Interview: Esther25jm

I would like to thank Mindy for inviting me for this interview, it’s truly an honor. Thanks, Mindy! I had fun answering, although I do tend to babble or leave long answers to some questions, so forgive me. Extra thank you to PMD for looking over my answers and making sure I don’t sound like a total spazz. Thanks, sweetie!! *hugs*

1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?

There are two periods: 1) the 1800s – Baltimore, MD so that I could meet Edgar Allan Poe. I’d try to hang around him, just to get to know him. 2) I would love to be anywhere in the US during the mid-late 70s so that I could go to a live Fleetwood Mac concert. Listening to Stevie sing and Lindsay play that guitar at the height of their fame would’ve been awesome. I love them and find so much inspiration from their music.

2) Have you ever met anyone famous?

Yes! I’ve meet James Marsters, Amber Benson, Andy Hallet, and James Leary during the 2004 Slayer Con in Houston. I got to meet Kurt Busch (NASCAR driver) this past April during my NASCAR weekend. I’ve also met many wrestlers back in the late 70s/early 80s, including Kevin Von Erich and Ric Flair.

3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?

Edgar Allan Poe because I absolutely love all of his works. I’d love to know what he was like, see the man in progress of writing, and tell him how much I love his work. I used to want to be a writer when I was younger and he was my inspiration. The desire is gone, but not my love for his works.

4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.

No one, really. I’m happy with my life and wouldn’t change it for the world.

5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?

Edgar Allan Poe. I love the passion he exudes in his works and find his words very poetic.

6) What is your favorite book and why?

Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe because of the love the main character feels for his deceased wife. Yes, the story is morbid (more so than many others), but it’s all pushed behind the love he feels for his beloved wife, Ligeia.

7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?

Stevie Nicks because she’s got such a soulful and passionate voice. Anything she’s feeling at that moment is emoted so well while singing. She’s brought me laughter, tears, and a true love for music and musicians who play from their hearts.

8.) What is your favorite song and why?

“Sara” by Stevie Nicks. It’s a heartbreakingly hopeful song. It makes me feel that it’s alright to love someone with your entire heart, and if they leave, it’s ok because I’ll still pull through the heartache. I’ll still be me in the end. At least, that’s what I get from the song, although it can be interpreted in many ways.

9) What is your favorite movie and why?

Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon because whatever mood I’m in, it always make me laugh.

10) What is your favorite television show and why?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, although I’ve shared a love/hate relationship with it. Why? Spike and his love for Buffy. I love the fact that Joss wrote about a soulless vampire who is capable of loving someone, even his most hated enemy…the slayer, with everything inside of him.

11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?

I have so many, but I’m gonna choose the one I’ve loved longest. Christian Bale, since the 7th grade. Why? Empire of the Sun. I went from loathing his character at the beginning to loving the poor boy that went through so much in the end. The movie never fails in making me cry for him. I’ve watched other movies with him (still love Newsies), but this one is the reason why he’s my favorite.

12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.

Well, my family knows, but my friends don’t know that I loved to watch Lizzie McGuireand now like to watch Hannah Montana and J.O.N.A.S. Gah! Don’t tease me; I’ve got a 10 yr old cousin who makes me watch them with her!!

13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?

No, although my mom knows that I post on message boards, etc.

14) Do people in your Real Life know that you make fanart?

Yes, my mother encourages me to make them all the time.

15) What program do you use to create your fanart?

Paint Shop Pro 10. I’ve tried PhotoShop, but I could never get the hang of it.

16) When did you first start making fanart?

Wow, back in 2002 (thank you, Spuffy), but I was using a different program back then.

17) Is fanart just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your talents?

I can’t really call it a hobby because I love to make it, but I’m also completely talentless in other aspects of art. It’s my form of escapism.

18) When you aren’t making awesome fanart, what do you do and/or want to be doing?

I’m reading fanfiction, listening to music, watching mvids, chatting with friends, or hanging out with my family. I used to write poetry, but I haven’t in ages. A lot of the time when I’m online, I’m looking for inspiration for more pieces.

19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?

My friend PMD introduced me to the pairing. I was a total newbie to SV and had only started to watch because James Marsters was going to come out in Season 5. PMD introduced me to her stories and from there I looked for Chlex sites, downloaded clips, read tons of fics, and fell in love with them. I will forever thank PMD for introducing Chlex to me. *thanks, sweetie*

I like the fact that Chloe and Lex are such grey characters. They can go the completely good or bad route in order to achieve/complete their goals. Both are passionate in everything they do, which is a huge must for me in loving a character. I adore characters that put their hearts/souls on the line for others, especially those they love.

For Lex: I hate that his character’s good/evilness was never truly established until the end. The fact that they made him into such a wishy/washy character for Lana and made us believe he was never capable of loving anyone. What utter crap.

