A concept artist we work with emailed us on a Sunday night. Her portfolio site showed a blank grey box where her ArtStation feed should have been.
She had a call with a studio recruiter the next morning. She had not changed the embed code in months.
“It just stopped,” she wrote.
We fixed it in about 20 minutes. A caching plugin she had installed the week before was delaying the script that loads her feed.
A blank ArtStation feed does not always mean something is wrong with ArtStation. The problem could be your profile settings, embed code, browser, or website plugins.
Here are eight common causes and how to check each one.
How an ArtStation Feed Loads on Your Website
Most feed widgets work like this:
A visitor opens your page.
Your page runs the widget’s embed script.
The script requests your feed from the widget provider.
The provider returns the project data, often from a saved copy called a cache.
The widget displays your projects.
If one of these steps fails, the feed may stay blank or show older work.
Start With These Three Checks
Before changing any settings, try these quick checks.
1. Open your page in a private window
Make sure browser extensions are disabled in that window.
If the feed loads there, an extension or browser setting may be causing the problem in your normal window.
2. Check your browser’s Console tab
Open developer tools with F12 on Windows or Option + Command + I on a Mac, then select Console.
Look for errors that mention:
403or “blocked”“Content Security Policy”
“Mixed content”
These messages can help you narrow down the cause.
3. View your ArtStation profile while logged out
Check whether your projects are visible to someone who is not signed in. A public feed cannot display private projects.
Use this table to choose where to start:
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| The feed is blank in every browser | Embed code and script settings |
| The feed works in a private window | Browser extensions and privacy settings |
The Console shows a 403 error | Blocked requests |
| The Console mentions mixed content or Content Security Policy | HTTPS and security settings |
| The widget appears but has no projects | Your handle and project visibility |
| The feed appears after resizing the page or switching tabs | Hidden containers and lazy loading |
| The feed loads but recent projects are missing | Cache and refresh settings |
1. The Widget Has the Wrong ArtStation Handle
ArtStation has two types of addresses:
Your community profile:
artstation.com/yourhandleYour portfolio website:
yourhandle.artstation.com
Feed tools may need your community profile or just your handle. Entering a portfolio address or a project link can leave the widget empty.
An old handle can also cause problems if you recently changed your username.
How to fix it
Open your ArtStation community profile and check the address.
If your widget asks for a handle, enter only the part after artstation.com/.
For example, if your profile is artstation.com/janedoe, enter:
janedoe
Remove extra spaces, slashes, and other characters. If you changed your handle, update it in every widget that uses it.
2. Your Projects Are Not Public
Projects you can see while logged in may not be visible to everyone else.
Drafts and private projects will not appear in a public feed. Projects marked as mature may also be filtered, depending on how the feed provider handles them.
How to fix it
Open your ArtStation profile in a private window while logged out.
Check whether the projects you want to display are visible. If they are missing:
Publish any drafts you want to share.
Review the projects’ visibility settings.
Check whether mature-content restrictions affect them.
Keep mature-content labels accurate. If a project needs that label, your public widget may not be able to show it.
3. ArtStation Is Blocking the Feed Request
If you built your own feed integration, ArtStation’s bot protection may block its requests.
This can produce a 403 error or a message such as “Sorry, you have been blocked.”
A 403 means the request was refused. Bot protection is one possible cause.
How to fix it
If you use RSS, try this address format:
https://www.artstation.com/yourhandle.rss
It may work when this format does not:
https://yourhandle.artstation.com/rss
Another option is a widget that fetches and caches projects on its own servers. Your visitors then load the saved feed from the widget provider.
Our Poper ArtStation Feed widget uses this approach. It reads public JSON endpoints and refreshes the data on our servers.
This reduces the need for visitors’ browsers to request data directly from ArtStation. The provider’s own requests can still be affected by changes or restrictions on ArtStation.
4. Your Website Removed or Delayed the Embed Script
This was the problem with the artist’s website from the introduction.
Website builders, security tools, and performance plugins can change how embed code runs.
For example:
A normal text block may display the code as text.
A platform or security plugin may remove script tags.
A performance plugin may delay the script until someone scrolls or clicks.
How to fix it
First, check that you added the snippet to your platform’s Custom HTML, Embed, or Custom Code block.
Then open the live page, choose View Page Source, and search for the widget provider’s domain. If you cannot find it, check whether the platform saved or removed the code.
If the script is present but the feed stays blank:
Open your caching or performance plugin.
Find the JavaScript delay or defer settings.
Exclude the widget script.
Clear your website cache.
Reload the page.
In the artist’s case, excluding the script from the delay setting brought the feed back.
5. A Browser Extension or Privacy Setting Is Blocking It
Ad blockers and privacy tools can sometimes block embedded content.
If your feed works in a private window but fails in your normal browser, an extension or browser setting may be responsible.
