It's Time To Bow Out....

[Maxine Schacker]

Over the last few years I’ve tried to contribute in a positive way to the conceptart.org website, and I’ve also piloted a now deleted Max the Mutt thread. I’ve tried my best to follow guidelines for recruiters. In fact, I’ve been thanked many, many times. I’ve contributed information on painting, color, and was a regular contributor to a Nicolaides thread. I definitely also let people know about the programs at Max the Mutt when the information was relevant and requested and proudly posted work that was being done by our CA students.

I also received information, for which I’m very grateful. I found companies that are now manufacturing and selling, through the internet, artists supplies that I can’t get here! I found out about the anatomy DVDs mentioned in my last post.

All in all, it was a positive experience, and I would encourage Max the Mutt students to feel free to establish a thread and/or post work. However, the time has come for me to bow out.

Jason has been advertising his new on line school, which sounds like a great project that has the potential to help people without the funds to attend school! I wish him luck with this project and don’t feel he is “spamming” or would be “spamming” if he tried to get the fact known across the internet! Knowledge is power. People have the right to know what is available, to investigate options, and then make the choice that seems a good fit for them.

In order to keep tuition as low as possible, we count on the internet and word of mouth to let people know about us, and our programs. It’s the quality of work that has been steadily produced by Max the Mutt students, and their professionalism, that has enabled the school to grow and expand. When a query on conceptart.org asking for an art school that teaches skills and is near Pittsburgh comes up, it’s impossible for me not to suggest that the writer take a look at our website! If that’s spamming, I’m guilty.

I respect the fact that it’s Jason’s website and he has the right set the boundaries, but I cannot be present anywhere to do with art without Max the Mutt being part of who I am and what concerns me. Therefore, with regret, I will no longer participate. My thanks to many of the contributors on conceptart.org for their support and help when we were developing the Diploma Program in Concept Art for Animation & Video Games! I’m sure I’ll still peruse the site, and I wish you all the best now and in the future.

[TASmith]

Does competition really have to get in the way of cooperation?

[Anid Maro]

Maxine, thank you for the time and effort you have contributed to this community. Although you and I hadn't really talked much before, I've read several of your posts and I know you have been both a helpful and respected member here at CA.org. It is unfortunate that there is conflict over the "Max the Mutt Animation School"; I wish you well in other communities and I wish you continued fortune with your school.

Take care. :)

[Black Spot]

I can't see why you shouldn't complement each other. CA has a very small animation forum that is hardly buzzing and any expansion will take a fair bit of time. Have you asked Jason about his thoughts on the matter?

[AlexEh]

I can't see why you shouldn't complement each other. CA has a very small animation forum that is hardly buzzing and any expansion will take a fair bit of time. Have you asked Jason about his thoughts on the matter?

Wait, there's an animation forum? Oh my god there is, I had no idea.

[andres333]

Can't be I've read some of your posts and they have been so wisely redacted......................this is truly a loss for the community of conceptart.org
I wish you luck!
take care

[BlackGuy]

sorry to hear that, I wish you the best.

[lumar]

what the fuck is max the mutt

[TASmith]

An animation school. Click the link in her sig and you'll find out.

[Jason Manley]

Ok first and foremost Maxine, your post is highly disappointing. I did not break the rules of this forum. I did not get banned for ignoring the warnings of admins. You have. You have a tendency to create drama and problems, and if not for my own pushing you to post one good post for every one of your spams you would not have offered much. That is the reality of things.

Facts.


Maxine has spammed the entirety of the art school forums for going on two years now. To the point where many of the threads made had her in there directing students to that program as she seeks funding. After repeated warnings over the past years, and many written complaints from forums members. I gave her a warning. Then I find her in there ignoring my warnings and continuing to use this forum for her business development without much active contribution. The thread in the art schools forum directed at recruiters was made because of her. There is no other reason that thread was made. I would not even had known if not for all the complaints from other forum members.

A short time later I get a series of emails from concerned students, including one from her own student, which apologizes for her behavior. I was not sure what was happening so I go in the art school forums and Maxine has been participating in a smear campaign against a former instructor in their program. This led to her first banishment, from what I remember. She has been banned twice by me only to continue her incessant spamming of this community. Since then she has tried to balance things by being more active and helpful at my urging, but again, she has repeatedly ignored warnings even though she has been temporary banned twice.

