Interview: goatbunny

Today we’re joined by goatbunny. goatbunny is a phenomenal visual artist who works in a number of different mediums, both traditional and digital. goatbunny has done shows in the past and has a number of different projects they’re currently working on, including creating her own Tarot Deck. It’s clear she’s a passionate and driven artist, as you’ll soon read. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Hammer

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I paint and draw using both traditional (pencil, ink, watercolor and illustration marker are my main tools, but I also use gouache, acrylic, spray paint, crayons, and pretty much anything else I find) and digital media (I’ve recently gotten back into digital media so I’ve been exploring more of that). I dabble in almost everything else, I’ll try anything once. I’ve sculpted in the past, and I sew a lot when I don’t really feel like drawing or painting, by hand and with a machine. I am currently creating my own Tarot Deck and collaborating with a fellow artist on a card game, activity/coloring books and I have started to experiment more with non-traditional styles of animation with him using “2-D” type of puppets using cardboard and even felt. I have recently created my second short film.

What inspires you?

I try to gain inspiration from everything around me. I try not to focus too much on other visual artists like myself as I try to avoid the trap of having other drawing styles impacting my own too heavily. I am very inspired by music, films, books, etc. I just try to be as observant as possible. Meeting up with other creatives also helps a lot. I have a lot of musicians and artists, and a couple of writers in my friend circle so I like to think we inspire each other.

Llamacorn

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

I’ve pretty much been drawing and creating since I was able to hold a pencil in my hand. I have always loved cartoons, comics, animated film and even videogames and had always wanted to be an animator, cartoonist, illustrator or character designer when I was younger. I HAVE always wanted to be in a creative field, even if I was steered in other directions. Even when I was studying the sciences in school or during my short career in the medical field, I never stopped drawing and now I can finally say that art is what I do full time.

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 can’t say that I really have a unique signature, aside from signing “Goat” when I do remember to sign my pieces. Lately I have been watermarking any pieces I have posted publicly online, and have also been incorporating my Goatagram logo in digital work (It’s basically a pentagram with a goatbunny head – a bunny with goat horns).

Retro Goatagram Nob

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Just keep creating. Even if you don’t end up being a full-time artist, always make time for art. It’s not the easiest career choice. I’m 35 and have only been a full-time artist for the past 3 years, so I can feel the difference, financially. I almost want to say my parents were right and that you should find a steady, well-paying job but to be honest, I traded said job for the sake of my mental health and I can say that, for the most part, it was worth it.

If you do choose art as a career, you may feel discouraged. You may feel like you want to quit. You may even become disgruntled about what you see in the art world. It’s important to remember why you create and why it’s important to YOU. It also helps to have a close, supportive network to help you through any of the rough patches you may hit.

Vidscreen

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I feel like I discovered asexuality waaaaay late in the game (early-30s) so I found it really difficult to figure out where I fall in the spectrum. In retrospect, I feel like I could be a grey-ace but it’s hard to really tell what I really felt and what I thought I SHOULD feel. So I generally just use the more general asexual term because I am at least certain about that.

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

It’s hard to say as I tend to keep my personal life out of my work for the most part. My city has a large LGBTQ+ community, and a large arts community and they both overlap. I have been invited to fairs run by queer artists through a mutual friend but I feel like ace representation wasn’t strong on there at all. The community feels very overtly sex favorable, and most art is very inundated with social commentary, especially about sexuality, gender and orientation. It even felt like there was even a certain “dress code”. Since my art doesn’t have any specific themes about gender or sexuality, didn’t “look” like them, and am cis in relationship with someone of the opposite sex, I didn’t feel very welcome. Not to say that I wasn’t, but I didn’t feel very included by some of the merchants/organizers. I’m not entirely sure if that counts, but it felt like if I didn’t openly express my sexuality or orientation, I don’t really count or am truly accepted. I tend to not let situations like that get to me since I want people to relate to and judge my art, not who I am.

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

Of the few people I came out to and had to explain it, the main misconception was basically that I just don’t like sex. In the case of my husband before we were married, he thought it meant that I didn’t/couldn’t love him or didn’t want to have sex with him. After having explained it a few times, he finally understood that I am capable of love, but sexual attraction is something I don’t experience. I’ve come to realize that for a lot of people, it is very difficult to separate sexual attraction, romantic attraction, love and the act of sex itself.

