Interview: Ray

Today we’re joined by Ray. Ray is a phenomenal visual artist and writer. They mostly write fanfiction but hope to publish some original work in the future. Aside from writing, they are also a dedicated visual artist who enjoys drawing and painting. They do a lot of portraiture work and their art is extraordinarily detailed. It’s clear they’re a passionate and talented artist, as you’ll soon read. My thanks to them for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

My work varies, but I enjoy writing, drawing and painting. My writing is most often fictional pieces with characters I’ve created, and while I try and branch out with my artwork my strongest pieces have always been portraiture. In all my work I try and integrate what I know, in terms of my experiences and imagination. I’ll mainly referencing my artwork in this interview as it’s what most of my time and my education is dedicated to!

What inspires you?

Other people inspire me. I’m driven by seeing creators do what they love and doing it well, it really pushes me to try and be better.

But for choosing what I want to draw or paint I’m inspired by perception. I find drawing exactly what I can see boring, and I want to explore more emotive ways of portraying people and places. Usually this means playing with the features of the subject matter, taking them away or changing them through distortion or obstruction.

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

I’ve always wanted to create art. I’ve taken it at every level available to me through primary and secondary school, but it’s only recently at college I became determined to find some sort of career in it. I think most of our everyday life is the way it is because of artistic people, from film to advertising to product design, and yet it goes by unnoticed. Almost every field has a need for us, and when I realized that it only helped push my interest in the subject.

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 don’t really? There are maybe certain things I always do that I’m not aware of, but as someone who’s still trying to find their own style and techniques I don’t think I have any repetitive patterns, but I suppose I always draw specific attention to the eyes or the obstruction of them. I feel like that makes or breaks a good portrait.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

I would say that I know, I understand it’s frustrating sometimes. There will always be others that are around your age, who you think has work that surpasses your own. There will be times where you can’t get a picture JUST right. But you have to realize that your art is always changing and improving. It’s hard to notice day to day but try and redo a piece from just a few years or even months ago to see how you’ve changed! Practice, there isn’t a shortcut to progress! Support and learn from each other!

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I identify as asexual, but I don’t know where on the spectrum. I’m in a serious relationship, but I haven’t been for long enough to know whether or not I could be demi. Currently I identify as a panromantic ace, meaning I can have romantic attraction to any gender but sexual attraction to none.

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

I generally encounter confusion when talking to someone about my sexuality. It’s difficult, because as someone who didn’t find a label that worked for them until their late teens, I spent a lot of my childhood thinking I was ‘broken’ or otherwise ‘wrong’. And hearing it insinuated from someone else saying ‘how do you know? Maybe you just haven’t found the right person, etc. etc.’ can hurt a lot. Especially if coming from other people in the LGBT+ community.

But I have to remember I’m valid, and that’s what I tell them. I calmly explain that I just don’t feel sexual attraction, I never have, and it really isn’t a big concern. And if they don’t accept that, I stop conversing with them.

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

The most common misconception is that asexuality is comparable to practicing abstinence, as if sexuality is some sort of choice. Another common one is that all ace people ‘become’ asexual after some sort of traumatic experience

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

I would say it’s not your job to educate others, and it’s okay to not have everything figured out! You’ll hear about how it’s a ‘phase’ at some point in your life, and this will suck. But remember that no matter what, whether how you identify changes over the years or if a label you found at 13 still works for you at 33, you’re valid.

I’m not going to tell you it isn’t a phase and you won’t experience doubts. I’m going to tell you that if it is, that’s okay too.

Take time figuring yourself out, research the spectrum of different sexualities, and don’t feel bad if things change. How you identify at this moment is still 100% valid and don’t settle for anyone that doesn’t respect that.

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

You can find more of my work on Instagram! I also do commissions; my username is at Rachel.Wyse ❤

I’m hoping to branch into other social media sites soon, but for now the majority of my work is on Instagram.

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

Interview: Monica Stuffle

Today we’re joined by Monica Stuffle. Monica is a wonderful visual artist who specializes in realistic drawing and portraiture. She has also dabbled in sculpture. While she prefers realistic drawings, Monica also draws in a cartoon style on occasion. It’s clear she’s a dedicated and passionate artist, 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.

My art ranges from digital to traditional, and even occasionally sculptural. I usually draw as realistically as I can, but my people-pleasers tend to be more simple and cartoonish. My art is almost always portraiture, and my strongest portraits are in plain old graphite.

What inspires you?

People around me, both on and off the internet. I’m drawn to aesthetics, so I’ll be inspired my a pretty face, a lovely themed blog, or another artist’s work.

