Everyday, millions of users from all over the world use deviantART, and it is really hard for new users to get themselves noticed. Oh yes, it is HARD. It can actually be a really disappointing experience for some of us. But, if you show some patience and work for it, you may just be able to crack through that wall standing between you and exposure to the community. Remember, all it take is patience. Lots and lots of patience. Oh, and you also need to trust yourself. Just because you couldn't get a huge fan base in several weeks or months doesn't mean that you will never get them. But, there are some really important stuff you need to follow first before getting there.
dA is also a community, just like any other community in the world. The only difference is dA is and online community and the others, well they are totally offline
. So, this means there will be some standards to be held in there, or else it won't function properly. You are going to have to stick to those standards if you want anything from the community.
1. Obey the RULES
This is the most important thing that you need to keep in mind. You have to obey the rules set by the community leaders. Nobody is going to like someone who bend the rules. Normally, we call them criminals in the "offline community", and everyone hates them. So, stick to the rules. How hard can it be?
2. Respect Others
Remember, you are not the only one in the community. There are a lot of people here. Respect them. I think we all have heard something that goes like " Give respect to get respect ". Well, that is a true statement. You don't respect others, nobody is going to notice you. So,be friendly. Nobody likes grumpy people.
3. Support Others Artists
Everyone come here for the same reason. To get some audience and to learn from others. So, go to other deviant's pages. Watch them. Add the work you like to your favorites. Now, your question would be, how do I find members, because there is no way you can search for them in dA. Well, people, we have an equivalent for searching. There is "Random Deviant" and "Random Deviation" feature available on deviantART menu, which in turn would take you to the page of some random deviant or deviation that the system think you would like. Also, there is "Discovery
beta". This would show you some famous deviations and deviants. You can fav their work or watch them if you like.
4. Commenting and Critiquing
Also, comment on their work. Tell them how good their work is. After all, flattery does get you to some very promising positions.
Now, when you comment or critique their work, don't be rude. That is like committing social suicide.
If their work is not up to your standards and you found some negative facts about them, lay it to them gently. You cannot say stuff like "Dude this really sucks" or "I cannot believe you did this, that bla bla...". Those kind of comments are huge buzz killers. Respect the fact that they worked really hard for the art piece. Tell them that they need to improve on this or that aspect. Tell them that if they tried hard enough, they will eventually get there.
5. Update, Update, Update
Update your page often. Show off your work as much as you can. Submitting more deviations would mean there would be more stuff for people to see on your page. Nobody would want to look an empty page.
6. Go Premium
Now this is something that only some people are able to do. Some may not have ways for paying for a premium membership. But, if you actually have the means and resources, please do try this. It is awesome. Would give you access to features that you never had before. Allow you to give your page a face lift. Literally!
Seriously, you can customize the whole page. New journal skins, add custom html boxes and the list goes on. Also allows you to request critiques, which would show the critics in the community that you want a critique for the piece.
7. Groups and Chatrooms
There are a lot of Groups for all kind of artists in dA. Join these groups, and you can share your art there too. This gives you more exposure and also you can make friends along the way. You can recognize the well known groups by the number of watchers the group have. Joining and sharing in these groups would give a better advantage. Moreover, there are also chat rooms for dA members. You can join them and chat to other people about anything you want. Art, culture or just friend stuff. You all would be friends there. Gives you access to more deviants and also allow you to get to know them better.
8. Participate
Everyday, competitions and giveaways are organized by different groups and also the dA staffs. Participate in these. Who knows, you may get lucky there and win, not just the prize of that competition. When someone wins a competition, there is about 99% chance that you would get featured in lots of journals, and a lot of people would be keeping their eyes on these competitions. So, you would get more fans from there too.
These are some pointers for you people who are having trouble finding audience. Try these, and do your own things too. Different people have different ways of getting people's attention. Be deviant.
Hope you enjoyed the read 
Until next time then.
Sta.sh
Deviants