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

That one’s tough, since I feel like I’m still learning a lot about my own every day. I guess: Keep reading up on it. Do some introspection. Be open to what you learn. Accept the fact that your orientation may change. Just learn to accept who you and what you’re going through at the moment. Finding community among others who accept and support who you are and what you are experiencing will also help, whether it’s in real life or online.

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

My Tumblr is http://www.church-of-goatbunny.tumblr.com/
And Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/churchofgoatbunny/, but it’s mostly just posts shared from my Instagram: at winner.gets.a.rake.
I do have a Patreon which is a huge help for self-employed artists: https://www.patreon.com/goatbunny
Work can be purchased directly through me or my Big Cartel shop: https://churchofgoatbunny.bigcartel.com/

Tarot 17 Scholar

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

Interview: Elizabeth King

Today we’re joined by Elizabeth King, who goes by LizzyKingBooks on Tumblr. Elizabeth is an amazing writer and illustrator who specializes in erotica kinky novels. She has created a lot of content she feels is lacking in mainstream media, creating erotic content that revolves around situation and intimacy instead of attraction and lust. Her experience as a kinky asexual informs her work, some of which is darker. Elizabeth has self-published an e-novel about a vampire who captures a girl (which is also in the kinky erotica genre). She is an incredibly passionate individual, 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 and illustrate erotic kink novels! I began with fanfiction and have branched off from there into my own original content and characters. My work revolves around dark fantasies and kink sexuality. I currently have one novel and several short stories available. The novel is an erotic horror novel about a young girl taken captive by a Vampire Lord, and is more or less the vampire novel I have always wished existed. It is intended to be frightening as much as it is erotic, and in fanfiction terms would be labelled as a darkfic. Each chapter is illustrated with several drawings depicting the characters and scenes. It goes of course without saying that my work and content is intended exclusively for an adult audience and I will not sell to minors.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by relational dynamics, and stories about how one person might relate to another. I am also inspired by kink sexuality and rather dark themes like the relationship between life and death. The Hannibal TV series, for instance, captures such a beautiful picture of dark themes, presenting a compelling world that teeters between the morbid and the vibrant. That is the kind of feeling I would like to evoke with my work.

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

I’ve always been artistic, since I was very young. However, my particular field was not on my radar until a few years ago, when I discovered fanfiction.

Fanfiction opened up a world of erotica to me, which inspired me because it was expressive of sexualities and fantasies that are not typically seen in the mainstream world. Here were women and LGBT people writing and expressing and drawing the sorts of things that they found sexy and appealing and what they were creating spoke to me on much deeper levels than any explicit content from the mainstream world. I wanted to try to express myself as well, and as I began to write fanfiction I began to also discover things about my own sexuality that I hadn’t before.

Marginalized pornography is so important to me, because it brings light to erotic desires that are not generally acknowledged as being valid. What non-ace women want is not even typically represented, but what ace women want or find appealing is even rarer depicted. And what kinds of things kinky women think about? Again, even rarer still. Kink is a genre dominated by men and male fantasy, and I found it so inspiring to see authors writing kink from the perspectives of women.

I decided that I wanted to craft stories that spoke to my deepest and darkest desires and fantasies, because nothing else was. One of the things that I find so inspiring about fanfiction’s approach to erotic content rather than the mainstream world of published erotica, is how fanfiction focuses on characters first, and the sexual content second. The tropes and focal points of fanfiction are so very unique, and I wanted to bring that form of writing over into my original erotic fiction.

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?

My work is all BDSM and kink related. Every story I write has a Dominant character and a submissive character, and I focus heavily on the power dynamics between the two of them. Although my stories feature a lot of explicit sexual content, the core of my stories is the power exchange within that sexual content, and how those experiences shape and mold the characters. A few of my own personal kinks tend to pop up again and again, of course!

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Keep going! Whatever you do, no matter how down you feel, keep making things. Life is about doing things, and experiencing things. Even if something you do objectively flops, doing that thing is better than not doing it. The act of creating will enrich your life. Express. Don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t worry about success or failure. Just do things.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I identify as demi-sexual, although I have recently been considering that perhaps grey-sexual may be better fitting. I do not experience sexual attraction based on physical features or looks (although I do experience aesthetic attraction) but rather based on personality traits and situations. I identify as a submissive, and within the context of the ace spectrum, that means that I am only sexually attracted to dominance, whether that be in a person’s mannerisms, or a power imbalance situation. So, while I can experience attraction, it is rather rare and does not happen in the same way as for most people. I am also pan-romantic!