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

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. I never really considered my talent and important thing until recently. I’ve been trying to incorporate my passion into my life more and more, including doing commissions (open 😉 ) and posting my work to try and build a career out of it.

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 wish! Maybe I should come up with one. Like a tiny ace flag in the corner or something.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Young or new artists should always remember to breathe, taking a step back and looking at where they are. I know I struggled a lot with not living up to my own expectations, so I had to learn to sit back and remember how far I’ve come already in my artistic journey. There will always be someone better than you, and that’s okay. My advice is to take what you can from your experiences. Learn from other artists, acknowledge your mistakes and fix them, and never give in to frustration.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I’m aromantic asexual as far as I know! Still unsure of my romantic orientation but very set on the asexuality.

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

Very little. There’ll always be someone who just doesn’t understand when you come out, but for me they have always grown either accepting or quietly confused yet still loving. I’m very lucky in that sense.

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

That aroaces have no soul! Honestly, there are different kinds of love. We aren’t all apathetic!

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

Take your time. There’s no pressure to find a label, soon or ever. If you feel that you’re asexual or aromantic, that’s your own business and no one else’s. If you figure that you don’t identify on the ace spectrum even if you thought you did, no worries! The LGBT+ community is one of self discovery.

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

I have a Redbubble and an art Tumblr, both at monic-artt. (Again, commissions are open!! It’s dirt cheap!)

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

Interview: Orla

Today we’re joined by Orla. Orla is a wonderful visual artist who specializes in traditional mediums, painting specifically. She works with a variety of paints: oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Her work demonstrates a vivid imagination and a masterful use of color and lines. Orla is also a spoken word artist and her spoken word art deals with a variety of topics. She’s an incredibly dedicated artist, 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.

Oh I always find this question so difficult.  I’m a visual artist and a spoken word artist. I love life drawing and portraiture and I work with oils, acrylics and watercolors. My favourite medium is oil pastels. My visual art deals with themes like nature and dreams and my personal mental health. My spoken word deals with relationships, (cultural) politics and mental health among anything and everything.

What inspires you?

I like narrative poems and telling stories and I love spoken word that is really heartfelt and uses personal experience to relate to political issues.

I’m really interested in disability politics and justice and the work of community art with oppressed groups.  I guess I’m inspired by the idea of art as a tool for social change and personal narrative as a tool for empowerment.

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

I was a constant doodler in school. I was always confused about what I wanted and still am somewhat am. Hard to say what got me interested, it was always natural and almost compulsive to draw. I had a great art teacher too. I also had friends who did art and this all had an influence on me. I wanted to study art but was swayed by other opinions like it would never amount to a career so I studied politics and now I’m trying to combine the two. It’s only dawning on me in the last few years that art and spoken word are truly what I want to spend most of my time doing and I’m trying to work on that. I got interested in spoken word when I became unemployed after university and joined the Dublin Writers Forum. They were an inspiring bunch of people and introduced me to open mics in the city. I didn’t even know spoken word existed before then! However I love helping people and have a certificate in adult health and social care, my last job was in a kindergarten and before that I worked with adults with profound multiple learning difficulties. I hope to continue working in social care perhaps with homelessness until I save enough money to do a masters in art psychotherapy.

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?

No. Although I go through thematic phases. I did a series of poems on free speech and I went through a phase of putting starry skies everywhere in my art because of a dream.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

I am one of those lol!

Do it all the time!  I wish I could take my own advice though as I get lazy and miserable often lol.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I spent quite a while trying to figure this out but I can pretty firmly say I’m gray-sexual now. Sex isn’t a big factor for me in relationships, the only thing I find ‘hot’ about people are their personalities and I’ve never had a sexual fantasy, I just fantasize about conversations haha. I’m hyper-romantic though if that’s such a thing and fall in love with everyone like a lunatic. I’m cisgender.

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

So so. I’m sex positive, enjoy sex and have a long term partner. People find it very difficult to get their heads around having sex and being on the asexual spectrum and don’t understand the difference between a need for sensual intimacy and experiencing other varied forms of attraction and not sexual attraction. I guess because the majority tend to experience sexual and romantic attraction simultaneously whereas I tend to only experience romantic attraction and very rarely sexual attraction with it.

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

As I mentioned people find it hard to differentiate between romantic and sexual attraction probably as I said because they experience it simultaneously. As it’s outside their realm of experience they don’t understand the concept of fancying someone without wanting sex. Also people seem to think you can’t be sex  positive or have sex at all if your on the spectrum. Basically it all boils down to taking the feeling of sexual attraction as a default and thinking sex is impossible without it.

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

That’s me lol. Do research and talk to queer friends.

