Considering some concerns were raised from the RS "Let it Out" and AB "Pet peeves"

We LEARNED:

One: [u]PATIENCE[/u] We learned to increase our patience in this hobby. Patience to defer gratification and knowing not every "oooh pretty" is something we "must own". Sometimes there is a good chance something else will come along. Also patience to remember if it is is meant to be, somehow the cel or character will cross your path in the future. This has happened to us for repeatedly (six times so far) for dream cels we lost and/or missed out on! We had to work on improving delaying our gratification without lashing out and dwelling in negativity. Hard work for sure, but the benefits are so well worth the work, aren't they?

Two: [u]FINANCE[/u] This hobby has absolutely proven time and time again what we do as financial planners it is essential. We are glad to know our solutions solve problems. It really helps to set a financial plan to learn your limits, this saves a lot of grief. Doing so reduces your chances getting into debt, something no one desires, right?

E.g. Recently we got priced out of our budget and lost a fantastic item. An auction went a mere $200 over but we already met our limit, so we stopped. No regrets we did what was right for us and doing so keeps us in tip top financial health. We can save more, reduce taxes, invest, travel, and help others more, today! And aren't those things everyone wants to do? =)

Three: [u]ROOTS[/u] We learned to appreciate how anime is produced. Many may not know this one of us is trained as a traditional animator, so RS really helped us study and connect better with our anime roots. Thanks to RS our love for anime has grown. We continue to be exposed to anime genres we probably would not have seen if we did not see the amazing artwork. And we are reminded by RS how incredible anime and animation is in general. RS is magic!

Four: [u]PERSPECTIVE[/u] We have learned to keep things in perspective and stay optimistic! It is very easy to get jealous, resentful, sad, or isolated in this hobby. However with a lot of work, we believe we can all benefit from developing a [i]thicker skin[/i] and not let naysayers or negativity ruin the fun! Our passion for this hobby has not diminished at all. It is really easy to internalize, but we are grateful for the opportunities to mature. Ultimately, if we bowed out today, we'd leave knowing we put more into this community than we got out of it. We love sharing with others and teaching others.

Also we learned it is essential to just let things slide. Do disgruntled people pay the bills? *LOL* So before we make any decision we ask ourselves, "What happens if we do nothing?" ;) Sometimes it really helps to ignore the noise. We found letting things slide and remembering what truly matters, keeps everything in perspective. =) We wish the same for everyone.

We are GRATEFUL:

One: [u]HOME[/U] Thanks to RS people have a place to SHARE their cel treasures with the world! Some people have used the site for free for awhile now. So for those people if you enjoy the site show your support today! Why delay contributing? ;)

We knew html and flash pre-RS and created our gallery since the late 90s. To us RS is where we call HOME. For example when we travel we proudly introduce new people to RS. People are amazed by RS! Animanga was a great resource but some abused it and it lost its fun. Anime Beta in many ways shares the same concerns and has room to mature. However we still feel RS is the BEST!!

Two: [u]COLLECTED KNOWLEDGE[/u] We are grateful through RS we now have consolidated knowledge, a living repository dedicated to cel collecting! Nothing like this was available even with Animanga. This is one thing we love about RS. This is only site you create your own gallery and learn about cels all in one place! Truly awesome!

Cheers! =)

I learned earned that it is important do to what is best for me and my interests over the past 5 years of collecting. I will admit that when I first started collecting at 22 yrs old, I was a bit more irresponsible with my finances and would splurge first then take care of myself later. Today, at 5 years older and wiser, it is certainly not the case- especially since I am paying down debt accumulated through college and relearning to live a cash lifestyle on a part-time income/budget. I learned over the years to always put my finances first, then if I have a little extra spending money I would purchase a new sketch or cel.

Experience in this hobby has taught me that it is easy to meet new people and make friends and, also, meet people who do not necessarily agree with you, like you etc. at the same time. I am happy that I have a few lifetime buddies here, but also disappointed that there are some people who do not share those feelings. I have done my share of keeping a distance when I encountered those situations, which are not frequent and rare. Despite that, I treat everyone equally with respect and dignity and still enjoy receiving people?s feedback and posts on my blogs, when they do, although they seem rare these days when I get an email or comment.