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

I am happy to say that I have not (yet) experienced any ace prejudice, either in my field or out of it! Ignorance, perhaps, but not of a willfully cruel nature. Many people have questions about my sexuality which I am happy to answer. In general as long as someone is respectful I have no problem answering questions. I hope that I will be gracious as well if I ever do encounter hate.

What I do, however, encounter is people assuming that I cannot be ace, or even that I must be more sexually promiscuous, because I write erotica. Many men assume that I will be open to sexting with them because of the content I write. These assumptions frustrate me, but I try to correct them gently whenever I can.

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

The most common misconception about asexuality I’ve encountered personally is the misunderstanding that all asexual people hate sex. A lot of people cannot understand how you could enjoy sex if you do not experience sexual attraction. In reality, many ace spectrum people are still interested in having sex with their partners! Many ace spectrum people may be sex repulsed, but that is not a requirement for being ace!

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

Don’t be afraid to try labels on for size and see what feels right. Your identity is not invalid if you decide to change your label later. Your journey is unique, and you don’t have to justify it to anyone!

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

You can find my work at LizzyKingBooks.tumblr.com! Please come and follow me and even shoot me an ask. But please remember, my work and my blog are 18+ only!

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

Interview: Lemur

Today we’re joined by Lemur. Lemur is a wonderful visual artist who specializes in illustrations with a narrative element. Their work is fascinating and has a touch of the surreal to it. It’s clear that Lemur is a very dedicated artist, as you’ll soon see. My thanks to them for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

My art is a bit all over the place in terms of medium, content and purpose…most of the time I’m an illustrator! Everything I make tends to have a narrative element. It is easier for me to make something when I can picture its place in a story/see its context extending from it.

What inspires you?

Whatever catches my attention! Objects that demand explanations or suggest some secret life, environments that feel like empty film sets, in medias res conversations, people whose futures/histories I have to imagine because I don’t get the chance to talk to them….

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

I always wanted to be either a zoologist or a volcanologist, but I was also easily bored and prone to doodling.

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?

Well! My (real) last name is Hamburger (seriously), so sometimes I’ll draw a little hamburger instead of writing it out.

…this doesn’t go over so well when I’m filling out legal documents.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Anything and everything can be used to make art! Work can surpass the materials used in its creation. Be open to criticism, but let your own beliefs walk beside you; your opinion should neither be elevated to god-status nor relegated to the role of no-nothing kid sidekick. Make what you want to make, not what you think you ought to be making.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Not exactly sure! Probably somewhere between romantic asexual and grey-A.

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

I haven’t encountered prejudice as much as I have sheer disbelief that asexuality even exists. There are also occasionally people who are offended by what they perceive as a general rejection of sex overall, as though my personal disinterest in sex were a puritanical condemnation of whatever everyone else is choosing to do with their bits. In these cases I usually compare sex to beer/hard liquor: I’m not a fan, but that doesn’t mean I’m trying to bring back prohibition.

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

That it can’t possibly exist, that it is always caused by some past trauma.

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

NO SHAME! Really though. Although it may not always feel this way, there are loads of people like you out there, and a few might be willing to chat.

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

I’ve been trying to get better at using Instagram for art: https://www.instagram.com/lemurhamburger/

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

Interview: ImprobableDreams900

Today we’re joined by ImprobableDreams900. ImprobableDreams900 is mostly a dedicated fanartist who does a little traditional fanart, but specializes in fanfiction. She’s currently working on some great fics. ImprobableDreams900 also does quite a bit of graphic design by trade. She also has a very clever way to apply her skills in graphic design to her fanfiction, as you’ll soon read. She’s incredibly passionate and it makes for a great interview. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

Aziraphale and Snake Crowley

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

In the world of fandom, I’m primarily an author, with my best work in the Night Vale and Good Omens fandoms. I really wanted to be an author when I was young, but I knew it wasn’t a very economically feasible career path, so I switched my aspirations to something a little more likely to allow me to pay rent: graphic design. I’m also a visual artist, with a few pieces of traditional fan art under my belt, but I find myself doing a lot of fandom-related things using my graphic design skillset — I’ve laid out, designed covers for, printed, and bound my own fanfiction, for example.