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

www.sillical.tumblr.com

I also run a creative mental health magazine distributed free to mental health services, which you can find on: http://www.facebook.com/anomaliemagazine

And: www.anomaliemagazine.tumblr.com.

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

Interview: Bobbi

Today we’re joined by Bobbi. Bobbi is a wonderful amateur photographer and a writer. She really enjoys light photography and has dabbled in art photography. For writing, Bobbi writes fiction that examines serious issues and heavy subject matter. She is obviously someone who really enjoys her art. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I’m an amateur photographer and unpublished writer. Really, I do most of my art for fun, although I did take a photography course at college. I enjoy light photography, although portraiture interests me as well, especially images of family.

My writing is fiction, although it deals with real life situations. I have written several plans and half finished novels about teenage angst, child abuse and drug use. These themes interest me on a psychological level, as I enjoy learning about what causes addiction or why child abuse occurs. I understand it is a very sensitive subject, and I aim to reflect this in my writing.

What inspires you?

I’ve been writing since I could pick up a pen. I have countless notebooks from my younger years filled with unfinished stories, plots, odd chapters and character development sheets. I have yet to finish anything, as I’ve always struggled with endings.

I have had a lot of inspiration for my work, as I was reading voraciously before I was writing. I adore JK Rowling, and I’ve recently developed a love for Patrick Ness.

My photography was an accidental discovery. I was actually studying German, but I found the classes too intimidating, so I switched to photography instead. I enjoy manipulating images to divert them from reality, for instance, I created a Disney Princess inspired piece for my final project.

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

I suppose my interest in photography stemmed from a hatred of German. To be honest, photography is, and always will be, a hobby of mine, although I don’t photograph as religiously as I write. Writing has always been second nature to me. Whenever I get a spare moment, I’m writing, whether it be about my day in real life, or random passages from a story I haven’t yet completed.

It was actually my mum that got me into reading and writing, although I have always wanted to be a writer. I enjoy creating new worlds to get lost in, through any medium, although my drawing skills are abysmal. Character development is probably my favourite part of writing, as I can create anyone I want, from personality to physical features. It allows me some control, of which I feel I am lacking in reality.

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 don’t really have any sort of symbol, although I did play around with pseudonyms when I was younger. My favourite one was Elsie Mets. I’m not entirely sure why, but I liked the simplicity of it. It’s not a particularly fancy name, but it appealed to me.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

My advice would be, don’t procrastinate. Whatever medium you choose for your art, procrastination is definitely your enemy. Also, don’t give up halfway through, even if you’ve lost all motivation or passion for the subject, persevere, and you might surprise yourself.

And please don’t be shy about sharing your work. Honestly, even if someone doesn’t like it, a bad opinion is better than no opinion on your work at all. If nothing else, it will give you a fresh perspective, which is never a bad thing.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I’m still trying to figure myself out at the moment, but I would say I am asexual, and possibly aromantic. But, as I said, still trying to figure things out.

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

I haven’t actually told anyone about my orientation, as I’m not entirely sure myself. If I was being totally honest, I would say the only ignorance on asexuality I’ve had to face is my own. I also don’t believe my family or friendship group know what asexuality is.

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

“Isn’t that a plant thing?” Seriously, yes plants are asexual, no it doesn’t mean the same thing!

Another misconception I’ve heard is that sex-repulsed aces should ‘have sex anyway’ to keep their partner happy, because it’s ‘the natural thing to do.’ I actually fell for that kind of pressure once, and god am I glad to be out of that situation.

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

I don’t really feel qualified to answer this, as I’m still questioning everything, but if there is one thing I’ve learnt, it’s be honest with yourself. Don’t let prejudices and ‘social norm’ keep you from being who you are.

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

My work is not actually published anywhere, although I am hoping to rectify that, as long as people don’t mind unfinished work. I will finish it eventually! In the meantime, I have got a Destiel fan fic going at the moment on AO3. It’s my first fanfiction, but I think it’s okay so far. It’s called ‘This Is The Way You Left Me’ by bobledufromage. Here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8089705

My photography, I am hoping, will be on my Tumblr soon; acesarehigh42.

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

Interview: Maria

Today we’re joined by Maria. She’s a phenomenal visual artist from Germany who is a fellow da Vinci fan (YAY!). Maria enjoys drawing with pencils, both traditional and colored pencils. She specializes in realistic images and her pictures show the most amazing attention to detail. The anatomy pictures are particularly impressive, though all her work is absolutely brimming with creativity. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Asclepios

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

Mostly I draw with pencils and color pencils. All my artworks are realistic. I’ve started to practice portraits, but changed short after my apprenticeship to human anatomy (like my role model Leonardo da Vinci). But I also draw templates for tattoos.