I am definitely grateful for the people I have made friends with over the years. They are wonderful, unique people from all parts of the globe and I am glad that they?re here to share a common hobby and/or bond. I can be a bit of a recluse and a workaholic sometimes, but I am glad they are there for me even outside the hobby. Without Rubberslug, I do not know if I would have known about cel collecting or the great community of people behind it. I was one of those ?image nabbers? back in the day before I found RS and Luna-Art?s site; nowadays, I?m trying to take steps to protect myself from them! Lol (Any advice or new HTML to is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.)

As for my collection, I truly and honestly never thought I would become one of the first SM Hotaru-centered galleries on RS or that my collection would grow as it has over the years. I just knew that I wanted to pursue the idea of having a collection be part cel, part CG?and just have my favorite characters in it. What inspired me to try out CG animes is that at one my favorite artists, made her own show called Princess Tutu. Another important factor that played a role is that I am inquisitive by nature, and had Anime Network on Demand?free through my cable provider (now it?s Funimation.) The Anime Network was definitely my gateway. I chose shows to collect from that have drama and a semi-realistic/slice of life plot/theme to them. They are funny and most are age appropriate for someone like me who?s close to 30. lol I am contemplating watching more Clamp shows right now, I really enjoyed Xxxholic. But, I don?t feel rushed to do it. I am also open to show recommendations, so hit me up. :-)

These years overall taught me that patience and communication is vital to remain in tune with changes in the community and the people in it. The hobby helped me to self-teach Photoshop, HTML, and learn about the culture of Japan. I love to learn new things and all this computer stuff I did learn sparked an interest in me considering a future career in social media/marketing and computers at some point in my life. In the end, people come and go but their reputation/mark seems to stay in the community with those who remember/interact with you. I just hope my mark is a positive one.

Hi,

First of all I want to say thank you for starting this thread. It's fascinating to hear from everyone about their experience over the years.

For me personally I have learned to really appreciate the way these anime series were done. This puts things to a whole new level. My world has been changed and I don't see anime in quite the same way.

But this has had effect on my career as well. I don't know how many of you know, but animation got me into the 3D world. I'm currently doing visual effects, 3D characters etc. for different commercials. Not to mention that my whole senior animation thesis featured elements from series that inspired me throughout my childhood.

There is also the cultural factor. Japanese animation inspired me to become familiar with the asian culture. I started watching a lot of asian movies, dramas.... up to the point where I'm practically a walking encyclopedia. I even did a commercial recently where my knowledge proved to be very usedful. That's something that I'll be eternally grateful for.

I've also become more patient. As people before me mentioned, cels come around. There is no point in stressing over a missed cel, or lost auction.

So four years after I started collecting cels I realize that I've become much wiser, mature. My life is more colorful, richer. I also feel like what has been passed to us has to be kept alive, not forgotten. So Rubberslug, dear collectors thank you for sharing your cels and knowledge about them with the rest of the world and in this way keeping cels alive.

1) What have you LEARNED from your cel collecting experiences?
Almost all the things I learned that are positive is confined to the personal and not social... So here's a few, setting limits and knowing when to break those limits. Being honest with yourself about what you want, what you can get and what you can do (or cannot do). Having faith and confidence in myself, my tastes, what I think is right or wrong. Choosing to act in accordance to my own values and not of others.

2) What are you most GRATEFUL for in our hobby?
I started this hobby to get on with my life after a great personal crisis. I was so afraid back then that I stopped "living" and everyday was just about "surviving". I needed something to relieve me of that great stress, unfortunately I couldn't turn to old hobbies since others has deeply soured it for me so... I found this one or rather wolfie-kun found it for me. LOL. I was able to enjoy a hobby again, distract myself and to this day I collect telling myself, whatever happens around me RL or online, I need to keep experiencing happy things and get on with my life. So if I ever do stop collecting and quit the hobby, it's not because I -had- to, but because I -wanted- to.

I think Mahoro's list really embodies how I feel, too. I've learned a lot about myself as a collector, as well.

And although many people complain about this community, I have rarely exchanged harsh words with anyone and have never received any hate-mail. I've made plenty of good friends from all over the world. :)