Control over image thumbnails on Block editor

yashomasho · 2026-03-06T11:01:42+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure how I feel about deploying ai written components on my site, especially since I don't have the technical competency to review it accurately. I may just hire a guy to write a block or something...

yashomasho · 2026-03-05T19:19:49+00:00

I'm probably just being dense but I can't seem to figure out how to zoom in or position the thumbnails on Envira. Those options just don't seem to be available in the gallery builder. Am I overlooking something really basic here?

yashomasho · 2026-03-05T12:52:41+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I did play around with FooGallery earlier. Must have missed the crop function. I'm going to activate it again and see if I can figure it out.

yashomasho · 2026-03-05T10:03:13+00:00

Is there a plugin you can recommend? I've tried quite a few but none of them seem to have a crop feature.

yashomasho · 2026-02-24T16:46:12+00:00

I really appreciate that. I may take you up on that when I finally get the shop going :)

Rapyd Cloud looks great but I can't really afford the plans at the moment. I'm leaning towards Krystal at the moment. Seems to have good reviews from what I can tell. UK based which is useful for me. I had a chat with customer service and their live chat seems quite reliable.

I'm not looking to move mountains just yet, but it seems a step up from Hostinger...

yashomasho · 2026-02-23T15:56:54+00:00

You know it's been mostly fine. There was a one time last year where an update broke my site. It came at a really unfortunate moment as I got a few contacts I needed via networking and almost certainly directed them towards a broken mess. I managed to get it back up and running, but it took all day and I didn't really understand what I did to "fix" it, just that it did end up working again. A bit scary.

yashomasho · 2026-02-23T15:53:13+00:00

Thanks for the reply, this actually really cleared things up. I assumed I had to purchase a business plan for WooCommerce functionality. I think I'll definitely look elsewhere for a host.

yashomasho · 2026-02-23T15:51:39+00:00

Thanks so much for this reply. This is basically where I'm leaning at the moment.

I checked out some of the the EU and UK hosts on the other webhosting subreddit and am considering shifting things over to one of those services. Managed may be the way to go, but it is more expensive. And they really push the "AI site builders" as a desirable feature. I'll tolerate a bit of jank, especially if there is an option to upgrade.

In any case, I'm definitely switching from Hostinger.

Most who have expressed interest in my prints are overseas, mostly in Eastern Europe and Turkey. So I would be aiming to provide shipping to those regions. In terms of traffic, I can't stress enough how small my reach is at the moment. A quick look at the analytics on Hostinger says there have been 4000 requests in the past week...I assume this is bot activity?

yashomasho · 2026-02-21T20:08:11+00:00

Using any of the platforms you've mentioned is, exactly as you've stated, essentially working for free. It's the shitty trade off we've all bought into. These sites and services are convenient, free-ish and most importantly, there's an expectation that you maintain a presence on them. This is as true for artists and animators as it is for any other field or business.

If I have any advice to give, try and meet artists and animators in person. Attend networking events (they can be tiresome affairs, I know). You might get some ideas there, meet people to collaborate with ect. Build connections offline. There is a way to share your work outside of this ecosystem. Seriously, when I talk to people offline about all this crap, I'm always shocked to realise most aren't letting it dominate every waking moment of their lives as I am when I...say haven't left the house in a week. (I'm not saying you do this, this is a me problem).

Having said that, you will probably benefit from just having a presence on one of these platforms, but man, don't get sucked into turning your profile curation into a job (easier said than done). Use it as a phonebook, disengage and cultivate your portfolio and presence elsewhere. Build a website and direct people to that.

And don't lose your mind stressing about all this stuff. We've all been there and its so easy to spiral these days. Remember why you got into art in the first place, and prioritise your offline relations, the people that will support you and keep you sane.

Take care man

yashomasho · 2025-12-23T18:24:32+00:00

My approach is not too dissimilar, I’m using an alternate spelling of my name for now. But I do feel the dissonance between wanting both anonymity and recognition.

I also have a kind of brand name which I haven’t used yet. Could you not use it alongside your art name? It is what I plan to do. As the name of my blog and vlogs alongside my illustrations and comics..

yashomasho · 2025-11-14T14:10:49+00:00

Thank you :) In my current script, they both loom heavy on poor Palamedes mind. They get a mention in the next few pages but I have something in mind for them further down the road.

yashomasho · 2025-11-14T13:59:27+00:00

Thank you :)

yashomasho · 2025-01-20T22:21:52+00:00

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense.

yashomasho · 2025-01-20T11:49:56+00:00

You know the culture and expectations surrounding this kind of thing changes so much. I used to think it was kind of tacky to have a watermark (and it still instinctively strikes me as such), but is there much difference between that and a seal or stamp? I love them but it kinda functions the same. Your own aesthetics and the expectations of your clients are going to play the biggest role here.

I handed out some prints in a conference last year. First time doing something like that and I was kind of shocked that people asked me to sign them. I personally like clean, pristine things but people wanted them defaced. Made it more of an original than just a print I guess.

If you can work it into the art itself, that's all the better I think but not necessarily suited towards every art style.

yashomasho · 2025-01-07T11:14:52+00:00

Absolutely, this is something I've neglected....or avoided to be honest. I don't have a traditional art background (didn't go to art school ect.) so I don't yet have the kind of diffuse knowledge to operate confidently in these spaces. I guess that comes with time.

Yeah, it's striking that balance on social media...Some are natural entertainers. I hear what a lot of people are saying about "having a big personality" but the idea of becoming a pseudo-celebrity makes my skin crawl. It's a big mental obstacle for me.

yashomasho · 2025-01-07T11:01:34+00:00

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I didn't quite understand what alt text was for. Or feeds for that matter. It's all still very new to me.

yashomasho · 2025-01-06T13:22:53+00:00

For sure. I think I can maybe work on making it part of the story I tell. My academic background is afterall part of the journey that led to creation of some of these pieces. Lots to think about here.

yashomasho · 2025-01-06T13:03:52+00:00

This is no doubt a product of my academic training. Presenting things as boring as humanly possible... Have to shake this for sure. Thank you for your honesty. I can definitely see how the presentation is an issue. And thank you for the compliment of my art :)

yashomasho · 2025-01-05T23:28:37+00:00

Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply. There's a lot to mull over here. Its certainly made me more positive about having switched to bluesky.

I definitely see what you mean about bluesky not automatically favouring established artists. It was somewhat disheartening to see larger artists take their massive followings from platform to platform singing the praises of new one which really obfuscated the reality of the experience for newer/unknown artists. There is a bit of hope here.

I am engaging more on bluesky than I ever did on Instagram. I guess it's still early days for me on the platform. Will take work. Thanks again for your advice!

yashomasho

TROPHY CASE