What inspires you?

There’s nothing I regularly go back to for inspiration, because I usually have more ideas than I could possibly execute, but I do draw a lot from history. Due to my current interest (read: obsession) with Good Omens, I spend an inordinate amount of time reading very old books on early Biblical mythology at the library — not weird at all, right? But they’re great mines for information I can spin into stories.

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

As I said before, I always wanted to be an author. When I was very young, I used to take pieces of paper and write all over them and pretend I was writing a book. I’d only get about a page done before I started just drawing squiggly lines on the paper, though, lol. When I got around to actually writing, I didn’t start with fanfiction. I cranked out several “books” in middle school — a pursuit my mother encouraged far too much — and when I was in junior high I spent a summer writing a 200k novel. It was pretty terrible, but all of this writing (along with an incredible amount of reading) taught me how to write well, and at a relatively young age. In addition to art, I also seriously considered careers in history or physics (particularly astrophysics, particle physics, or quantum physics), but history doesn’t pay any better than writing does, and the day-to-day work of a particle physicist isn’t half as interesting as reading about the conceptual aspects.

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?

Not really, though most of my fanfiction is fairly angsty; I exact an unhealthy pleasure from severely injuring and killing off my characters. I nearly always abide by the ‘angst with a happy ending’ tag, though, and I do my very best to leave them in a better place than I found them. I’m an optimist at heart, you see.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Oh dear — I think technically I’m still a young aspiring artist, lol. If you’re interested in writing, though, 100% the best advice I can give is to read and write a lot. Trial and error and learning by doing are really the best ways to improve, in my opinion.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Generally speaking, I’m just very confused, but my current state of mind is gray!ace or demi (and possible biromantic on top of that); I’m leaning towards demi at the moment, because I’ve noticed that it takes an incredibly long amount of time for me to form any sort of emotional attachment to anyone. I really take the friend-to-relationship route, and haven’t had a relationship yet where I wanted to even consider sleeping with the other person. Most of the time I was struggling with whether or not I even wanted to cuddle.

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

I’m glad you asked! I haven’t seen a lot of prejudice personally, but I have seen some ignorance, even within the queer community. I was reading a fanfic the other day, and the author introduced a great many original characters, of which practically every one ticked a different box on the LGBTQ+ checklist. I didn’t have a problem with this, but I did notice that the author hadn’t included an ace character (though ace-exclusion was by no means the author’s intention). So in my latest fic, I decided to form an asexual relationship between the two main characters. Due to some complicated plot shenanigans, one of the characters ends up walking into what is basically a porn shop created by his subconscious — meaning that he walks into a porn shop completely devoid of porn, and instead populated with things he cares about, and finds romantic. I put in a lot of little ace Easter eggs, because I’m beginning to realize that if I want to see more ace representation, it’s not going to write itself.

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

Someone I know very well in real life came out as asexual before I even had a suspicion that I might be, so I haven’t had a lot of firsthand experience with misconceptions of asexuality. I think the most common misconception is either that a) you just have a low libido, b) you’re going to grow old and die alone as an old cat lady (this being a pitiable fate), or c) that you’ll grow out of it (which is admittedly not helped by the fact that a lot of people seem to do just that).

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

Don’t worry about it so much, especially if you’re young. If you’re demi or gray (the only orientations I feel comfortable dispensing advice to), I find it’s rather hard to force romance to happen. I know I don’t have that ‘look, that person is hot’ instinct at all, so I just try to make friends with people I think I might like, and see if anything happens from there. Also, if you’re having trouble finding someone who’s right for you — and again, especially if you’re young (that’s under 30 in my mind) — remember that you are under no obligation to be in a relationship. Mainstream media has misled you and societal norms have shaped your thinking, and I don’t think it’s just asexuals they’ve done a disservice to. Sex isn’t the end-all-be-all, but neither are relationships. Don’t undervalue the advantages of being single — I know I for one really love having enough free time to write all those fanfics!

