As part of our Chat and Forum PE week we felt we should also include interviews with chat and forum regulars.
Today we are talking to copperrein who is a long time chat regular and was also a Chat and Forums CV not too long ago.
How long have you been a chatter on dAmn?
I've been in the chats for as long as I've been on Deviant Art, so 6 years. Six years of text-based depravity.
Do you have any rooms you enjoy the most?
I used to go to :#photographers:, :#thumbsshare:, and :#cabal:...but they have sort of died off. I now spend most of my time in #devart, :#notdevart:, and a few private user rooms.
How has being in the chats affected your DeviantART experience?
I've met some really great artists through the dAmn channels and learned a lot. The people who frequented :#photographers: gave me so much help in terms of my photography. I've also gotten a few jobs lurking in the chats.
Tell us about your all time favorite moment in the chats?
Oh, I don't think my favorite moment would be appropriate for this interview. I miss dAmnIT. I love reading back through the quotes when it was moderated properly and had really funny content.
How do you handle negativity in the chats?
I find it funny. People get so attached to ephemeral text in a transient social setting. It's just a chatroom, yet there are sooo many people that try to feed hate and butthurt into it. I sit there on my side of the screen wondering "Dude, what are you like in real life?" I guess it's sad sometimes when you think about it.
You used to be a chat and forum CV, what are some things worth mentioning to others who wish to volunteer in this area?
Being a CV is not all happy power and prestige. It's a lot of work. You have to be fair and sometimes that means you have to deal with friends not from a friendship point of view, but as a manager. Your relationships with people in the chat will change when you become a CV. You may even lose some people you thought were rational humans. As I said before, it's not all sparkly banning and gumball kicks.
What advice would you give someone who is new to the chats?
First, read the rules. This sounds old and matronly, but it will help you to 1.) get a better feel for how the chats works and 2.) avoid annoying other chatters which could cause you to suffer trolling and abuse.
Secondly: let it go. It's just a chat. It's not going to matter in a day if someone called you a talentless, fat, wildebeest.
Do you have any other words of wisdom you'd like to share with everyone?
Yeah, if you come in to chat and ask for a critique, listen to what people are saying even if it's not what you want to hear. A "negative" critique will, most often, give you much more help than a "Wow, that's really pretty" critique. Every single work of art out there can be improved upon. Shut your mouth and listen. Da Vinci didn't pop out of his mom as a master painter. He sucked at first. We all suck when we start to learn something. Take the negative critiques and use them to grow as an artist.
Thank you copperrein for taking the time to let us interview you.