Assassins Creed

One day I started to mix my interests all together and since then you can see them in my artworks. There are also very personal stories behind some of them, too.

Hades & Persephone

What inspires you?

As I said, Leonardo da Vinci is my role model. My first exhibition had the topic human anatomy (organs, bones, muscles oft he human body). The drawings itself where inspired by one of my associate professors during my apprenticeship. He teached the subject anatomy and his fascination affected me.

Hand

Today I have four muses, which inspire me from time to time without knowing it. It just needs one word or sentence and my mind makes something up right away.

My personal drawings are inspired by my own life and experiences made in it. It’s fascinating what ideas my subconciousness comes along with.

Jackman – Willis

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

I’ve honestly got no idea why I started drawing- I just did. When I was maybe 12 years old I grabbed a pencil and never stopped practicing.

But there’s is only a short period in my past life where I wanted to be an artist for living. That was the time right before my apprenticeship. The reason I fast quit the idea were the low chances of being successful in this are, in fact. Here in Germany everyone wants to be an artist. There are a lot of designers in different areas and everyone of them is looking for a job. Just a few a successful. The cold hard truth is, that it’s very hard to make a living with creativity. So I stayed with art only as a hobby. If there’s a chance of getting known I take it (e.g. exhibitions).

Kidney and Bladder

Another reason is my lack of interest in art. I’m just not interested in other styles of art like impressionism or surrealism or even the history of art itself. I do like realism, sculptures and antique buildings. Modern art, for instance, I don’t understand. Why pay thousands, even millions of dollars for a “piece of art,“ which could be created by a five year old child? But that’s just my opinion.

Laugh and Cry

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 don’t think that there’s something unique in my drawings, except my signature. It’s a monogram, made out of the first letters of my first and last name. I also include a shortcut of the year the picture was created – that’s it.

Like a Feather

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

My advice must start with my favourite quote of Leonardo da Vinci himself: “Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art“. I think that every artist sees the truth in those words. Without passion, diligence, patience and trust in your own abilities it’s very hard nearly impossible to create art. Your spirit and your heart have to work together to create art, that shows the artists soul.

Quote

There will be days when it seems like your talent is forever gone. That your hard work just vanished and you’ll never be able to create any kind of art. But be patient. Those days will end as fast as they started.

Mouth

I’ve also made the experience that it’s important to finish every single piece of work you started. Sometimes it seems that your current work isn’t turning out as imagined. Don’t fool yourself! Finish your work and you’ll see that you invested your time right. Sometimes the whole great picture is seen only after the last steps. You will never know if your artwork turned out like you wanted it if you stop in the middle of progress.

Nic Cage

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I’m an aromantic asexual.

Queen

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

One of the reactions I encounter every time is that everyone assumes at first that I’m joking. Yes, I’ve got a twisted sense of humor but in that matter I’m absolutely serious.

Every time i just hear: “What?! You’re what?! That’s impossible, because I’ve never heard of that. You definitely joking right now!”

Surgery

When I try to explain I can see the doubt in their eyes. Shortly after my explanations they still want to explain their point of view. Sometimes it seems to me like they think I’m suffering from a kind of disease that has to be cured immediately. So they try to discuss with me hoping to convince me of their own view. Just because they didn’t know any better.

My favourite point of those discussions is: “You’re too young to know so. Wait another five years then you’ll see! You will be in great love, married and a great mother!“

I’m 25 years old by now and still have to hear those stupid sentences.

Section Brain

First I was disappointed and angry when I heard all that. I didn’t understand why it was so difficult to understand my orientation. But today I smile and explain patiently why I still doesn’t want to be in love or have sex.

I can imagine what it feels like to hear about this “new thing“. But I hope that someday people will understand and accept us.

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

Most people think I’m mentally ill. In their eyes to be asexual is definitely a personality disorder, nothing more. It’s sad but I think the most people fear what they don’t know. So they try with all their imagination to explain the unknown. To give it a reason or purpose they can accept. But there’s nothing to fear, only to accept. They don’t care about hurting someone‘s feelings. As long as they can believe that they’re right and feel good about it.

Soul

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

Talk to someone you trust about your orientation. One of my friends told me that I might be asexual. I didn’t know this word until then. After research I found another one: aromantic. I‘ve always known about my orientation but could never name it right. Now I can and it feels great. It’s also a relief to know that I’m not alone. Yes, there is still a silent fight of acceptance, but just because only a few people know about asexuality. There are tolerant people, but not enough. We all have to change that. But first you have to accept yourself. There was a moment when I thought: “Mmhh… so I’ll never fall in love. No marriage, no children, no sex… Is that how I want to live?” The answer is YES. Because I know, that I wouldn’t be happy in a romantic or sexual relationship. I would deny my own personality, deny who I really am. How could I be honest to others, when I’m not even honest to myself?

