I'm gonna pursue this music thing. You don't have to be Jimmy Page to put on a good show and make people happy, right? (oh, no... now I have to watch vids of Jimmy!) That could be applied to the visual arts as well. One does not have to be a master to create images that delight or challenge people to think. I mean, what would you do if, after a set, people in the audience started picking your performance apart?

hmmm.. I think I just decided to leave comments disabled on what I post. I do the best I can, and really don't need anyone to point out the bad bits. Believe me, I see them. Not really crazy about 2-word nice comments, either.

Now all we need is some sort of statement burning to be made into a render. The old Lack of Inspiration Dragon rears it's lovely head...

scan - thanks for the reply.

Please don't misunderstand me; this is me being hacked off with my own output because I know it's sub par, compared to what I know I can do and what I want to do.  I'm not reeling from criticism or looking for approval or even trying to find my lost muse.  I am setting out my stall to refocus my energies toward projects I feel have artistic merit and integrity.

Re the music thing... I don't give a monkey's if people do pick apart my performances.  If I'm on stage giving a show, the audience are entitled to their opinion.  Whether or not I agree with 'em is another story.  Likewise my gallery.  People are entitled to leave their comments, good, bad, indifferent, fawning, critical, whatever they like.  It's not for me to say how people can react (or not) to my images.  Some criticism I act on, some I disregard.  I never cry myself to sleep at night if someone leaves a negative remark, or even a hostile one.  I have a thick enough skin to withstand all that.

No, it's not the viewers who prompted this; it's simply me.  This thread is my way of laying it on the line - I am, after all, an honest and upfront kinda guy - telling it like it is, and stating my intentions.  Judging by some of the posts to the thread, I may well have helped a few others take the same step.  Bear in mind this is my personal manifesto, not the start of a crusade, nor a rant against anyone else.

Been thinking some more about this (never a good sign) and I reckon my work will improve greatly if I use Poser less for the final image and more as a base to work from.  Combining Poser - and using it in different ways - with other graphic elements will probably get me closer to my - ahem, pretention alert - artistic vision.

Taking a calculated look at some of my older images, I can see where they will benefit from this approach.  Consequently, most of my stuff will probably be in MM from now on.  Maybe.

So, Poser is dead.  Long live Poser. 

heh. Not being able to fathom so many aspects of the interface, I normally do the minimum in Poser, and run very fast back to Cinema, where the textures and lighting are easier for me. I really envy people who are good in Photoshop, because it makes such a huge difference in control and the final image.

When you approach platforms as tools, it makes more sense. Purists in any endeavor only limit themselves.

This thread does have me working (struggling) with a little image. And I actually got the Cloth Room to work for the first time ever! It may or may not get posted, but at least the process has started, and I thank you for kicking me in the tush.

PS: The only rant I actually have is about myself.

"Been thinking some more about this (never a good sign) and I reckon my work will improve greatly
if I use Poser less for the final image and more as a base to work from. 
Combining Poser - and using it in different ways - with other graphic elements will probably
get me closer to my - ahem, pretention alert - artistic vision"

I think you nailed it,.

Don't let the tools set the rules!

For me Poser is a means to an end, I churn out tons of Poser animations which are the raw material of my VJ shows.
(love music, can't play a thing, but found a way put visual art to music)
Like others who've posted here, I've watched as new developments in the software have set new standards in realism, etc. and tried to learn as much as I can and incorporate it
where appropriate but not get overwhwhelmed by it or let it slow me downn too much
(insert dark muttering about render times)
   Every now and then
I find myself asking the same questions as Sam's original post and my way out is very similar,
look for a new approach,try  new technique, do some experiments
recognising the problem is the key thing, well that and lighting.