In the summer of 2017, I was stuck between high school and college and stuck between my two publications. There was the high school version of me, someone laser-focused on traditional academic success, and the college version of me, a mystery bursting with opportunity to act and create outside of the box I had created for myself around me.
It started with a simple DM – something along the lines of “this looks fun; you should join!” When I clicked on the link, I saw the design of the characters arranged in orderly lines, filling the front page of the site. It was heavy, not only because many people had entered this site but also because they had shared many stories with the characters. The characters were technicolor and bright, with long backgrounds linked to their pictures. There was great interest, and I was being invited to join them.
Art Fight is a simple idea. For the month of July, artists register on the site and are divided into groups. Once registered and organized, they submit examples of their art along with human characters and their stories that would interest other cartoonists. Then, the games begin.
You score points in Art Fight by drawing requests from the other team, which is called an “attack” in the context of the game. The more difficult the application, the higher the score, and at the end of the month, the team with the most points gets a special badge on the spot that shows they have won. There is no reward other than a badge, and no one is too strict about the teams. People can change teams several times during the month. The real motivation is not to win but, instead, to inspire others and be inspired.
I was an artist at the time and had spent very little time creating a social media profile and developing my skills. But even so, it was nice to know that I could draw others and to know that they would be happy to go back. Something about this place was welcoming people of all skill levels and it meant I wasn’t lost in the digital noise.
In the years that followed, the time I spent in Art Fight waxed and waned depending on my summer business. But every year, I made sure to draw at least one piece, taking an artist’s drawing of their character and giving it life in my own style. It still stands, this is a creative process for someone I may not know.
One time it was more of other artists using the stage. Others were students or hobbyists, taking the free time they had on weekends or after work. Others were artists, drawing together the attack as a break from their own work. What remained true was the demographics that Art Fight included, with people from all walks of life interested in character design and storytelling coming together to share their creations.
Back in the summer of 2017, I hadn’t really realized how important it was. Torn between my career aspirations and life goals, my creativity often feels pushed back, something that can’t be properly pursued unless it has a “goal” (usually involving money). Having a place where nature is encouraged and given the environment, for any skill level and with a few cavers, still feels good.
For the artists I know, sharing online can be a mixed blessing. Platforms offer reach but they can feel overwhelming, putting artists at the mercy of algorithms and massive attention. There are few platforms dedicated to the arts and even fewer are built to make artists feel comfortable. The result can feel disorienting, forcing developers to constantly post to stay relevant rather than follow through on their recommendations.
Art Fight, for me, is a service to that. Even for a design enthusiast like me, there is something fascinating about people creating art for each other without the caveats of platforms or the craziness of conflict in sight. The challenge is to ask only what you want to give to it rather than what the platform needs. For that reason, the month of July is a sacred place – a place to create on my terms with the knowledge that it will continue to be seen by others and perhaps will be important to some of them.
Camille Butera is a Masters of Science student at Oxford University and recently graduated from Smith College. Apart from that, you can find him filming and hosting TV shows five years after everyone else.
