Celebrating Deviousness - August 2023

 

The Deviousness Award is given to one deviant each month in recognition of their exemplary contributions to DeviantArt and its community and has been a long-standing tradition since DeviantArt’s early years. @JenFruzz is the recipient of August 2023’s Deviousness Award, so please join us in congratulating her!

@JenFruzz’s many contributions to the DeviantArt community over the years are nearly impossible to summarize or overstate. A photographer who spent the greater part of 10 years as a dedicated Community Volunteer, she has coordinated and run countless projects and events to bring artists together. Beyond running projects, she is a constant cheerful and helpful presence on DeviantArt, always offering deviants help, guidance, and good cheer. It is with tremendous pleasure that we name @JenFruzz the recipient of the Deviousness Award for August 2023!

HELLO. I’m Jen! I’m not the best at introducing myself so I’ll start with a few fun facts about me. I’m a banker with a geology degree, my cat has more Instagram followers than I do, and I met my husband @Gaidenlight on DeviantArt. Speaking of DeviantArt (how’s THAT for a segue?), I joined DA because in 2004 my best friend told me about this cool place online to share our photography. DeviantArt gave me a place to upload my "masterpieces" (looool) but I didn't truly understand the value of this community until years later.

When I really immersed myself, I quickly realized what I loved about DA was sharing what I love ON DA. Journal features became my favorite way to share art, the chat network and forums became my home away from home, and I started to admin groups like @AnimalsPlantsNature, @projecteducate, and @seniormentors, to try to make a positive impact and promote the sense of community I always found so magnetic.

The greatest honor for me was when my application to become a Community Volunteer was accepted. I was thrilled to be able to select Daily Deviations from my favorite photographers and do even more community initiatives, like @ThumbHub (an effort to create a thriving, art-sharing chat room for artists of all experience levels). To this day the chat continues on Discord, with many of our original DA chatters keeping the artistic spirit alive.

None of what I’ve done on DeviantArt would’ve been possible without the connections I’ve built with now-lifelong friends. From the ones who helped me get started with groups (looking at you, @WDWParksGal) to those who I count on to help keep projects alive (looking at you ThumbHub mod team), I’ll always be thankful for their dedication and guidance. I will forever showcase and promote artists who share their wonderful creations with our community. DeviantArt is my internet home and I look forward to many more years with all of you.

Community Love

From @heidi

@JenFruzz is someone who epitomizes what it means to be a deviant—in the best ways possible. Her impact on DeviantArt extends beyond just her photography talents. A constant pillar of support and encouragement, she always takes the time to engage with fellow deviants, spread cheer, and offer helpful advice. Her art features, tutorials, and contests are second-to-none and always foster a sense of belonging. JenFruzz's unwavering dedication serves as an inspiration, and DeviantArt is better off having her as an integral part of our vibrant, creative community.

From @pinkythepink Jen has always been kind, helpful, and welcoming. When @Talty first told her I was joining the Community Volunteer team, she messaged me to share in the excitement. I still have that message saved, and it still makes me smile. She’s a great friend, a great artist, and an invaluable part of this community. Congrats on being recognized!

From @WDWParksGal I've known JenFruzz for many years. She is kind, funny, helpful, and a wonderful friend to me and many others on DeviantArt. As a fan of nature photography myself, I was drawn to her work and I've watched her ever since. She posts art features, runs groups like ThumbHub to promote artists and their art, and and hosts contests to challenge the community. Jen has great enthusiasm for DeviantArt and the community, and it shows through her humor, interactions with others, posts, features, comments, and more. She is a shining example of an awesome, important member of DA.

From @morbidman187 Jen is the only one on DA that has never seen a snail and she changed the site forever for it.

From @RTNightmare @JenFruzz is one of those deviants who is so community-oriented, she’s basically a leading authority about it. There are too many projects to name that would explain just how awesome her work is. As a volunteer, she was a beacon for many and was briefly in charge of a category for community events. While she may have taken a break and has stepped down as a CV, her work in ThumbHub continues and represents the champion that Jen is.

From @Queen-Kitty Meeting Jen through the volunteer team changed my life, and I think she’s changed a lot of deviants’ lives in various ways. Her enthusiasm and love for the community sent me to the original @ThumbHub chat (now hosted on Discord, come join!), which introduced me to so many people I would never have met otherwise. Because of her, DA became not just a place to post and feature art in journals, but also a place for meeting up with friends in real-time for silly (and sometimes serious) evening conversations while also, of course, showing off cool art that you found on the site. The way she has fostered and facilitated community makes her such a shining light. She works so hard to create fun (and maybe a little chaos) while also welcoming others with open arms. She is uniquely special and somebody DA is incredibly lucky to have (and somebody I’m lucky to call a friend). Jen truly deserves this for these reasons and so many more I haven’t even begun to touch on. Thank you for making DA even more special of a place for me and so many others

From @KovoWolf I am so happy to celebrate @JenFruzz, an extraordinary deviant who has profoundly impacted the community through her dedication and passion. For years, she’s been a pillar of strength, fostering creativity and belonging among artists through various projects, curating artwork, and offering invaluable guidance and support. Her tireless efforts have created a nurturing environment where artists can thrive, learn, and grow, and she has consistently gone above and beyond to empower artists on their creative journeys. Her enthusiasm and kindness is infectious, and her unwavering commitment to the community has left an indelible mark!

Congratulations to JenFruzz !

If you would like to suggest a deviant for Deviousness, you can do so by filling out this form!