cislunar-anna
Cislunar FAQ's
I'm going to post some of our FAQ's here for anyone who is interested in or has been asked to join the Cislunar project, in hopes to help further explain the project, it's goals, and what it's all about.
General Site Info
What is Cislunar?Cislunar is a non-profit website that is paid for, maintained and managed by one sole founder, Anna (that's me!). I founded the project and launched the site on 08.08.18 as a way to help promote the art community - whether you're a writer, an artist, a photographer, a filmographer, a musician, etc. Arts are a vital part of our culture and environment, and since I'm not all-too-talented when it comes to art, this seemed the most viable way for me to help give back to the community, which I believe is so very important. You spend your life cultivating a talent and sharing your work, and the least I can do is help you along the way!
What's the point of Cislunar?
The idea is to continue promoting independent creators & as the site expands with content, we increase the audience for all of the projects that are included! My dream is for Cislunar to become a place for everyone. So no matter who comes to the site, they will find a piece whether it's a painting, photo, piece of literature, ANYTHING that resonates with them. That, and I really enjoy networking with individuals from around the globe.
How are the projects picked for the site?
I do most of my scoping for projects between Deviant Art, Instagram, Twitter (on occasion), Wattpad, Writer's Cafe and 500px. If I find an innovator who creates something that I find special, I will reach out to them and ask if they'd be interested in joining the cooperative. However, I am always open to submissions, and we do periodically have 'themed galleries' that showcase many additional artists who do not have full galleries on Cislunar. This is one of the ways that we can expand our reach!
Do you post anyone's work who submits it to you?
Not always (but do not let that discourage you!) - sometimes we receive submissions that are not appropriate for the site, have issues with demanding innovators who ask for more than we are able to provide, and sometimes the art is just not quite what we are looking for. HOWEVER: all submissions will be viewed by myself, and I will be sure to contact you back regarding your work, always.
For New Contributors
If I get asked to have a gallery on the website, what does that entail?
It's a pretty simple set-up for galleries, since all of them are similar in format. I will send you a list of 7 questions (give or take) and ask you the following.
- How would you like your artist name displayed?
- What country are you located in?
- Do you have a bio about yourself?
- What links (social media/website/shop/etc) would you like me to include for people to reach out to you/follow you at?
- In our 'contributor's' section of the site, we include a 'profile picture' of sorts for each artist. Would you want a real picture of you, or would you prefer to substitute a piece of your work?
- I like to post 3-4 images from the gallery on Cislunar's social media (Twitter, Facebook & IG) to help promote the work. Your name will be included on each piece, and if you have a corresponding account on those networks, I will tag you. Is this okay?
- Discussion over images used in the gallery.
Do I have to do anything on the website as a contributor?
Nope, not at all! If you want to visit your gallery or check out the other contributors periodically, it would be greatly appreciated, but other than that - everything is handled by myself!
How long does the work stay on Cislunar?
Essentially forever - or until you would like the gallery removed. I will never argue over having a gallery removed, just send me a message letting me know you would like it taken down, and I will remove it - no questions asked!
Can I add new pieces to the gallery?
ABSOLUTELY! Just send me a message with the work you want added, and I'll get it posted! If there's enough content to create another album within your gallery, we can restructure it that way - that's no problem! Once you're on the site, you're family - and anything you need help posting/promoting in the future, I would be happy to help in any way that I can!
Does it cost anything for me to have a gallery on Cislunar?
Cislunar has been, and always will be, free to innovators of any type! I love networking and promoting work, it is not something I'm doing to make money from, just a way to give back to the community and spread the love.
Is there any type of work that will not be posted on Cislunar?
Since Cislunar attaches itself to a variety of artists and their work, I do have to make sure that the work does not fall into a few 'generally-viewed-as-offensive' categories. I will not post anything that is overly graphic (it takes a lot to be considered overly graphic in my book), anything containing hate-speech or themes of hate (towards a certain group of people, beliefs, etc.), or any overly erotic work (artful nudity is totally fine!). I do retain the final say in what gets posted on the site, but I will always let you know my reasoning for why. However, to date, this has not occurred, and I've never had to deny any artistic piece to the site for these reasons.
Is there a benefit to having my art on the site?
Well I certainly think so! All joking aside, I have had quite a few people reach out to ask if various artists on the sites have shops where their work can be purchased, along with artists on the sites starting to network with one another and create new projects. And I personally think that the more exposure to your work that you get, the better!
Contact Info
You can ALWAYS message me whenever you have a question, comment, idea, winning lottery numbers, inquiry, etc. I love getting mail, and would love to hear from you!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cislunar.net…
Thank you for reading, thank you for your time, and most importantly - thank you for being here!
Events in 2019
It is NEVER too early to start thinking about 2019!
A lot of these 'holidays' are extremely non-traditional and goofy, but are a fun way to seek out new contributors and take in submissions from aspiring innovators. Each art event will have a gallery, and each writing event will have its own page - based on how many submissions are received.
This is a chance for you to have your work immortalized on Cislunar's website, and as our page grows with projects, increases the audience for your work!
FYI: Cislunar is a non-profit website that is designed to help promote independent innovators from around the world. Any gallery feature is absolutely free to the creator - Cislunar is designed to be a platform for anyone and everyone. All content is maintained by the Cislunar team, so it is very hands-off for the contributors (we know how busy life is!) and we will remove your work at any time, should you request it - this is NOT OBLIGATORY. We encourage anyone interested in any of these projects to reach out to us - we love networking!
Without further ado....
2019 EVENT CALENDAR
Events that are full for submissions will be updated accordingly.
January 16th, 2019: Appreciate A Dragon Day
Seeking: Artists of any kind with works about dragons, or authors with any stories or poems regarding our mythical, fire-breathing friends.
