It helps to post your works on other forums and communities of interests related to your artworks other than DA if you want to show your stuff to a larger audience.

Personally, I find it easier and more fun to draw what I have in mind, compared to what I think others will want to see.

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"Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness."
- The Architect

Any nice forums to intro?

Anyway I always do draw what I have in mind only, pretty much up till now at least.

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It's a difficult balance. We all want recognition for the hard work we put into our art. At the same time, compromising by drawing only what you think people want to see helps you blend into the background. Be original, be yourself, and do what you want to do. That way, your art will always be faithful to what it's meant to be faithful to - you.

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"When you really know somebody, you can't hate them...or maybe it's just that you can't really know them until you stop hating them."

My eHow: [link]

These places are pretty good, give it a try:

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

[link]

Contests, art trades etc, just join em, in time, you will make friends and slowly increase your circle.

--
"Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness."
- The Architect

Eh why so disturbed over such things?
I think it's quite ironic to not attention-seek while being a designer/artist/fanartist.
If you duwan attention, what do you do it for?
If there is anything to be concerned with, it should be the means of getting attention.
Knowing you, it's not like as if someday you would go copy something or what.
You dun even do fanart often.
I dunno how you work, but the way i do it is like this.
Usually i'll make it a point to try out something new, even if it takes alot of effort to do just one pic.
Then i'll do some little stuff as if taking a break, which i also do upload.
Whether the masses like it or not, from what i observed, is because of the size of audience.
It sounds stupid but true.
If you spam click random deviant, or just search for some fanart, i'm sure you'll get what i mean.
Usually, people who do fanart, join clubs, spam comments, etc etc, will be exposed to more people.
There are many kind people out there who will praise them for mediocre works, so other viewers will be subconsciously influenced to do so too.
All effort, style, time spent, originality, etc, are disregarded.

I would suggest, before worrying about all these, why not you just dun give a damn and get lots of audience first?
No point thinking too hard abt it.
I had similar thoughts too, but to start somewhere, i decided to do these things too.
That's why most of the stuff that i do so far are all fanarts.

I know how you feel. I started doing freebies on Gaia little over a year ago and the compliments and tips really kept me going. It helps to have a support group.