Interview: Noah

Today we’re joined by Noah.  Noah is an amazingly talented artist whose passion lies in artisan crafts.  They do a bit of everything and their work is positively beautiful.  Just looking at it, you can tell how much love and care goes into each piece.  My thanks to them for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Selfie with Mask

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I’m an artist of all kinds! I paint/draw realistic pictures and abstract ones. I have a fondness for expressionism. But the work I’d like to showcase here involves mostly my artisan crafts. They bring me most joy while making them, and I’m most proud of the result. I make patterns for stuffed animals. I sew them both by hand and machine. I also like to do hand embroidery, knitting and crochet. I sell ribbon choker accessories and make certain clothing articles/costumery for the sake of fun. My art is purely autonomous as I cannot create things for commission purposes. That’s just not how my brain works, I want to create art because I love it and for no other reason.

What inspires you?

It’s very cliché, but the whole world inspires me. What I go through, what concerns me, what I see, what I want to explore. I’m inspired by artists from the past, artists in the now, nature, emotions, everything can inspire me to create something new.

What got you interested in your field?  Have you always wanted to be an artist?

I have grown up with a creative mother and grandmother. My grandma is my biggest inspiration when it comes to art, considering she practices many creative skills just like I do.  I think she inspired me while growing up to never be afraid to try something new. Because of this, being an artist is just a natural part of me. Everyone I know that described me always used the word creative. I don’t think an artist is something you necessarily become, but it’s something you are the moment you are interested in creating something. No matter your skill.

Mr. Moth

Do you have any kind of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in our work that you’d be willing to reveal?

I actually do not have any kind of special symbolism or signature. I am not an artist that works with a specific way. I like as much variation as possible. My painted/drawn art is either very rough or has very clean lines.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

When you see a piece of art that really amazes you, whether crafted, painted, acted, etc. a lot of work went into it from the artist. You might think ‘I could never do that’, but we mostly think that because it’s as if it takes the artist no effort. That’s not true. They have most likely spent years practicing their talent, and if not years, then they were just really intensely practicing it for a more short amount of time. The true way to getting better is practice. Never look down upon your own artwork, someone is already looking up to it hoping to once have your skill. You might also look up to someone, we will probably always look up to other artists, no matter how talented we are ourselves. So don’t put yourself down because someone else’s work is great. Just because their work is great, doesn’t mean your work can’t be great as well!

I also find it important to mention that most young artists are obsessed with acquiring a personal style. And while having a style is great and all, you will improve much more if you try out as many things as possible, not worrying on whether it’s consistent in style. You can worry about consistency in portfolio once you really want to sell your work. But before you get there, you will just need love and passion for what you do. That’s all it takes to be an artist.

Pom the Bat

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Demisexual, but I’m still questioning whether I’m not just fully asexual (I’m leaning towards answering yes to that question). This requires more thinking on my part but I am in no hurry.

Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field?  If so, how do you handle it?

In the field of art? Not at all. I am not one to make much conversation, let alone talk about my sexuality with strangers.

Brown Ollr

What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?

A hard question to answer. Maybe the myth that your partner deserves someone better than you. If you are in a relationship and it’s working out and you’re both happy. Then there’s no reason that you being asexual is an issue. And you can also have relationships with more people than just other asexuals. I’ve been in a relationship with someone sexual for already a year, just to point out how possible it is.

Splatoon Inkling

What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?

I know growing up I never fitted in with the crowd because of how focused everyone was on romance and sex. I want people to know that just because you don’t feel that way about others (not yet, or not at all), that does not make you abnormal or disordered. You’re okay. Love is more than kissing and touching each other in private places.

Finally, where can people find out more about your work?

I’m really only found on deviantart for my artisan work. NoahCrafts.deviantart.com
And Noah-Art.tumblr.com for any artwork I feel like showing people.

I also have an etsy shop where I sell collars/chokers. They’re just pretty fashion accessories. I put extra care into making these as I’m a perfectionist and don’t want other people to pay for bad quality. https://www.etsy.com/shop/CollarAdoption

Unicorn Embroidery

Thank you, Noah, for participating in this interview and this project.  It’s very much appreciated.

Interview: Arf

Today we’re joined by Arf.  I could not be more excited to have a fellow ace blogger:  Arf runs the demigray Tumblr (http://www.demigray.org/), which is awesome.  She is also a ridiculously talented and versatile visual artist.  Arf works in a number of different mediums and her art is absolutely beautiful.  She’s also open to commissions.  My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I work in several different mediums: watercolors, colored pencils, digital art, and hand embroidery. I’ve been using traditional mediums since I was a child, and like combining watercolors with colored pencils to make layered, textured areas of color. My digital art has a graphic design focus, and I work with both vector and raster images; my current projects are making designs for my t-shirt line, Pride and Joy Prints, and playing around with glitch art. I recently took up embroidery as a hobby and have found it rewarding and relaxing to engage with a slower, more tedious process.

What inspires you?

I’m primarily inspired by nature — most of my subject matter features birds, plants, and animals, and it’s always vividly colored with flowers, foliage, patterns, plumage, and pelts. This is flavored with mythology and spirituality, as I like drawing deity-like or even mythical creatures sometimes.

Other sources of inspiration include vintage postage stamps, fashion and textile design from all cultures, contemporary tattoo design, and art dating from the late 1800s to the present. I also have a fondness for the clean lines and neon/muted colors of cyberpunk and dystopian aesthetics.

What got you interested in your field?  Have you always wanted to be an artist?

I have always been an artist, so it has always been natural for me to create images. My dad is an apparel designer so I grew up with Photoshop and Illustrator and an interest in graphic design. I think being an avid reader of fiction since forever helped, as I always have clear images in my head that want to come out. Finally, I’m Indian, and India of course has a very colorful culture, with saturated illustrations of Hindu gods, rainbow-colored silks, and much more.

Do you have any kind of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in our work that you’d be willing to reveal?

I don’t have a specific symbol or secret, but I think my bold lines and use of color tend to be distinctive.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

If you have the opportunity, take formal art classes at school or privately. There isn’t a replacement for getting feedback on your work from a professional, especially if you are just starting out. If you aren’t able to do this, do all the basic exercises that they would make you do, like drawing still lifes of apples, and consider finding a mentor.

Take time to refine your taste. This doesn’t mean that it is narrow necessarily, it just means that you know what you like. This helps in the development of your unique style. I maintain a personal Tumblr for this purpose and I reblog images that I think have something—color palette, subject matter, style—that I can incorporate into my own work.

Spend time researching different artists and think about why you like or dislike their works. Focus on curated sources like galleries, museums, and blogs/magazines.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I am demisexual, though gray asexual also fits.

Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field?  If so, how do you handle it?

I haven’t, thankfully! But that’s because I rarely if ever tell people about it offline.

What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?

There are many misconceptions about asexuality as a whole, but the main one I hear about demisexuality is that it’s how everyone “normally” is, which is, of course, a misunderstanding of the basic concept. I also (disturbingly) hear from both aces and non-aces that gray asexuality is not a necessary or useful label.

What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?

Remember that labels can be as constricting as they can be liberating. If identifying with a label is stressing you out, it is perfectly acceptable to step back and say something like “I relate to asexuality” rather than “I am asexual.” It’s okay to be yourself first and accept your individualized sexuality on its own terms, rather than deal with the baggage a label might bring.

Finally, where can people find out more about your work?

I have an unfortunately rarely updated “my art” tag on my blog and an Etsy shop where I sell pride t-shirts. There is more glitch art on my other blog.

Thank you so much, Arf, for participating in this interview and this project.  It’s very much appreciated.