February 26th, 2019: Tell A Fairytale Day
Seeking: Authors with stories, poems, or anecdotes that relate to fairytales.
March 14th, 2019: Learn About Butterflies Day
Seeking: Macro-photography that features butterflies in any way, shape, or form.
March 20th, 2019: Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
Seeking: Artists or authors who have works regarding alien abductions or aliens of any kind.
April 8th, 2019: Draw A Picture Of A Bird Day (Limited Gallery)
Seeking: Sketches of birds, this is a limited gallery, so only a few submissions will be taken.
April 15th, 2019: World Art Day
Seeking: Art in ANY FORM that comes from any part of the globe! Let us celebrate the many wonderful cultures and experiences that all come together in the name of art.
April 16th, 2019: Save The Elephant Day (Limited Gallery)
Seeking: Any artwork having to do with elephants. This is a limited gallery, so only a few submissions will be taken.
May 3rd, 2019: International Space Day
Seeking: ANY art that relates to space! Writings, photography, drawings, stamps, anything!
May 4th, 2019: May The 4th Be With You Day (Limited Gallery)
Seeking: Any Star Wars fan art or fan fiction. This is a limited gallery, so only a few submissions will be taken.
June 15th, 2019: National Nature Photography Day
Seeking: Nature photography, just like the title says! Anything can be nature-related, but bonus points for shots of mountains and wildlife.
July 2nd, 2019: World UFO Day
Seeking: Art or stories around our favorite extraterrestrial spacecraft, the UFO!
July 8th, 2019: Video Games Day
Seeking: Your best video game fan art.
July 20th, 2019: Moon Day (Limited Gallery)
Seeking: Art pertaining to our moon! This is a limited gallery, so only a few submissions will be taken.
September 6th, 2019: Read A Book Day
Seeking: Any short stories that we could use to help encourage reading on this day!
September 23rd, 2019: Autumn Equinox
Seeking: Works from authors or artists pertaining to fall and all the wonderfullness that comes with it!
October 6th, 2019: Mad Hatter Day
Seeking: Art or stories relating to Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter.
October 25th, 2019: Punk For A Day Day (Limited Gallery)
Seeking: Any punk-style artwork. This is a limited gallery, so only a few submissions will be taken.
It's been a long while...
I don't update my DA often, although it seems like I'm on here every other day, so I thought I would just post a quick journal update on the site, for anyone that is curious! (And from here on out, I'll try to be more meticulous with my posting)
Things are progressing smoothly with Cislunar, and I'm excited to see that we have been growing through our social network.
Social Media Growth
+79 followers on Instagram
+965 likes on Facebook
+36 followers on Twitter <-- hey, it used to be 5 last time I checked, so I'll take it!
We have also had over 4,000 page views on the site alone from our launch on August 8th, 2018 to today! This has averaged to over 800 unique IP addresses visiting the website and browsing the awesome projects that are there, and they're joining us from all around the globe!
Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to Cislunar thus far and helped us to grow - I hope that I can continue to promote your work in a fun, energetic and engaging way that helps grow your audience for months and years to come!
Other Updates
Synopsis of To Paint A World:
Creating a new, colourful world is never easy when the world around you is all in black and white, but Ellie has a mission. She will do almost anything for the people she loves, and creating a world filled with colour is on the top of her list even if it seems to be the impossible she is trying to accomplish.
As Ellie finds a way to create the new world, she is faced with her inner demons that need to be defeated and a sinister villain, Ellena who wears her face. With the help of her best friend she can paint the world with colour, but would that mean losing who she is in the process?
To Paint A World is a complex story filled with questions about what to do when your colourful life falls into a depressing pit of sorrow and grey. As Ellie works through her despair and grief and ultimately finds hope in the most unlikely of places, the reader will do so as well. This is the type of story that will make you feel chills and cry with a character, whilst rooting for her unlikely return from the darkness threatening to swallow her alive.
C.L. Farinha is doing an amazing job at capturing the depth of emotion needed for a tale this deep, while at the same time staying light-hearted enough to keep it within the realm of fantasy.
First Place: sgt-idiot
Second Place: guodaaiko
Third Place: NyktoPaint
Editor's Pick #1: Jan Spicka (I can't tag you, I'm so sorry!)
Editor's Pick #2: JoeEyeStepOnMonsters
Thank you to all of our talented friends who submitted art to the contest! We changed up the rules and instead of the winners being featured in a Contest Album on our site, we are extending the Contest Album to everyone who contributed, and are offering a solo gallery for the winners that were chosen! So keep an eye out for more updates on this in the future.
**The First Post**
I'm on Deviant Art because I'm searching for projects to feature for a website I'm working on. If you've found this page because of a note I've sent you, welcome! If you've found me on accident, welcome to you as well!
My name's Annabella. Or plain ol' Anna. I'm 24 years old - I live in Wisconsin, and I believe in the arts. Whether you're a writer, photographer, artist, musician, wood-worker, actor, film-maker, anything: I stand behind you 110%. More people in this world should pursue their talents and not be held back by mental barriers of "what-if's" or self-doubt.
That's why I created my website, Cislunar. It's designed to showcase the talents of independent innovators from around the world, creating a catch-all for artisans, where the content is always fresh, and always unique! I've watched so many people in my life pour their heart and soul into work that never reached the light of day because they didn't "fit the bill," or the people they prospected weren't looking for new projects. And so many projects out there deserve to be seen - they're inspired!
So that's what I do. I search the internet for interesting projects to add to the website, so the website always has a wide variety of interests, while helping to promote independent arts.
If you have any inquiries, let me know! I would love to answer any questions you may have - thanks for checking out my page!
-A