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

I’m ImprobableDreams900 on AO3 (fics) and Tumblr (occasional bit of art). The fanfiction behemoth I’m currently working on is a series called Eden!verse for the Good Omens fandom, which is GONNA BE AWESOME when I’ve finally finished writing it. If you’re interested in reading the asexual porn shop scene I mentioned, it’s in Chapter 4 of The End of Eternity in that series, starting about halfway through. If anyone’s interested in commissioning a printed book of their fanfiction (or another author’s, with their permission), send me a message on Tumblr, and I’d be happy to give you more information!

Thank you, ImprobableDreams900, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.

Interview: Sturm

Today we’re joined by Sturm. Sturm is a wonderful musician from Germany. He plays with a band that sounds as though they play quite an eclectic assortment of music (a mix of Rock, Punk, Metal, and Core). He’s an incredibly passionate musician, as you’ll soon read. My thanks to him for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

Currently my art is the music I put out with my band. I write all lyrics, as well as the music. Our style is hard to grasp, even for us. We describe it usually as “music with distorted guitars” therefore something between Rock, Punk, Metal and Core. Since my band mates are apparently not really interested in the topics of the lyrics, I’m free to write whatever I like to. Therefore many of the songs are LGBTQ-related or in one case explicitly ace-related.

What inspires you?

Basically everything. I believe that not the topic, but the situation makes the inspiration. If something touches me on “that certain level” it might be a piece of inspiration for me. Social, politics, personal, it’s all more or less a part of the life you live, and a part of your art.

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

I started playing guitar after a friend introduced me to the metal scene, as well as the guitar as an instrument. While staying in the metal community, different styles of guitar music influenced me and formed my musical progress. After many years also Jazz and Prog-music got me.

Since I started early to dream the dream of being a musician, the idea behind it is just as old. I mean “Playing music and make money” is  just THE dream. Being an artist is better than sitting in a regular company all 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?

Not really. I try to keep the songs groovy and catchy. Even though we do not play a very hard style, we use 7-string guitars to have a heavy sound for the guitars. Maybe that is a signature move.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Never give up. There are bands being successful with more or less bullshit. Whatever your style is people will listen to it, and like it. The first step is always to bring your music out.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Asexual, but with the possibilities of being gray- and /or demisexual

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

Unfortunately way too often. It’s usually the old stereotypes. I can laugh them off, mostly because the people, who make those jokes don’t know one thing about asexuality or the LGBTQ community

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

Basically the general stereotypes. “You hate sex” “You have to find the right partner” “You seem like a lost child.” Stuff like that. And of course that I’m “faking it’.’ Why would I do that?

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

First of all. RELAX

And then, take your time to be, to discover, and to realise yourself.

Yes this might take some time, but it’s your time, and therefore, so important.

You and yourself are more important than any ideology, i.g. religion.

So: Be always sure that millions of people stand with you, and know exactly what you feel right now

Or short

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

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

Currently not at all, but soon our FB page will be active

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

Interview: Charlie

Today we’re joined by Charlie. Charlie sent me the loveliest email and is a phenomenal art student. They’re working on building their portfolio and the images they sent along to with their interview shows an individual with a massive amount of talent. They do both fanart and photography. Charlie is definitely an artist with a very bright future. My thanks to them for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I’m currently an art student, but I also do some fan art and photography for fun as well,

What inspires you?

Oh that’s a hard one, I’d say probably the shows I watch, books I read, fantasy and mythos, and my friends crazy ideas that she gets me to draw for her.

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

I’ve always tried to draw I can never say I was particularly good at it though, however about 4 maybe 5 years ago I was introduced to the world of comics and manga, and I became enthralled by the idea of being some kind of illustrator.

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?

Hmm, well, I like to base my characters on certain themes or mythos depending on what the work is for. I’ve only recently started to explore the idea of symbolism in my art so I can’t say I’ve got any particular as of yet.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Give it a try. And if it doesn’t look how you want try again. Ugh if I had listen to the advice people gave about practicing and actually getting on with it rather than sitting and staring at a blank page is was afraid to ruin I would probably have more skills under my belt by now!

In summary don’t fear failure, embrace it.

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

Hmm I’m still finding my footing I often teeter between gray and not so gray if you catch my drift. Though I can say for definite I’m pan-romantic.

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

I get a lot of people often confused if I bring it up. I think there is a lot of misconception which is a shame. I’ve never really had any issues directly affecting me in terms of my art and my ambitions so much as I have with my social life.