Spine

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

Just a few days ago I created an account on DeviantArt. You can find some of my artworks there. Look for JackieP90 (jackiep90.deviantart.com).

I’m also writing my memoirs right now. I’m hoping to publish it one day.

Moirae

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

Interview: Alysha

Today we’re joined by Alysha.  Alysha is an amazingly talented visual artist and cosplayer.  Her cosplays are absolutely incredible and her drawings are also quite interesting visually.  She’s an artist with a really interesting style, which is always welcome on this blog.  My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Astrid Hofferson (How to Train Your Dragon)

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

Drawing: I’ve drawn for as long as I can remember, and whilst I still have a long way to go to get to the level I want to be at, I’ve recently begun to develop my style in a direction I’m happy with. I love both manga and portraiture and enjoy drawing both, and I’m working on combining the two.

Cosplay: I came across cosplay at the first convention I went to, Supanova 2013, and I instantly loved it. Who doesn’t want the chance to become their favourite characters, to see them brought to life? It combines crafting, painting, sewing, puzzle solving and gives me the scope to learn heaps of new and really exciting techniques, and I love the challenge that comes with each character.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by artists that I like, for both mediums, as well as mainly books and movies. I like to draw and cosplay characters and people that I love, usually due to both personality and design. I have to really connect with characters to cosplay them, which is why my cosplays aren’t really of major characters.

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

Art is my hobby, but it is a major part of my life. I’ve always been sure to try and keep my skills from getting too rusty and discovering cosplay over the last few years has been fantastic. It’s something I wanted to do as soon as I saw it and I haven’t looked back. Art is always going to be a major part of my life, no matter what form.

Blind Seer

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 for my cosplay, aside from wanting to make it as realistic as my limited skills allow, but I sign all of my drawings with the year and then AD, my initials, which worked a lot better before they switched dates from BC/AD to BC/BCE, but I started with it so I’m just going to keep it.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Keep going and stick with what interests you, even if it seems like it’s not going anywhere. It’s so much easier to keep going if it’s fun. If it’s something new that you want to try, give it a shot, and start small. My first cosplays were Misa Amane from Death Note using stuff I had in my closet, and next was the Tardis which was a blue dress with windows badly sewn on it. It looked terrible, but I had fun, and starting small gave me the confidence to move on to bigger and more complicated techniques. And no matter what you are interested in, research, research, research. I cannot stress it enough. It’s possibly the most important thing you can do to improve your skills. That and trial and error. But research is easier and saves a lot of grief.

Hades – Hercules

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Heteroromantic asexual

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

Technically art is my hobby and my field is science, but I haven’t really encountered and prejudice in either, but I also haven’t really discussed it too much with anyone outside a couple of close friends either. Can’t really comment too much.

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

That it doesn’t exist or doesn’t belong on the LGBTQI+ spectrum. Seems to crop up a lot.

Poppet – The Night Circus

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

Research. Find out what options are out there. I only realized my sexuality a few months ago, and that was only because I came across a Tumblr post on Facebook about asexuality and just had a lightbulb moment of yes, that’s me, other people feel that way? It’s hard to get good information, particularly about asexuality, but the more you read the more things begin to make sense. I had no idea that the way I felt was different to most of my friends until I actually started reading about it and talked to my friends. Who proceeded to tell me that they had assumed I was for ages and were just waiting for me to figure it out. Thanks guys. But seriously, having someone to confide in after you read a bit is great, it gets you out of negative thought loops and can help reaffirm what you’ve been thinking. Just make sure it’s someone you know will support you, whether it’s a friend, parent, blogger or whatever. And it’s okay if you don’t feel like you fit into a specific category. The names are just there to help us describe ourselves, they don’t have to be cut and dried labels. You aren’t broken, you aren’t weird, and people will still care about you. It’s doesn’t change who you are. Phew, okay, waffle over.

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

Facebook and cosplay amino: AhriBelle Cosplay
Tumblr: AhriBelle Cosplay for cosplay stuff and Undertaker1892 for randomness that occasionally involves drawings, and a lot of random fandom stuff

Also photography credits go to:
Astrid Hofferson: Steph Doran Photography (Facebook Page)
Undertaker: Bianca Robinson Photography (Instagram)

Undertaker – Black Butler

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