My neighbor saw my digital mural and called it 'glorified Photoshop'

I was finalizing a digital mural commission in my backyard studio. My neighbor leaned over the fence, took one look, and called it 'glorified Photoshop' without any context. How do you handle dismissive attitudes towards digital art from people in your life?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hugo1mo ago

My uncle said my freelance animation was "just cartoons on a computer" after I spent three months on a two-minute short... it really stings when they reduce the craft to just the tool. I just started asking him really specific questions about traditional animation techniques until he admitted he had no idea how any of it worked.

the_alice1mo ago

Man, hearing about your uncle makes me cringe because my grandma still calls my video editing 'pushing buttons on the computer.' She'll watch me spend hours on a timeline and think it's as simple as using a remote control. The amount of storytelling, timing, and technical knowledge that goes into even a short animation is insane, and reducing it to just the software is like saying a novelist just types words. I love that you turned it around by quizzing him on traditional techniques, which really highlights how little people know about the process. It's a constant battle to educate folks who assume digital means easy, but sometimes a well-placed question does the trick. Anyway, your short probably looks amazing, and three months of dedication shows in every frame.

shane9501mo ago

Ugh, that neighbor comment hits home. My boss called my vector illustrations 'fancy tracing' last year. I made him watch me build a piece from scratch to shut that down.