As for how I deal with it? Well If they ask I will explain as simply as I can (you might know the pie/cake analogy) or if they straight up won’t believe me I don’t argue I find that to be easier, -though it does leave me feeling at meh ya know?

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

That it is synonymous with abstinence or celibacy. This often comes up, however I did once have a girl ask me if it meant I reproduced asexually (as in to clone myself to produce offspring) which I thought was fantastic. I now often use that to describe ace-ness to people who don’t understand it, for laughs!

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

It’s going to be difficult and you’re gonna have people tell you all kinds of things. And you are going to question yourself, but remember sexuality can be a fluid and tricky thing and there may not be a perfect label for you and that’s okay.

In our ‘sex tape culture’ as I once heard it described it is really difficult to find a niche when sex seems to be all there is.

I can promise you this there is far more to life than sex and there is far more to love than sex.

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

Well I’m not too big on the internet at current having only just been introduced to it as a place to post my art.

(@) cariquazae is my Tumblr it’s a tad barren at current but give it some time

Cariquazae my Deviantart of the same name is also suffering from the same issue but it will grow I’m sure

(If any of you would like to contact me I believe my asks are open!)

Pleasure to do this interview, best wishes and to all you out there good luck.

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

Interview: Hallopino

Today we’re joined by Hallopino. Hallopino is a fantastically talented artist who specializes in comics and cartooning. They had a table near mine at last year’s Indy PopCon and I wish I had known that earlier! Because Hallopino is an amazing visual storyteller, judging from what I’ve seen of their work. The images they sent along with their interview drew me in immediately. My thanks to them for taking the time to participate in this interview.

11th

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I always been a bit of a jack of all trades. Which can also mean master of none. I’ve split focus a lot between writing, drawing and photography, with varying levels of success. Been working to focus more on cartooning again, it is the thing I picked first and the most reliable way of telling a story that I enjoy telling in my opinion.

What inspires you?

I love the mix of the extraordinary and the mundane. The cosmic force that can fight galactic monsters, but struggles to send a text. I tend to find that is the sweet spot of entertainment where it’s both can be engaging or funny depending on how you balance it. So it does come from a mix of looking at other stories and the real world.

Bad Witch

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

I just fell in love with comic strips immediately as a kid. It just connected to me in a way that never let go. Even when I went a different path because making comic was closed to me, I eventually found my way back to it. I love the visual element and I can tell the stories that come to me.

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?

There has been a couple over the years. Signature has changed more recently into more of a symbol that is included in each piece. It tends to be more obvious. When storytelling, I tend to omit eyebrows on the character that is my stand in. Came out of an old strip where a character had carelessly burned off their eye brows.

Cricket

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

I think math and science can be a key to improved art. It’s been countless times where it helps me be a better cartoonist, graphic designer, and photographer, because of having that baseline knowledge.

Mythbusters

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I normally just say Ace. I may slide more into grey. But it comes up so rarely, that I’m not exactly splitting hairs over it.

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

It’s more ignorance. There is the common requirement that every story has to have a romance. I know I’ve put it in some early stories. But I feel much more confident about not going down that road. As an much as the romance is required for most. In comic strips and super heroic stories, they can focus elsewhere. It is discouraging seeing fans react to two people having affection for each other as instantly romantic or sexual. As if the concept that someone could be friends, or not think about sex is somehow an abstract a thought that is entirely elusive.

Invisible Wrappings

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

It’s largely the combination of that it’s either doesn’t exist, or that they would just moan about having an asexual week because they couldn’t get laid. Both are dismissive to the idea.

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

Just know that what you are feeling is true. Don’t let someone demean or talk you into something that doesn’t feel right. The discovery process can be hard for some people, and I know I’ve had moments on the road that I wish I wouldn’t have happened. Be careful.

Shinedown 06

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

I have my main site at Hallopino.com, where I will be posting new comics as they are ready later this year.

Also on Tumblr (hallopino.tumblr.com) I’m posting a new sketch every single day.

Avengers Women

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

Interview: Cierra

Today we’re joined by Cierra. Cierra is a phenomenal visual artist who specializes in digital art. She’s also a wonderful Pokemon fanartist and she dabbles in animation. Cierra is a versatile artist who obviously loves what she does. Her work shows an incredible eye for detail, as you’ll soon see. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.

WORK

Please, tell us about your art.