For Chloe, mostly, I hated that they changed the fun/quirky girl from years earlier. I know characters grow, but Chloe never really kept that quirkiness that I adored about her. I also hated how easily they changed her attitude towards Lex, especially in the end when they had her utter those asinine lines to Clark about Lex’s inability to love anyone. Yes, I’m still bitter.

20) How and why did you first get interested in making Chlex fanart?

PMD asked me if I could make her an icon and banner for one of her stories, so started my obsession.

21) Is there anything while viewing Chlex fanart that you really like/hate?

Not really because my muse tends to go very AU for the couple. I like it all: happy, angsty, sexy, etc. My only pet peeve is seeing Lex with hair, unless it’s a piece that truly calls for him with it like dagney’s Dragon’s Lair because we get to see Lex’s past life in Keir. So long as I can see some aspect of their personalities in the piece, I like it.

22) What (if any) other fandoms do you create fanart for and why?

I’ve got quite a few: Spike/Buffy (BtVS), Draco/Hermione and Harry/Luna (HP), Chloe/Bart (SV, only at times), House/Cameron (House, M.D.), Logan/Mac and Weevil/Veronica (Veronica Mars), Mili/Ivo (Muneca Brava) and Monita/Martin (SOS Mi Vida), Ric/Elizabeth (General Hospital), and John/Natalie (One Life to Live).

Sometimes I make triangle pieces, but only if it’s established that my favorite couple is the main pairing. I’m really weird about my art and don’t like to mess around with my favorite pairings because it would feel as though I’m alright with them being with other characters. I’m the same with fiction, I can’t read stories that have them falling in love/ending up with other characters.

Well, Spuffy started my obsession in making art, then came Dramione, and PMD’s requests. I started with Spuffy and Dramione because I love the characters/couples. I was also heavily inspired by other artists and wanted to try my hand at making my own pieces. Sometimes, I’ll make a piece about an actor that I find attractive, but I mostly keep my pieces with these characters/couples.

23) What type of environment do you need to create fanart? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.

I can work with anything, except complete quiet. The only time I work when it’s quiet is when it’s too late to have music or the TV on, but I prefer something in the background, especially music.

24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always create them or do you let them disappear?

Many ways, actually: a story I’m reading, song I’m listening to, another art piece I like, a scan of another actor/actress, or the show. I wish I could always create them, but sometimes the inspiration will leave for that particular idea or not pan out the way I’d hoped.

25) Do you plan a project completely formed in your head or do you let inspiration come to you as you work with it?

Both, actually, although I do find that the planned projects (unless they’re requests) are the ones that don’t work out most in the end. Either I hate the way it turned out, or it doesn’t look the way I planned it, most of planned projects are thrown out. It’s very rare when I actually like the piece and keep it.

26) Is there any art that you won’t create or feel uncomfortable making?

Anything too physically suggestive because I tend to go all out with suggestive lyrics/words. I don’t mind some nudity, but if it’s hard-core sex/showing lower regions pieces, I won’t do it. I will admit that I don’t mind looking at other artists who do make more suggestive art, I’m just not comfortable with making it myself.

27) Are reviews vital to keep you making art or will you continue as long as you have ideas?

Nope, although I love each and every review I receive (and they inspire me to make more), I make art for myself first. The only art I post are the ones I feel people would respond to/like most because some pieces are too personal to show to others.

28) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your art that you never thought of before?

Absolutely! There are some manips that I make because I like the pose, outfit, situation of the scan, and others come up with scenarios for them. These scenarios are so creative and often situations that I never thought of/see in my pieces, which I absolutely love.

29) Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your art?

Not really, all of my reviews have been very encouraging and any criticism I’ve received has been helpful, but nothing that’s caused me to want to change my art.

30) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo? Perhaps use those ideas to make manips?

All the time! It happens with all my favorite couples, although I do admit that it’s mostly Chlex that gets turned into AU art. For Halloween, I made Chlex into the Matrix characters and have put them in situations that they normally wouldn’t be in. I love having the freedom to make manips/art with them in different situations/scenarios, although I do tend to keep some of their personalities in the piece.

31) What do you think AM and MR would say about your art if they saw them? How would you feel if someone from the show looked at your art?

Oh wow, I would hope they would like it and know how much I love their characters. I think that’s what stops me from making truly suggestive pieces, I wouldn’t want them to see it and think I’m terrible for making it.

I’d freak out at first and hope it’s something tasteful, not the Chloe/Lex pieces where they’re half-naked, and then just be honored that someone thought my work good enough to show them.

32) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?

Eep, I don’t know because there are various I’d like: invisibility, mind-reading, healing…but whichever I’d get, I’d use it for good…mostly. *winks*