HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin13214217 .menu { position:relative; background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.8); background-position:top center; margin:-470px -110px 470px -110px; text-align:center; } body div#devskin13214217 .button { position:relative; display:inline-block; color:#666666; text-align:center; font-family:'Patrick Hand'; font-weight:normal; font-size:18px; padding:10px 20px; margin:0px; cursor:pointer; text-decoration:none; transition:all 0.5s; -moz-transition:all 0.5s; -webkit-transition:all 0.5s; -ms-transition:all 0.5s; -o-transition:all 0.5s; } body div#devskin13214217 .button:hover { background-color:#fff; color:#d75c68; text-decoration:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop { background:url('https://img00.deviantart.net/5c52/i/2018/252/2/3/suantrai_meisciuil_by_yuukon-dcldnra.jpg') no-repeat; background-position:bottom; font-family:'Patrick Hand'; color:transparent; text-align:right; letter-spacing:1px; height:390px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop span { font-size:12px; color:#999; margin-right:100px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop img { display:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop a { font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; color:#d75c68; font-size:42px; text-shadow:none; text-align:center; transition:all 0.3s; -moz-transition:all 0.3s; -webkit-transition:all 0.3s; -ms-transition:all 0.3s; -o-transition:all 0.3s; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop h2 { font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; color:#666666; font-size:42px; margin:460px 85px 0px 85px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop h2 a:hover { font-weight:bold; color:#6969c3; text-shadow:0 0 3px #fff; text-decoration:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .journalbox { background:url('https://puu.sh/D8q0g/343bffea8d.jpg') repeat; font-family:'Oregano'; background-position:top center; text-align:center; font-size:14px; margin:auto; border:none; max-width:900px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext { background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.8); font-family:'Quicksand'; color:#666666; font-size:17px; text-align:left; padding:25px; margin:50px 85px 0px 85px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext h1 { font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; font-size:35px; color:#d75c68; letter-spacing:1px; padding:0px 10px; margin:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext h2 { font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; font-size:31px; color:#962e38; letter-spacing:1px; padding:0px 10px; margin:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext h3 { font-size:27px; color:#555; font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:1px; padding:0px 10px; margin:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext h4 { font-size:23px; color:#555; font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:1px; padding:0px 10px; margin:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journaltext h5 { font-size:23px; color:#555; font-family:'The Girl Next Door'; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:1px; padding:0px 10px; margin:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 a, body div#devskin13214217 a.external { font-size:19px; color:#d75c68; text-decoration:none; font-weight:normal; transition:color 0.3s; -moz-transition:color 0.3s; -webkit-transition:color 0.3s; -ms-transition:color 0.3s; -o-transition:color 0.3s; } body div#devskin13214217 a:hover, body div#devskin13214217 a.external:hover { text-decoration:none; font-weight:normal; color:#6969c3; } body div#devskin13214217 a.external { font-weight:normal; text-decoration:none; } body div#devskin13214217 a.external:after { display:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .shadow-holder { margin:5px; padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .shadow { padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .shadow:hover { padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .embedded-image-deviation { vertical-align:middle; margin:5px; padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .embedded-image-deviation img { vertical-align:middle; padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .embedded-image-deviation img:hover { padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 .embedded-image-deviation:hover { padding:0px; } body div#devskin13214217 a img { vertical-align:middle; } body div#devskin13214217 a img:hover { vertical-align:middle; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit { padding:0px; width:150px; height:180px; border:none; background:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #d75c68; box-shadow:none !important; -moz-box-shadow:none !important; -webkit-box-shadow:none !important; box-shadow:none !important; -moz-box-shadow:none !important; -webkit-box-shadow:none !important; box-shadow:none !important; -moz-box-shadow:none !important; -webkit-box-shadow:none !important; font-family:'Lato'; transition:border 1s; -moz-transition:border 1s; -webkit-transition:border 1s; -ms-transition:border 1s; -o-transition:border 1s; vertical-align:middle; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit:hover { border:1px solid #6969c3; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit q strong { margin:5px; padding:2px; padding-top:5px; font-family:'Cookie'; font-weight:normal; color:#d75c68; font-size:20px; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit q { margin-left:-20px; margin-bottom:5px; margin-right:5px; padding:0px; font-family:'Raleway'; color:#6969c3; font-size:13px; text-shadow:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit strong:not(:first-child) { border:none; } body div#devskin13214217 a.lit q { text-shadow:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .lit img { display:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .text blockquote { text-align:center; color:#962e38; font-size:19px; font-family:'Open Sans Condensed'; margin:5px 5px 5px 5px; padding:20px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journalbottom { background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.8); margin:auto; margin-top:50px; padding-top:20px; padding-bottom:40px; text-align:center; height:20px; } body div#devskin13214217 .journalbox .journalbottom a.commentslink, body div#devskin13214217 .journalbox .journalbottom a.prevlink { font-family:'Annie Use Your Telescope'; font-weight:bold; color:#d75c68; font-size:45px; text-shadow:none; text-align:center; transition:all 0.3s; -moz-transition:all 0.3s; -webkit-transition:all 0.3s; -ms-transition:all 0.3s; -o-transition:all 0.3s; padding-top:30px; padding-bottom:20px; padding-left:20px; padding-right:10px; margin:0px; cursor:pointer; text-decoration:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .journalbox .journalbottom a.commentslink:hover, body div#devskin13214217 .journalbox .journalbottom a.prevlink:hover { color:#6969c3; text-shadow:0 0 3px #fff; text-decoration:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .credit { color:#d75c68; font-size:14px; margin-top:50px; margin-bottom:-100px; margin-right:-20px; font-family:'Patrick Hand'; } body div#devskin13214217 .credit a { color:#d75c68; font-size:14px; letter-spacing:0px; transition:color 0.3s; -moz-transition:color 0.3s; -webkit-transition:color 0.3s; -ms-transition:color 0.3s; -o-transition:color 0.3s; } body div#devskin13214217 .credit a:hover { color:#6969c3; } body div#devskin13214217 .list { background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0.8); font-family:'Patrick Hand'; font-size:14px; color:#d75c68; padding-bottom:10px; padding-top:10px; text-align:center; } body div#devskin13214217 .list li { font-family:'Patrick Hand'; font-size:14px; padding:5px; color:#d75c68; } body div#devskin13214217 .list .a { font-family:'Patrick Hand'; font-size:14px; color:#d75c68; background:transparent; } body div#devskin13214217 .list li img { display:none; } body div#devskin13214217 .list .f strong { font-family:'Patrick Hand'; font-size:14px; color:#6969c3; background:transparent; font-weight:normal; } body div#devskin13214217 .icon { width:10%; display:inline-block; text-align:center; padding:10px 20px 10px 20px; vertical-align:top; } body div#devskin13214217 .ltext { color:#000; width:75%; display:inline-block; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; padding:10px 5px 20px 20px; border-left:3px solid #d75c68; } body div#devskin13214217 .rtext { width:75%; display:inline-block; text-align:right; vertical-align:top; padding:10px 20px 20px 5px; border-right:3px solid #d75c68; } body div#devskin13214217 .user-symbol::before { background-color:transparent; color:#d75c68; } body div#devskin13214217 .user-symbol::after { background-color:transparent; color:#fff; } body div#devskin13214217 .feature { background-color:#fff; box-shadow:0 0 5px #fff; -moz-box-shadow:0 0 5px #fff; -webkit-box-shadow:0 0 5px #fff; vertical-align:middle; float:center; text-align:center; width:95%; padding:20px; } /* ********************************************** */ /* ******CHANGE TOP IMAGE HERE******************* */ /* ********************************************** */ body div#devskin13214217 .journaltop { background:url('https://puu.sh/D8q3e/2bfe534f7d.jpg') no-repeat; background-position:center center; }

