Sketchy Interview Part 2: The Importance of Growth

The long awaited sequel to the Sketchy interview is finally here, ladies and gentlemen. This gentlecolt continues to amaze me every time I read his words, he often makes me think about my stances and conceptions. And as such, this is one of the best takeaways I can have from #MLPMonth.

On this part of the interview we’ll take a look at Sketchy’s thoughts on the fandom and the pieces of work it’s provided. There are some aspects about this part of this interview that will definitely catch some off-guard as well. Especially when he talks about some aspects of the fandom some bronies aren’t exactly proud to bring up in conversation.

Toxicity in the Brony Fandom and the importance of Criticism

After talking about his work and how strong it can get, I asked Sketchy what he thinks of the fandom he’s very much part of. He quickly addressed this with some important advice for the community itself:

“Overall it’s a good community that I enjoy being a part of, but I do feel that there are things we need to work on. Sometimes we tend to bite back way too hard whenever someone makes a fair criticism of the community, and from my experiences with other artists, we sometimes have a habit of pushing people when they say they aren’t into MLP or don’t want to make MLP-related content.

There’s the common defense that we’re “not as bad as other fandoms” but whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t actually address the issue. We need to be more willing to look at ourselves and how we act, myself included.

It’s great that we have a community that is so passionate about this show, but we also need to be mindful and not let that passion turn into pushiness or toxicity. This is a show about magical talking horses after all.”

He then goes on to talk about the importance of self-analysis and self-criticism:

“I won’t deny that it’s hard to be critical of your own community, and I can understand why most would hesitate to do so, but at the end of the day ignoring the problems within your own community won’t do anything to solve them. It only ensures that they persist.

I know some people will read what I just said and interpreted as me not liking the fandom or being pessimistic, but I think it’s a lot more detrimental to us in the long term to romanticize the fandom and give people a false impression”

Misconceptions About the Analysis Community

I decided to ask Sketchy about the Analysis community itself. While he still wants to be judged as an individual and not part of a group, Sketchy talked about his overall thoughts on the Analysis community.

“Like the rest of the community, it’s something I enjoy being a part of, but there are some fair criticisms. While we do get somewhat of a bad rap from the other sections of the community, one fair point that they do make is that the analysis community does tend to be rather clique-ish.

While there is an initial air of all-inclusiveness, there are a plethora of Skype groups and discord servers, and while there is an overlap, you definitely get that high school clique vibe. The best way I can put it is that Skype/Discord is like the school cafeteria and the different groups/servers are all the different tables and social groups.”

He then mentions a quick story of other enthusiasts who wanted to become part of the analysis community itself. Let’s say it just might not be the best place for starting a social circle.

“I’ve gotten comments and messages from fans saying that they want to join the community so they can be friends with the people that they watch, but the best advice I can possibly give in this situation is that if you’re doing this for the sole purpose of being in a social circle, you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

I started doing YouTube because I enjoy talking about the things that I watch for as long as I can remember and I saw YouTube as a platform for me to do that on a larger scale. It’s something I enjoy doing whether it makes me a part of a larger community or not.”

Sketchy the Illustrator and future ambitions.

After the whole criticism of the fandom, I briefly talked with Sketchy about what he does as an Illustrator. I asked him what were his work tool sand also what his work mostly entails, he responded with a brief but sweet summary.

“Most of my work is digital. I use a drawing tablet to produce my work, and when it comes to programs, I use a mix of Paint Tool Sai and Photoshop. While I do dabble in basic design, my work is definitely more illustration-based.”

Sketchy also talked about how much he wants to improve as a creator himself. When I asked him about whether or not he has been living up to that goal, he responded with a very insightful commentary.

“Each year has marked a certain progression with my work. In 2016, I switched to doing reviews of the show in monthly chunks so I can dedicate the rest of each month to other topics so I don’t get burnt out over covering the show constantly.

In 2017 I started becoming more expressive in the way I read my scripts and make some one-off comedy skits as well. I’m looking forward to what 2018 will bring. I’ll be the first year where I won’t be doing videos alongside being a full time student, so it’ll be an interesting year.”

Recently, Sketchy also uploaded a video talking about how he has gotten a job as an illustrator. He also mentions that major issues in his life have been addressed for the time being and all he has to get done now is his education. The future certainly looks very bright for the upcoming illustrator and critic.

Conclusion: The best always starts from somewhere

This brings the interview with Sketchy the Changeling to a close. As you can see, he’s a very interesting individual with interesting viewpoints in the current world. While the interview has been centered in the Community itself, I notice that Sketchy wants to keep expanding his horizons to new frontiers.

I mean, considering that the world will always have a spot for talent, no matter where. This is a good philosophy to carry on, expanding your horizons and looking at your own work critically will make you improve a lot. And this applies to critics, journalists, filmmakers and other kinds of professionals.

I recommend people to flock over and subscribe to his YouTube channel. You can also follow his Twitter and ask for commissions on his DeviantART. And, of course, you can also contribute to his Patreon to support his YouTube videos.