Today we’re joined by dressesandcarresses. dressesandcarresses is a wonderful fanartist who specializes in fanfiction. When she’s not writing fics, dressesandcarresses enjoys dabbling in AMVs. She has a wonderful enthusiasm, as you’ll soon read. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.
WORK
Please, tell us about your art.
I write fanfiction for various fandoms I am involved with. When I have time I also enjoy making AMVs too. I’d love to be able to learn how to draw, but I lack the patience and time to truly develop a proper skill.
What inspires you?
Other movies and songs inspire me. I love writing AUs so when I see a new film or hear about an idea, I like to think how a certain fandom would fit into this new one. There’s nothing better than discussing ideas with friends and getting really enthusiastic about a project.
What got you interested in your field? Have you always wanted to be an artist?
I think the lack of diversity in main stream books is so poor, that sites like A03 and fanfiction.net just allow for a platform of work that is so unique, it’s just a refreshing change that makes you want to get involved.
I don’t think I’d class myself as an ‘artist’, but I’ve always enjoyed making up little stories up in my head, so I guess so yes.
Do you have any kind of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in your work that you’d be willing to reveal?
Nothing special.
What advice would you give young aspiring artists?
Don’t be afraid to experiment. Your first piece of work will be poor, don’t be too disheartened if your work doesn’t get a lot of views. To excel as something you must truly suck at it first, but with practice you can build a solid foundation of skills. Also have fun, it’s not supposed to be serious.
ASEXUALITY
Where on the spectrum do you identify?
Asexual and Aromantic
Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field? If so, how do you handle it?
The most I’ve encountered is when an orientation needs to be ‘fixed’ and true love will cure all ills. This always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I try and leave a polite but firm comment explaining that there is nothing wrong with being ace and that are many paths to happiness. This isn’t really for the author’s benefit, but rather for other (preferably younger people) who maybe questioning their orientation and need to see there are other narratives to explore when writing ace people.
It’s also irritating when members of the LGBT community brush aside problems that ace people face. I’m not saying that they are the same problems, but being ace/aro can be incredibly isolating and sometimes lonely existence. Art provides an opportunity to explore new ways to live in this society and when our contributions are ignored or worse belittled, it just makes me angry.
What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?
That we don’t enjoy reading romance stories. All my stories have some form of romance, as long as they are developed under the right conditions I have no problems with it, its when its forced to fit into the dominant heterosexual narrative that I truly cant abide.
What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?
I find following a lot of Tumblr asexual support blogs to be really helpful. I don’t actively engage in the community, but just seeing some positive posts on my dash never fails to lift my mood.
Finally, where can people find out more about your work?
I’m usually hanging around on A03 in the star wars tags or on Tumblr dressesandcarresses.tumblr.com.
Thank you, dressesandcarresses, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.
Asexual Artists 