggled more than most. Basic MS Paint drawings, photographed paper sketches, and traced official art are just some of the things I've needed to reject, but for the most part, the artists who applied had all the necessary tools to improve their craft, but I haven't heard back from all of them.

Bummer

I didn't! 8'D

But yeah, I was certainly churning out a lot of art before several releases, but I always saw it more of a challenge rather than a looming deadline on my shoulders. It also helped knowing how much the writers and the rest of the crew put into the articles, making it feel more justified to spend some time of my own drawing up something nice to illustrate things with. Not to mention that my art process got faster with each speedy request, so now I can whip something up rather quickly if there's an urgent need for something.

Bummer

There are only so many things you can juggle at once while at the same time being able to put quality effort into all of them, and while I'm still trying to be involved in the media department because quality control is a large part of it, having someone else handling some of the paperwork associated with it certainly takes one load off my back. I'm barely able to partake in everything I want to do right now, particularly because we're currently revamping the hub for Smeargle's Studio and being active in Pokémon Showdown's Art Room. My time with The Smog was nice, but I need to know my limits, as otherwise I'll burn out for real.

Bummer

Naw, I probably would have stuck around for longer. Although, because plenty of staff teams joined forces with the recent merger, odds are that I would have taken the opportunity to move on to different things anyway. Can't really say for sure; never been great at predicting alternate timelines.

Bummer

Rosebud

In my experience, climbing the ranks around Smogon has not necessarily been about being the best at something or having an adamant personality, but more about being level-headed and helping out wherever you're needed. Those who ask for a higher position are usually the ones who work purely for the recognition, while those actually working on improving themselves and the community will be recognized for it. Also, Smogon always needs more artists, so if you're already one or thinking about starting, be sure to drop by #smeargle or the Art Room on PS!