Well, this post marks number 25,000 for me, still not at Josh's level though 
, that record may be unattainable.
Anyway, some people do these threads just to highlight the fact briefly and it doesn't seem to ammount to much.
I personally want to use it as a time to reflect.
In a few months, I'll have been a member of this site for 3 years. Looking back at everything that's gone on, seems like more than that. I came here because some folks, who are some favorites over here, were posting over at Rebelscum about this forum called Sideshow Freaks. Curious as to what they were talking about, and always interested in finding people to discuss this hobby with, I came to this site and signed up for membership. I had no idea at the time just how much that decision would affect my life, but looking back today, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
All of the highlights of my life as a collector have come from being at this site, I've had wonderful opportunities that I couldn't have even imagined just for having this site give me a place to freely be who I am. If I'd been buying all the things I own now 4 years ago before I was a part of the forum world, I wouldn't be taking photographs or making graphic images. In my life, I have never met anyone into this hobby, for nearly a decade I enjoyed this hobby by myself, wasn't the most fun thing, but it was all I knew so I didn't mind it much. This site gave me an audience, I could use my artistic expression to share my enjoyment of this hobby and I'd have an audience to present my work to, an audience that can also appreciate the subject matter I enjoy working with. One of the most life-sucking feelings is to pour yourself into artwork and then save it the computer or tuck it away from storage because once you're done, that's it, no one's going to see it. Now, I have you guys, and that's a big deal for me.
More important than that, to me, are the relationships I've established here. I'm on friendly terms with a few talented sculptors who work for the companies that make these things I buy, and it's been a real treat to get to know them and to get their insights into the work, something I really value. I often wonder how things are done in this hobby, I get curious beyond just give me mine and slap it up on a shelf. I've made contacts with a few folks at Sideshow and those relationships have meant a lot. Most of all, I've made friends here that, though we may be many miles apart, are people I'd trust and depend on more than a lot of people I meet face to face. There are a number of you, whom for various reasons have come to mean a lot that I know you and through this place and even outside of it, are my good friends. I do want to highlight a couple though. Firstly, Les Walker, I can't even put into words how nice it's been to build the friendship that you and I have, when I see all the fighting around this site, I often feel bad for people that they can't exist here without so much tension, the potential relationships they could make, that they could have something as nice as our friendship and are too caught up in nonsense to find it is saddening, but I am grateful to know you sir, and I hope others value your presence equally. As a small tribute, I took this photo and tweaked it as a symbol of our friendship.
DarkArtist Josh, my fellow Halloween fan, fellow fan for the darker side of art, you're a good man and a good friend, and I truly value the support you've been with everything, the art, but more so the fitness, when I've reached my excercising goal, you'll be the first one I go running to for a digital high five, you've been there as I make my journey with that and I appreciate it.
Wor-Gar, I think it'd be best to sum it up with, yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me, drink up me hearties yo-ho!
I could gush like an overindulgent Oscar winner about more of you, but I'll just sum it up that, the rest of you, hopefully understand who you are, and for a number of reasons, I value knowing you as well, for various reasons you've all demonstrated that you're admirable, respectable, reliable people truly worth knowing and a credit to this site, and in different ways, you've all impacted my life positively and I'm grateful for those experiences.
Finally, just a little thanks to Darklord Dave for creating this site, for your ongoing effort to add to the experience of being here, and for the opportunities you've given me, I truly appreciate it.
And with that, I'm going to close with an image honoring my most recently received Sideshow piece, a very treasured piece, and one that will always stand as a symbol of all the good being part of this site has been in my life.
, that record may be unattainable.Anyway, some people do these threads just to highlight the fact briefly and it doesn't seem to ammount to much.
I personally want to use it as a time to reflect.
In a few months, I'll have been a member of this site for 3 years. Looking back at everything that's gone on, seems like more than that. I came here because some folks, who are some favorites over here, were posting over at Rebelscum about this forum called Sideshow Freaks. Curious as to what they were talking about, and always interested in finding people to discuss this hobby with, I came to this site and signed up for membership. I had no idea at the time just how much that decision would affect my life, but looking back today, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
All of the highlights of my life as a collector have come from being at this site, I've had wonderful opportunities that I couldn't have even imagined just for having this site give me a place to freely be who I am. If I'd been buying all the things I own now 4 years ago before I was a part of the forum world, I wouldn't be taking photographs or making graphic images. In my life, I have never met anyone into this hobby, for nearly a decade I enjoyed this hobby by myself, wasn't the most fun thing, but it was all I knew so I didn't mind it much. This site gave me an audience, I could use my artistic expression to share my enjoyment of this hobby and I'd have an audience to present my work to, an audience that can also appreciate the subject matter I enjoy working with. One of the most life-sucking feelings is to pour yourself into artwork and then save it the computer or tuck it away from storage because once you're done, that's it, no one's going to see it. Now, I have you guys, and that's a big deal for me.
More important than that, to me, are the relationships I've established here. I'm on friendly terms with a few talented sculptors who work for the companies that make these things I buy, and it's been a real treat to get to know them and to get their insights into the work, something I really value. I often wonder how things are done in this hobby, I get curious beyond just give me mine and slap it up on a shelf. I've made contacts with a few folks at Sideshow and those relationships have meant a lot. Most of all, I've made friends here that, though we may be many miles apart, are people I'd trust and depend on more than a lot of people I meet face to face. There are a number of you, whom for various reasons have come to mean a lot that I know you and through this place and even outside of it, are my good friends. I do want to highlight a couple though. Firstly, Les Walker, I can't even put into words how nice it's been to build the friendship that you and I have, when I see all the fighting around this site, I often feel bad for people that they can't exist here without so much tension, the potential relationships they could make, that they could have something as nice as our friendship and are too caught up in nonsense to find it is saddening, but I am grateful to know you sir, and I hope others value your presence equally. As a small tribute, I took this photo and tweaked it as a symbol of our friendship.
DarkArtist Josh, my fellow Halloween fan, fellow fan for the darker side of art, you're a good man and a good friend, and I truly value the support you've been with everything, the art, but more so the fitness, when I've reached my excercising goal, you'll be the first one I go running to for a digital high five, you've been there as I make my journey with that and I appreciate it.
Wor-Gar, I think it'd be best to sum it up with, yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me, drink up me hearties yo-ho!
I could gush like an overindulgent Oscar winner about more of you, but I'll just sum it up that, the rest of you, hopefully understand who you are, and for a number of reasons, I value knowing you as well, for various reasons you've all demonstrated that you're admirable, respectable, reliable people truly worth knowing and a credit to this site, and in different ways, you've all impacted my life positively and I'm grateful for those experiences.
Finally, just a little thanks to Darklord Dave for creating this site, for your ongoing effort to add to the experience of being here, and for the opportunities you've given me, I truly appreciate it.
And with that, I'm going to close with an image honoring my most recently received Sideshow piece, a very treasured piece, and one that will always stand as a symbol of all the good being part of this site has been in my life.