Profile Gallery Favorites Journal

Hello, all.

I'm going to be taking a break from my weekly features. In all honesty, this is something I should have done several months ago. For the past few months I have been struggling on with these, while also fighting with all my work from uni, teaching as well as battling the demons in my head.

I really feel like I want to be honest with you guys about this, because it is over all the years I have spent here on DA that I learned what being loved and supported really feels like, and you guys deserve to know that I am taking a break and why. I really don't want you to think I am ditching you guys, because I am not, and I hope that in all the years I have been here there's one thing you can take away from my activity, and that is that I really do care about you, the community and what I do. I love creating content for you guys, and share the gorgeous pieces of art that I find while browsing the site.

As most of you know by now, I am very passionate about having everybody take care of themselves, and I've been pushing people on the importance of doing so, as well as the importance of having good mental health. However, as much as I tell others to take good care of themselves, that's how often I forget to take care of me. And I know there are some of you out there who want to slap me on the skull for not doing so, but if you're struggling with mental health, you also know that self-care doesn't always have the highest priority, but battling demons or distracting yourself is, while also managing to keep up with daily life. I feel like I pushed myself too hard to keep going, and while that is not a bad thing in itself, it can become a bad thing, which it has now.

For the last four years, give or take, I have been posting several weekly feature series every week, without really taking a break from them. Instead, I just kept going, curating art for all these features, finding the gems, the outstanding, the underexposed and so on. And while I really do love creating these features for you, we all need a break from time to time. For the last six months orso I have been losing motivation to keep up with this crazy schedule of four weekly features every week. So instead of having fun finding art, it started to feel like an obligation I am expected to meet, that I don't want to let you guys down and skip a week for these features, which eventually turned this hobby into a chore, while also taking away time from creating art and hanging out with you guys.

This made me realise that I really needed to sit down and think about why I joined dA in the first place, so many years ago. I joined because I wanted to have fun, I wanted to share art, meet fellow artists and enjoy other people's art. And because of the pressure that creating these weekly features has put on me, as well as the time it takes to create them in the first place, I feel like I haven't been able to really do that anymore. As you know, the community is super important to me, and I cherish it dearly, but lately I haven't been able to fully immerse myself in it and enjoy it.

When I started all these different series I had a lot more time on my hands than I do today, so I need to start managing my online time better. What that means for my features, I do not know yet. What I do know is that, for the time being, my weekly features will be on hiatus. These features are Exposing the Unexposed and Feature-Fest. I will continue my monthly series, and occasionally, I might drop a Lit Loves or a Sweet Saturday, but definitely not every week, instead, it will happen when I feel like it. I will however keep on running GuidingLightProject , as well as SeniorSelections and NaturesHaven , and continue in my supporting roles in the other groups I am a part of, and of course my literature contest is now also up and running! I am hoping that this will give me some space to do some new and different things for the community instead, something that will keep me in touch with you guys more (and I am already gearing up for some exciting things that I can't wait to tell you about!).

I am really sorry if this is disappointing to any of you, but I need to remember to take care of myself, and to keep having fun too. Please know that I didn't take this decision lightly, and I truly hope you will understand.

Sending love,

Monique

CSS by UszatyArbuz