That result is a useful clue, but it does not prove an ad blocker is the cause. Private windows can also use different cookies and settings.
How to fix it
Temporarily disable extensions in your own browser, then reload the page.
If the feed returns, turn extensions back on one at a time to find the cause.
Also test your page in browsers with stronger privacy settings, such as:
Safari on an iPhone
Firefox with strict tracking protection
Brave
If one consistently blocks the widget, share the browser name and error message with your widget provider. They may need to investigate how their scripts or domains are being filtered.
6. Your Website’s Security Settings Are Blocking the Widget
Two common security issues can stop a feed from loading.
Mixed content
If your website uses HTTPS but the embed script uses HTTP, the browser may block it.
The Console will usually show a “mixed content” warning.
Content Security Policy
A Content Security Policy, or CSP, controls which sources your website can load.
If the widget provider’s domain is not allowed, the browser may block its script, frame, or data requests.
How to fix it
First, use the provider’s latest embed code and check that its addresses begin with https://.
If the Console reports a CSP error, check where your policy is managed. This may be in your:
Security plugin
Hosting dashboard
Server configuration
Add the widget provider’s required domains to the relevant policy settings. The Console may name settings such as script-src, frame-src, or connect-src.
Allow only the sources the widget needs.
7. Hidden Tabs or Lazy Loading Are Causing Problems
Some widgets need to measure their container before they can display content.
If the feed starts inside a closed tab, accordion, or slider, it may measure the available width as zero. It can then stay blank even after the section opens.
Lazy-loading plugins can also interfere with when the widget starts.
How to fix it
Move the feed into a visible section of the page and test it again.
If that works, you can:
Keep it in a visible section.
Put it in the tab that opens by default.
Ask the provider how to refresh the widget when a hidden section opens.
If you use a lazy-loading plugin, exclude the widget’s container and test again.
Also check for duplicate loader scripts. Follow the provider’s instructions for multiple widgets, since you may only need to load the shared script once per page.
8. ArtStation Is Unavailable or Your Feed Has Not Refreshed
A blank feed and an outdated feed can have different causes.
If ArtStation is unavailable, the widget may be unable to fetch projects. A provider that caches content may continue showing the last saved version.
If the feed works but your newest project is missing, it may simply be waiting for its next update.
How to fix it
First, check whether ArtStation is working. Open your public profile and check its service status before changing your embed settings.
If ArtStation is available:
Check your widget’s refresh schedule.
Use a manual refresh option if your provider offers one.
Clear your website and CDN caches if they are serving an older version.
Poper’s ArtStation Feed refresh schedule depends on your plan:
| Plan | Refresh schedule |
|---|---|
| Free | Every 15 days |
| Starter | Every 3 days |
| Pro | Daily |
| Business | Daily |
Clearing your website cache does not necessarily refresh the project data stored by your widget provider. Check both if your newest work is missing.
Quick Fixes at a Glance
| Cause | First thing to try |
|---|---|
| Wrong profile or handle | Check the handle against your community profile |
| Private or unpublished projects | View your profile while logged out |
| Blocked requests | Check the error and your feed’s connection method |
| Removed or delayed script | Check the code block and exclude the script from delay settings |
| Browser extensions or privacy settings | Test with extensions disabled |
| Mixed content or CSP | Use HTTPS and allow the required provider domains |
| Hidden container or lazy loading | Move the feed to a visible section |
| Outage or old cached data | Check ArtStation and your widget’s refresh schedule |
How Poper Helps With These Problems
We built the Poper ArtStation Feed widget around problems we often saw in support requests.
You enter your ArtStation handle and get a live preview before adding the feed to your website. This helps you catch profile or visibility issues during setup.
Poper fetches project data on its servers and serves a cached feed to visitors. You can also switch between ten layouts, including Grid, Masonry, Slider, and Bento, without changing the embed code.
The widget works with WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Framer, Ghost, and other platforms that support the embed.
Your website’s settings still matter. A performance plugin can delay the script, and a security policy can block it. The checks above can help you find and fix those issues.
How to Keep Your Feed Working
A few quick checks can help you catch problems early:
Test your portfolio after installing a caching, security, or performance plugin.
Update your widgets when you change your ArtStation handle.
Follow the provider’s instructions for adding scripts to each page.
Check your public profile while logged out.
Test your site before sending it to a client or recruiter.
The artist from the introduction now checks her portfolio the night before an important call. It is a small habit that gives her time to fix anything unexpected.
Only Have Five Minutes? Start Here
Open your page in a private window with extensions disabled, then check the browser Console.
If the feed works in that window, check your browser extensions and settings. If the Console shows an error, use it to choose the next fix. If the widget loads without projects, check your handle and public profile.
These checks give you a useful starting point before you change your website settings.
