Attention! Features! Ikea! 2012!

Attention!
I've been out recently and receiving quite a lot of calls for attention, support, feature requests,...
I believe it's my task to thoroughly keep an eye on what's going on inside the gallery and spend time on every aspect that's calling for action. I'm also working hard on the creation and establishment of a new calendar-system that allows us to double the amount of hours we can spend on our stints; but that's another story.

Anyway, "How will deviants find the right path that leads to my gallery?" is a question that's grown to be cliché to the max, nevertheless it keeps repeating itself and so should the proper answer, in my humble opinion.

• Be the best deviant you can be: explore the world on DeviantArt like you want dA and its residents to explore you(rs). Paying attention to others most likely will increase traffic to your work. Mind to not just splash out comments for the sake of it; become part of a valuable community system and -spirit by submitting thoughtful yet constructive, supportive feedback. Opinions may differ, but make yours worth taking into account.
• Put effort in your work: Lóts of effort. Impressive works are the result of an evolution in enhanced technique, vision, control of concept and visual intelligence. Focus on what's going on in contemporary art, on trends that passed by, articles and tutorials about them. Think about how to make your work original whilst being aware of these appealing elements. Mastering certain techniques frequently used is good, but develop your own style with the level of execution apprenticed.
• Submit, enter, credit & shine: Submit your work the proper way. Uploading it to the right category might be pleasing to dA; it's not enough to capture the beholding eyes wanted. Be smart by adding the appropriate tags to your deviation, these filter out the works in the browsing-section. "My dog ate it" isn't going to be a helpful tag for an image displaying a redberry-cupcake (f.i.).
  Credit those who are entitled to it. Stock-images push you forth a great deal, so make sure you use them according to the owner's legal requirements and restrictions.
• Enter contests: It cannot be stressed enough: seek highlights by entering contests displaying your work(s). These will also help you putting reality into perspective. Why was the result successful/disappointing? Find a momentum and keep it up, try improving yourself on every occassion. At all times, look around you and the results of your creativeness: how is it relating to those of your fellows as for originality, quality, popularity? Don't be tempted to copy styles upon that process; remind yourself to keep the focus on personal and unique twists. This will keep your work in the running for long-term success.
• Be here for the long(er) term: Patience is the virtue. As in all stories, those who persist rate as candidates more likely to succeed. Just keep doing your stuff, along with the evolution through community feedback; be open to others and grow some elephant's skin where needed. Not all DeviantArt's residents, sadly, are coming on twice as nice. Binary communication is a tricky one that can often lead to misunderstandings and quarrels initially unintended. Steer away from that aspect affecting your spirit, and above all: keeping you from being creative - as that is what it's all about in the very first place. Your work should be doing most of the talking.
  Not dropping out and maintaining that good ol' art-community-spirit; it's going to be mighty rewarding in the long run!
  
  Features!
  To follow véry soon
  
  Ikea!
  Is going to cost me a fortune in the coming months..
  
  2012!
  Will be preceding 2013*, both years with high's & low's; as ever life's certain T's.
  
  *most likely adopted by my new calendar-system as well..