#blind apps

King here, your local human dumpster fire, and i’m back with a few words of caution.

I’ve seen a couple posts going around lately, both on here, in my zine circuits, and in artist/writer circles i’m in, and they involve blind application processes.

Now. I actually quite like some of the ideas behind these processes, but there are very many red flags that arise as both a content creator and zine host. 

One of the applications I checked out personally after a discussion with some artists friends who were wary of it, and I didn’t like what I saw. I fully understand the intent of blind application, in the name of fairness and not choosing participants based off of names, but the fact is a blind app means submitting a work that in no way has your name or persona attached to it. This particular app wanted works to be both unsigned AND unpublished anywhere else. On its own this is an anxiety inducing thing for most content creators because content theft is simply a very prevalent issue these days. 

Submitting an unsigned work, that has not been published prior makes it very easy to steal and use and very hard for the artist/writer to re-stake their claim. On top of this requirement, there is the anxiety of having to place this unsigned, unseen work on a host site.

Now, this didn’t entirely send me running, because its very possible to give a well done work that is made SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of blind apps. But if you’ve not considered partaking in something that does blind apps you might not have work handy or time to make new works. 

My words of advice when applying for blind apps are this:

Check the moderators out. If they have not done this type of work before, be wary of applying. If you cannot find very good proof of either their own content (previous publications worked on) or proof that they can safely handle the content of others its a major red flag.

See if there is anywhere to ask questions. This is something i stress very harshly, see if they allow anonymous questions as well as private inquiries. If they do not, ask privately, but keep in mind that the lack of anonymous abilities could mean they do not want to have to answer questions of liability publicly or at all and is a minor red flag.

MAKE SURE THERE IS SOMETHING STATING THAT AT NO POINT YOUR WORK WILL BE SAVED FROM THE SENT FILES. If there is any mention that works will be saved (even temporarily) do not apply. There is no reason they should have to save your work to view it if they use the proper host sites, and at no time should their personal computers be used to host works until the publication (or intended product) is being formatted for production, and in this case the works held WOULD be signed for that publication etc. 

Ask around. See if anyone knows more information about the apps, or if anyone has worked with the people running them. Be wary of gossip, but take actual testimony of misconduct as a red flag. 

Create work specifically for the application. This may not be ideal or fit in the time frame, but it is always nice to do for future apps.

Use work that represents your abilities, but that you do not plan to use elsewhere. (I do not want to say work you don’t care about because that is not what I mean.) This often includes older works you may have taken down, or sketches/drafts you didn’t feel like posting, and in the case of the app being an actual content scam its much easier to lose work you do not need if you have to be unfortunate enough to lose work at all.

Watermark your work with a symbol specifically for blind apps. It does not have to be a mark that identifies you as the creator, but a mark that is unique to you that you can recognize. Hide it in your work and do not let the moderators know its there. If it does not contain your name or URL and is an image/icon/symbol it does not violate the terms of a blind app and they cannot reject you for it, nor request your work without it. 

I want to state that this post is in no way meant to target publications and networks with blind apps, nor discourage people from participating in them, but instead meant to help inform people of how to keep their content safe during the application process.

This post stems directly from concerns raised by not only myself, but by creators I know and trust as well, and the above tips are based on my own experience and the experience of my friends. 

Stay safe lovelies! Have fun and be careful out there!

Feel free to add tips if you feel I’ve missed anything vital!

Hi there!When we put together this zine, the mod team came together from four people who already know each other and run in the same parts of fandom. This makes sense from a moderator perspective, as running events, especially ones that require a lot of attentiveness, is much safer when you know the people involved and that they are responsible. We’re going to be handling money and physical goods that people buy, after all. We want to be sure to be prompt and reliable. While moderators who are at first strangers on the internet can and have created wonderful and successful zines, the mod application process was not something we pursued for this zine.

Our “actual goal” is to ensure that people from all ships and places of the fandom know that they are welcome to apply. That is why we selected a very, very limited number of artists from multiple areas of fandom—none of whom most of the mods knew beforehand, as we all picked candidates we thought the others wouldn’t have heard of—in order to encourage application to the zine.

There are still about thirty spots open for content creators that will be handled blindly. If you disapprove of the practices we have implemented for this zine, you are not required to apply or support us in any way.

As long as we can’t identify your blog (Instagram, etc) name from it, that’ll be fine! Initials, non-social media names, etc. are okay.

Hi there!  Applications will be blind, not anonymous; this means that participants will submit an application with their handle, contact information, etc., be assigned an app number, and then have all their work links and app number pulled over onto a different spreadsheet.  When we review, we won’t be able to see your email, additional portfolio, or anything else.  We covered it a bit in the asks here (very last full paragraph) and here!

Regarding distinguishable artstyles, please feel free to apply with your current work.  We covered the possibility of recognition here; essentially, we know that it’s inevitable that some of us will sometimes recognize pieces or styles, but as a whole, this system is the best we could do to try for an unbiased review.

Hello!

Hello,

I understand your concern, and would like to clarify that on the rules page, we state that a watermark or signature must not identify you as the creator as relates to your application.  We then go on to provide examples of acceptable signatures (for example, signatures that are difficult to read, initials, and image watermarks are all acceptable).  Essentially, we don’t want to be able to tell who you are from the signatures and watermarks on your art.

Additionally, I want to clarify that apps are blind, not anonymous.  All of the work you submit will be attached to your name/handle (whichever you provide); we’ll just be reviewing it with that information hidden.