All of this happened before CA decided to solve the problem of over-priced art schools offering mostly garbage programs and putting their students in indentured servitude or breaking the financial backs of the parents paying for them. Our school has nothing to do with my banning of Maxine. ZERO. There are dozens of art schools discussions including a very healthy argument directly from Ringling in the art school forums.

This thread is a major disappointment. I have warned and warned and warned...and now Maxine you have earned a permanent banishment for again, creating drama where there should be none. All I did was ask you to stop bumping threads. And now you come in and do this? You were thread bumping and you know that is not something I tolerate when it comes to businesses that use this community for their own needs.

As I said in the email I sent to you, I believe Maxx the Mutt to be a sub-par program which is not addressing the true needs of it's students. Regardless of my feelings I let you continue to post. No longer. Maxx the Mutt is now being removed from any posts on ConceptArt.Org. Your business endeavors and poor quality educational program is no longer welcome on this website.

I have had enough complaints, repeatedly, to have had to take action. This most recent thread is inexcusable. The difference between the CA schools making perhaps 20 posts in there over the years and the hundreds for Maxx the Mutt, are that those in there now are because we are not only trying to solve the problem of the poor quality educational programs but we are paying for this community. Paying for 100% it and are going to give a million dollars in scholarships. Maxines handful of useful posts vs. the many thousands she earned by participating in CA without any financial contribution do not balance out. I would have been fine with it if she just followed my simple instructions.

A. KEEP ALL SPAM IN ONE THREAD. But no...she refused to listen...over...and over....and over.

Maxine did not listen, got more complaints than any one user in the history of conceptart.org, and creates drama here. I want nothing to do with this. Considering how much money she potentially made off students in this community, I would expect a little more respect toward what we are doing.



Jason Manley

[TASmith]

I stand corrected. Still a shame. Some day I'd like to start a program of my own, but I have many miles to go before I'm ready for that.

[MidgardSerpent]

I feel bad hearing about all this. In Maxine's defense, she's not just some p.r. person, in my experience she's always been very encouraging of people trying to learn their craft. She started commenting on my work when I was mostly living in a critique-less vacuum at the time, and I was extremely grateful for hearing an outside perspective and just to have that feeling of someone really rooting for me. I think some other people like Courtyard and Panchosimpson can vouch for her sincerity and consistent support as well.


And I've seen her post useful comments in some of the fine-art/painting related threads. I personally think her opinion on art was a very interesting addition to those of the average 18-30 year old on CA. And I have to mention some people have been extremely rude towards her, and she handled that as well as you could expect from anyone.


About the situation with the former instructor, I'd rather stay out of it because it doesn't have anything to do with me, but I got the impression it wasn't a one-sided affair, it was basically a lot of back and forth bickering. It's impossible for an outsider to say who was right or wrong.



P.s. : Just to make clear, I'm not affiliated with Max the Mutt, I got to know her through Ca.

[BlightedArt]

Wait, there's an animation forum? Oh my god there is, I had no idea.

Funny that, neither did I!

[Jason Manley]

I have had two users get more than one complaint in my email, im and private messages in the entire history of this site. Maxine had five. Yes she became more helpful after being pressured by me to mellow out on the business development and teleamarketer like recruiting Yes she has been decent and helpful too. However, the drama, incessant biz dev and P.R. was something that could have stayed low key. She was directly warned on multiple occasions including her recruiter helper getting conversation from me discussing this matter on another separate occasion. No other person or company in this community has had such issues. Once I gave final warnings the behavior continued and now this. I had enough.

Best of luck to those involved with mtm.


Jason

[dantranban]

hey jason, im currently a student at max the mutt.
I dont like the program: I think its bullshit.
Up until now I have been thinking that the many odd things that go on were my own misunderstandings.
However hours of reading through information on CA is only furthering my dissensions.
I know that maxines stupid drama was interrupting your forums.
But what im wondering is if you could link me archives or information from all the bullshitting that has gone on from max the mutt.
Im feeling like ive been ripped off and that other students deserve to see all the crap the faculty has swept under the rug.
lemme know if you can help me out.
cheers
just another mtm victim