Today we’re joined by Ellannra Kingfisher. Ellannra is a phenomenal writer and photographer. She writes a lot of poetry and short stories. Ellanra is also currently working on a novel that she hopes to publish one day. It’s clear that she’s a dedicated and passionate writer with a very bright future ahead of her. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.
WORK
Please, tell us about your art.
I am, first and foremost, a writer. I write both poetry and stories, and I am currently working on a novel that I hope to get published one day. I am also a photographer, mostly in micro photography, but I also do the occasional landscape or wildlife photo.
What inspires you?
My main inspiration has always been the way real, modern life relates to fantasy, history, and mythology. So much of our day-to-day lives is still dictated by the patterns we learned from our ancestors, both real and not-so-real.
What got you interested in your field? Have you always wanted to be an artist?
I didn’t learn to read until I was almost in Kindergarten. Most kids at least learn the basics long before that, but I just never had anyone try to sit down and teach me. When I finally did learn, though, I couldn’t get enough. By the time I reached second grade, I was reading Harry Potter on the playground at recess. I had pretty much decided by the time I reached middle school that I would be an author one day.
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?
I have both a signature of my pseudonym and a logo. Right now, they aren’t featured in any of my works, but that’s because they would detract from my photos and I haven’t published any written works yet. They are, however, visible on my Tumblr (which I’ve included below), and when I eventually get either a novel or a book of my photos published, they’ll be in that.
What advice would you give young aspiring artists?
Find something you enjoy. If you don’t genuinely enjoy it, you’ll never get anywhere with it. I can’t tell you how many stories I have had to abandon because I started writing with a purpose and got so lost in that purpose that I forgot to have fun. Let yourself be distracted. If you see something shiny, go chase it down. Odds are, that shiny thing is your next piece of inspiration.
ASEXUALITY
Where on the spectrum do you identify?
I am asexual, sex repulsed, and homoromantic.
Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field? If so, how do you handle it?
Whenever I tell people about my stories, a lot of them tend to wonder where the romantic part is. “How can you expect to sell a book with no love story in it?” My response is always the same: “If I am writing about dragons, then why would I include something as distracting as a romance? If I want to read about pirates, then I want to read about pirates, not the hot guy or pretty lady who lives on that one seaside colony.”
What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?
People, in general, tend to think asexuality is a moral/ethical choice. When I try to say, no, the thought of sex physically disgusts me, they just think I’m adamant about staying chaste and virtuous. The only way I’ve been able to explain it so far where people who do experience sexual attraction understand is this: “Imagine I take a piece of bread, a shallow pan of water, and a sunny place. Those three combined creates moldy bread. Now, you take two people, feelings, and hormones, and you get sex. Factually interesting, on a level of ‘this plus this equal this. Huh. Neat.’ Now imagine eating my moldy bread, and you’ll get the same instinctive ‘nope’ that I get at the thought of having sex.”
What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?
There are going to be people who tell you asexuality doesn’t exist, that you’re just too young, once you stop focusing on this or that you’ll find someone who’s right for you, etc. Don’t listen to them. Nobody in this entire universe knows you the way you know yourself. They don’t hear the thoughts that run through your head, they don’t feel the emotions you feel, and they certainly can’t dictate what you feel and what you don’t. So just don’t pay attention when they try.
Finally, where can people find out more about your work?
You can find me on Tumblr at ellannra-kingfisher.tumblr.com. You can also email me at ellannra.kingfisher@gmail.com. I am always willing to answer questions and share details about my work!
Thank you, Ellannra, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.
Asexual Artists 