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100ThemesChallenge β Let's revive the 100 Themes Challenge group!
Published: 2016-07-28 20:18:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 10947; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 0
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Hello everyone,
It's recently been brought to my attention that I am the only remaining moderator participating in this group. I've since contacted the founder, who is no longer active here, but gave me the administrative privileges to bring on new people who wish to keep the group active.
Up until now my responsibilities have only been to moderate submissions to variation 1 and 2, but now that I'm the only one left, we have the opportunity to both resurrect and re-imagine the future of the 100 Themes Challenge.
This is a fresh start.
I think we should take this opportunity to discuss the structure and goals of the group; to make sure it's members are getting a fulfilling experience from their contributions.
What I need first and foremost is to better understand what it is that draws people to the 100 Themes Challenge
For me, it was one of the first encouragements to become more engaged with the community here on DA. This was about a decade ago... Long before groups were a thing, but the idea of working through this list gave me hope that I could really improve my skills and gain better opportunities to interact with other artists here. Of course I only managed to complete 4 or 5, and they're so old now it's a little embarrassing to look at them, but I think this challenge still has the potential to inspire and encourage others. The nostalgia I had attached to the 100 Themes Challenge is the reason I joined as a moderator some years back and now I suppose it's up to me to try and help bring it back.
What I think we really need is not simply a new team to fill in some old positions, but people to help design a more durable system.
Therefore I'd like to merely begin a conversation for now. I'd really appreciate it if you guys would share your thoughts on the situation, and what you'd like to see moving forward.
There are a couple items on some of the current lists that I find troubling, and I want to make sure there's nothing in there that would make someone really uncomfortable. Unfortunately I can't edit any particular entry and must instead replace it entirely, but I also don't want to do anything of my own accord that'll upset this group's members.
So I'm looking to resurrect this group in accordance to both its original intentions and the wishes of its remaining community.
The founder stated that at its core, this group should promote "the hope and desire to inspire and prompt those who seek it". And I agree with that sentiment.
Finally, if this message really inspired you to get more involved, I'm also open to notes about what you would like to be involved in, and what sorts of responsibilities you're willing to take on.
Thanks!
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Comments: 68
Today is the first I ever heard of this.Β Is The Challenge still open?Β And what exactly is it, a reason for an artist or artist-wannabe (like me) to challenge themselves?
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Just to double-check, we are allowed to create our own lists right?Β
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I'm so happy to see renewed interest! Granted, I haven't been active on DeviantArt in years, but a few of my friends and I have taken an interest in starting the Variation 1 Themes sometime soon! It would be wonderful if we could post here, where everything started, but as of now we're planning to post to both Instagram and Tumblr. Have you decided what path you're going to take in regards to re-engaging the group?
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I created an alternative list back in 2010. I'm finally getting around to doing my own challenge...lol. Glad to see the group is still active!
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I might write here, since I've started the challenge 13 days ago. I do take it more as fun and fooling around, even though I'm determined to upload in chain, every day for 100 days. That's the challenge for me. Although the general theme I draw is not very well accepted all around and I can see how some people would get annoyed by it. So I wouldn't like to upload art to the group. Or become a member - I just don't have time for more responsibilities in my life.
About the group revival, I think it should go natural. You won't force people to take challenges if they don't like it or did already or anything else. Maybe a good way to go about it would be to pick a time (once a month, for example) to get together or add something new. You see, it's not so easy to draw 100 pictures. And your only ad is people who take the challenge. (when I asked my visitors for a good challenge list no one even mentioned your group, I had to just google it) I might leave a link to the group when I upload something. Apart from the group tag. So... fresh blood is only folks who saw someone taking the challenge and did too. A chain with very weak pass-on reaction. Not that many artists would want to do that, many of us have work to do and no time for something so big. I wouldn't want the group to die completely. But, yeah... it's rather a memorial. Responsibilities scare people away and holding the whole group on your shoulders, constantly entertaining visitors, is not a simple task.
I could say I'm just passing by and I don't want to get involved much, although I'm grateful for the list, but I think many people would say the same. Don't know how to make things look more alive. I'll stick to the opinion it's best to just come here once in a while to see what's new, who wants to participate/upload, mod the discussions and mostly let the group be automated. Live it's own life if and when it decides to.
Oh, and... what drew me to the challenge? The challenge itself. It's extreme to try and draw every single day regardless of my mood and the weather and my health condition and my chores... It's a game of truth-or-dare, but... without truth and with 100 dares.
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I would like to point out variations 1 and 2 are very similar, but 2 does contain rape as a theme, so the lists do need revisiting.
It would be nice if there could be regular things, like competitions, maybe working through a theme a month (that would keep things running for a very long time) just to encourage some progress and interaction.
Getting some people to post their step-by-steps for some of the art would be good, or regular inspiration boards for some of the themes. (I know, lots of work there).