I mainly focus on digital art, since it’s easy for me to use and easier for me to share with others. My art is mostly expressing my love of character design and interest in creating diverse characters. To me, my art is a way for me to focus all of my scrambled thoughts into a single flowing idea, and I love nothing else more than to express my ideas in a visual manner! I also love to create art meant to appeal to people with the same interests as myself.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by people. I’m inspired by their personalities and appearances, their thoughts and their emotions, and I’m inspired by their ideas as well. Everyone is unique to themselves, with their own individual traits that make up who they are. I love to be able to create unique personalities and characters and settings, because it only makes the art work come to life more than it would have before.

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

Ever since a young age, I’ve always drawn the things I saw around me, whether it was a person or an animal, or even a toy. I constantly scribbled on MS Paint, eventually drawing cats of various colors and personalities. Around middle school I was introduced to manga and anime, which brought the realization that it was possible to do something with this hobby I loved. Of course, being a mangaka was a silly dream, but it motivated me to become better and to become a part of bigger artistic communities I would never have known about! Now that I had this motivation, I drove myself to improve and express myself to the world. I would still love to make a career out of my art and nothing else, although for now I’m fine with keeping it to commissions every now and then. I always loved being an artist, and I still do!

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 believe there’s anything I really include in my work that’s specific to me…well, not on purpose, anyways. I’m a huge fan of colorful overlays to make my work more vibrant, and eyes are always going to be featured somewhere in the work. Heck, I even focus on them a lot sometimes by making them glow, or by adding an effect to them! Other than that, however, I don’t think I have any specific signature to my work.

What advice would you give young aspiring artists?

Never, EVER give up on drawing. If you love drawing, then do it, it’s as simple as that! You will improve with time as you draw, but in the meantime, simply draw if that’s what you love to do. Your skill level is irrelevant, because the main reason you should ever be drawing is for yourself. I could go on for hours about why you have to keep pushing forward to improve and get better, but I feel like that’d bore you more than anything. Just remember: Even if you think you’re horrible at drawing, it’s okay to be bad at what you love. It’s your love and motivation and passion that counts in the end! (Wow, that was all really cheesy.)

ASEXUALITY

Where on the spectrum do you identify?

I am somewhere between graysexual and demisexual on the ace spectrum! (I’m still working it out, but it’s somewhere around there I guess?)

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

I encountered a lot of it from a partner, actually. They were very negative towards it and kept pushing that I could get past my asexuality and do things I simply had no interest in doing. Other times, whenever I mention it to people they simply seem not to believe that it’s possible, although they never outright say it to my face. I just keep pushing forward and staying within my limits, and I generally don’t mention it unless it’s brought up. I always have a bad habit of going out of the way to make everyone happy, but I’ve found that it’s much better to worry about yourself above anyone else.

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

The most common one has been that asexuality is simply not having sex at all, or hating sex. People don’t realize that asexuality is simply the lack of sexual attraction, meaning that we can go throughout the day and not feel a sudden urge for sexual activities that other people might feel. Asexual people can be sex-repulsed or sex-positive, they may even enjoy several sexual activities! In the end, however, they still lack the sex drive many other people have. That’s the best I can explain it, anyways, although I’m sure there are much clearer explanations than mine. There’s also parts of the spectrum to include, but that’s more detail than we probably need here.

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

Don’t even worry about trying to label what you feel in regards to attraction. It feels a lot better to have a label for what you feel, but first and foremost, don’t upset yourself over it. If you think you’re on the ace spectrum, then great! If you change your mind later on, that’s fine too! It’s not easy to understand what you feel or who you are, and whatever you feel is valid. In addition to that, don’t let anyone tell you that your identity isn’t real or right, because no one should dictate how you feel. I also advise to eat a lot of food you like once in a while and buy some nice things. That doesn’t have to do with asexuality, but you probably deserve some nice stuff anyways.

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

I have multiple places with my work! I have a DeviantART which is GlitchWifi (http://glitchwifi.deviantart.com/), my art blog is artsy-wifi (http://artsy-wifi.tumblr.com/), and my Pokemon art blog is at mega-luxrite (http://mega-luxrite.tumblr.com/tagged/artsy-wifi). All three have different content to them, but all of them are still very much active. I’m glad to have had the chance to be a part of this interview. Thank you so much!

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