Creativity and originality are incredibly elastic value judgements, up to the individual. I notice they aren't defined here to give context. I suspect trying to do that would be a fool's errand.
"Commercial" is a very elastic term too. Just because furry subculture is making use of some tools like nonprofit incorporation or benefiting from outside marketing doesn't mean it's indie nature is fading. You can alternately look at dollars. (Anthrocon, the biggest group entity, has a tiny budget less than a few months revenue of a neighborhood gas station.) Or structure (FurAffinity may be owned but little on it is mandated by IMVU.) Plenty of indie endeavors stay creator owned while getting production or distribution from larger entities who don't mess with their internal operation.
Across the market of little fan run cottage industry, the levels of revenue are probably strongly close to personal income with very little control to mandate what others produce (in other words, very few leaders or employers and employed.) That's not commercial, that's grassroots creativity. Seeing marketers want a piece of that action (even just getting notice from the weird factor) isnt something to worry about. Its a super positive sign that things are growing the way fans want. And we can make them ask permission to get our cooperation.
Reaction - disagree.
Creativity and originality are incredibly elastic value judgements, up to the individual. I notice they aren't defined here to give context. I suspect trying to do that would be a fool's errand.
Furry is very close to pop culture and low art ("Lowbrow" defines itself as a genre too BTW.) I think originality isn't necessary for that to still count as creative personal expression. https://www.flayrah.com/5370/pseudo-furry-videos-raise-questions-about-pop-cultu...
"Commercial" is a very elastic term too. Just because furry subculture is making use of some tools like nonprofit incorporation or benefiting from outside marketing doesn't mean it's indie nature is fading. You can alternately look at dollars. (Anthrocon, the biggest group entity, has a tiny budget less than a few months revenue of a neighborhood gas station.) Or structure (FurAffinity may be owned but little on it is mandated by IMVU.) Plenty of indie endeavors stay creator owned while getting production or distribution from larger entities who don't mess with their internal operation.
Across the market of little fan run cottage industry, the levels of revenue are probably strongly close to personal income with very little control to mandate what others produce (in other words, very few leaders or employers and employed.) That's not commercial, that's grassroots creativity. Seeing marketers want a piece of that action (even just getting notice from the weird factor) isnt something to worry about. Its a super positive sign that things are growing the way fans want. And we can make them ask permission to get our cooperation.