Personally, I would also like an update to the winners board. I finished theme 1 and find myself in a list of comments by people who were never added to the winners list. (But this's just me being selfish)
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It was a challenge for me man...years ago. I can't even recall the time but I do know being a Mentor if time would become available would be something we can implement. All of us have our strong points and some of us do need help. These challenges help us but you don't always have to seem like you are doing everything alone. Grow together. That is my thought on it.
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so you would like to see more focus on feedback/critique?
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I agree that completing the challenges can feel lonely at times
I'll need to reflect on this for a bit to figure out a good way to encourage people to participate more in feedback and critique of others work
thanks for the suggestion
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I've been planning to do this for a while, just to see that the 100TC thing kind of went dead...
So yea, if a rookie with somewhat limited time can help to revive this, sign me up!
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would you be willing to help moderate submissions to one of the variations?
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i think finding a way to get hte members of the group involved in the challenges would be fantastic. I myself have a very short attention span when it comes to these things so being prompted on a daily/ weekly basis would be generally necessary (although, admittedly i've come to be a lot more busy than i used to be, so i no longer have much time for funsies stuff like this anymore)Β
maybe having a prompt ever X amount of days to give people a chance to finish or start one of the challenges would be good.
maybe even encourage people to just rough out the ideas ahead of time and then come back to them Β once they've finished the list or something. xD not sure what would work best, tbh.
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I like the idea of including rougher works as well, instead of focusing only on finished works.
Maybe we could create a collective for "100 Themes Challenge" lunch break sketches or something?
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yeah, doing rough works can be more relaxing and draw in more people who don't have as much time.
Definitely look forward to seeing what's done though, i'll keep an eye out and see if i can follow along :3
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Is it possible to review what kinds of tasks and responsibilities are to be taken on?
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I'm not sure I understand the question completely.
Could you elaborate?
right now I'm just starting minimally and finding new moderators for the current variation lists
after some time to sort things according to the feedback I get here, we may modify admin duties according to everyone's capabilities
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I see, actually this is what I was curious about, thanks.
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I would be willing to help out - primarily on the weekends when I am actually near a computer.Β What can I do?
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could you help by moderating the submissions to variation 4?
its probably least common of the submissions, as far as i can tell.
what you would need to do it keep an eye out for deviations under that category and make sure they reference their theme in either the title or description
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I was wondering what was up! Β Granted I'm only on item 5 of my list which, like yourself, was started well over 10 years ago...in the very beginning I think as it's Variation 1? Β I just checked and yes, Variation 1. Β Β Maybe with this fresh breath I will get motivated to just continue submitting things to my theme list
I still love the challenge of my particular list, so it's my hope that you don't delete any of the lists. Β My thinking here is that there are people using those lists for their inspiration and to remove one would be a sad moment for a few deviants.
Have you considered moderators for each list?
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Yea I really don't want to delete any lists. I might rewrite a couple items tho where they might really cause people to turn away. (I'll make sure to keep with the feeling of the items, but some just seem really inappropriate for the current culture online)
Ideally there's supposed to be a moderator for each list, but over time people kinda vanished I guess, but hopefully this journal entry can generate new interest!
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I would not be opposed to moderating "my" list if no one else is interested
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I'm not sure which list that is... Though I am still looking for someone to keep an eye out for submissions to variation 5
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Mine is Theme 2, I'll have to look, but will happily moderate Variation 5
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Awesome that the group is starting again, I was about to give up on it! I've had a lot of recent submissions time out.
The thing that drew me to the themes was that my buddies were doing it and I figured that maybe they'd think I was cool or something if I did it too, I dunno (it didn't work, and I was the only one who stuck with it). I also didn't know what else to draw (nobody requested back then, and I have since found much else to do).
I didn't even know there was a group until a few years in and when I found it I *had* to join it lol. It was the only place for my art, I guess, since people don't seem that interested in it. I probably won't take on another variation when I'm done, this was more commitment than I thought I'd be, since I've been putting more work in as time goes on.
For the 'uncomfortable' items on the lists, I think they could be phased out, personally. Or new lists could be created, I dunno. It's an old group, it is kind of weird to mess with it.
I like the "Hall of Fame" idea for it's function as a feature, and a sort of end to the challenge (I've been working on variation 1 in order since 2011 and I can't imagine anyone throwing a party when I finally finish it hahaha). I think it would be cool to see something like that return.
As for the system, I think more admins would make it work better, and maybe if instead of one person handling a variation, get more people handling them because all they need is to make sure the theme is on the proper list and meets whatever guideline of appropriateness/content warning there is (or could be).
I'm not sure if the submission limit should go up from 3 a week... I guess it depends on how many people are there to moderate them.
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I think the hall of fame would be better if it included a small art feature for each person who completed it.
Even if it's too late to do that for the current members in the hall of fame, I'll definitely do that in the future
thanks for your feedback
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That be cool, especially if the featured piece is a favourite from the challenge!
No problem, good luck with the group!
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I never got very far into the challenges (I think I was starting them up when I was in middle school or something like that), but I've been watching this group for years, and I really need to get back into it.
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I made it to #8 of variation 3...started it back in 2012. my last submission was in 2015. I really liked the idea of the group because it made me think outside of the box as to what i wanted to create. i tried adding a bit of humor to each submission. but i lost interest in the project as the inactivity became more persistent. having something or someone to keep your attention would be a wonderful thing...and i do think the themes could be revisited. maybe have themed lists that relate to one another. A "different artist" theme...pic a character and draw them in the style of 100 different artists..., sub genres like horror fantasy sifi with words relating to that theme (fantasy-fairy, stardust, royal, charming...) 100 color/patterns...and what not. I have one in my journal that's one character/oc in 100 different cartoon/anime styles. it's a bit out dated itself...but it works. i don't really know...just pitting out ideas. hope you find this useful.Β
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Using sub-genres is interesting. It might draw in people who are more interested in niche categories rather than doing something very broad or generalized
Using themes that are too modern or entrenched in pop culture is risky tho for the reason you stated. I think the official lists on the group should be as timeless as possible. Tho that's not to say they can't include things that are common knowledge historically...Β
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Good point...like I said, I was just trying to spit out multiple ideas that hopefully can help on the road to a solid idea. I was also thinking of having a separation between people who are into different things like 2D arts, 3D arts, literature and so forth...just to keep folders tidy and collective. But like I said...just another idea to throw out there. I am looking forward to the revival of this group.
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wow i definitely agree about separating the folders according to general category :0
I'll look into setting up a new system for submitting works
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You can't even imagine how glad I am to see this entry!
I have long wanted to join this challenge, but somehow the inactivity and the system stopped me from doing so. I hope that things will change in this group, with so many artists willing to join in.Β
I wish you luckΒ Β
I sure would love to help/contribute in ways possible.
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would you be willing to moderate some of the submissions?
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Certainly 
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moderating isn't too bad.
just try to familiarize yourself with a variation list and watch for its corresponding submissions.
all entries must mention the challenge and theme somewhere in the title or description
we still need new mods to keep an eye out for submissions to variations 3, 4, and 5
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I would gladly take any of the vacant submission moderator spots
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yes, ive been trying to work though the list but my huge total of personal project always made it hard to do.
I would love to see this group revived through, get some more people to talk to and maybe some more motivation to get to work on the themes
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Hey there!Β
I'm new here and I joined this group hoping to get some inspiration,and was sad to find it inactive, Β I'm glad that someone has decided to revive it.Β
I look forward to see what's new for this Group.Β
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I've always loved this idea of the 100Themes, I once started one of the lists..
But unfortunately only could do like 3-4 of the themes and dropped it..
But I've now started a new 100themes, with self-made list which my followers/watchers
helped me create, and I'm keeping the list flexible, cuz I know my biggest hurdle in everything is motivation.
I think making new "a tad more advanced" lists would be good idea, instead of basic ideas, having a bit more
specific and lil harder themes.
Also people who come up with their own lists could share them to be made options to choose from,
cuz I find that the keypoint to being able to get really into this thing is finding a list that matches you
personally.
If you're in need of help I imagine I could help, no problem.~
I revieved one group this past year with help of one other previous mod of the group,
because our founder went MIA and was unreachable for many months before that,
causing the group to go in chaos, so we made the decision to re-create the whole group.
Also I've been thinking if this group was active, it would be awesome to do some sort of joint-project-event
with our group, since our group's FightingLaziness which I think is good match with this one. X3
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yea i agree that there's a lot of potential synergy between these two groups!
I think variation 1 needs to stay because of its historical significance, but maybe we should set up a comprehensive poll to see if we have variations which are now extraneous.Β
I also like the idea of having the option for an individualized 100 theme challenge, but I'm not sure how best to incorporate that into the gallery folder system. Maybe they could all go into the same folder, with links to every list in the description?
Moderation for this would have to be very strict I think, with every entry having the requirement of including the source in it's description.
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Ahaha awesome!
We so should figure out something fun at some point. ~ *w*
Individualized lists would be awesomesauce and I think it'd be simple task
just that in the description there'd be mentions to 100Themes and the number
and where the list can be found, I mean, not all do journal of theirs,
like I'm planning to have my list as the description for the folder and that way
keep track of it.
I think fun idea would be "themed" lists, like one for basic-skills level up, with themes
to promote practicing basics, one for "darker themes" and the sorts "kawaii desudesu" lists..
All kind of funs.
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ok I'll keep these suggestions in mind and compose another journal on the topic over the next couple of months.
I think it's entirely possible to devise a system that allows for this kind of freedom
which leads me to my next challenge of organizing the gallery folders and devising a way to compensate for the changes XD
I've participated in groupsΒ beforeΒ with the premise of technical challenges aimed for skill improvement, and I really like this idea
perhaps in the future we can launch a group-wide effort to create some compelling themed lists. It seems there are quite a few members who would be interested in this
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I like to see how everyone does the different themes . . . I'm just over halfway on Variation 1. If this group comes back to life I'm pretty sure I'd be more motivated to finish
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