Taking a more personal look at the people behind the deviantART admin symbols.

How did you first discover deviantART?

Through my friend Toki-chinko.  She's an epic anime/comic artist and whenever I'd visit her and her sister pajama-sam, one of my friends since childhood, I'd love to watch them create masterpieces in mere minutes.  I knew I couldn't draw as well as them, but I wanted to see their progress through deviantART and got hooked. 7 years later, I'm still here.

What was it about dA that made you want to stay?

I'm not sure, actually, but I'm glad I did.

What is the story behind your username?

Heh.  I made this account when I was 14, and modeled it after Toki-chinko who made up a cute fake name.  I thought that was standard protocol when creating a username.  Then I saw people who actually had clever names and wished I would have done the same.  Anymore, if someone in real life asks me what my username is, I say it's complicated.  Truth is, I don't even know how to pronounce it. >_>

What do you remember of your childhood in regards to art?

Unfortunately, art wasn't a huge part of my childhood.  I did take one cartoon drawing class and remembering having a lot of fun because we had class in a treehouse.  If I could live in a treehouse with WiFi, I totally would in a heartbeat.  Otherwise, I was very involved in music classes at school.  Bass clarinet players, ftw!

What are the duties of your role as an admin of deviantART?

If you check out the About Us page, you'll see my lovely avatar in two separate places because my job is two-fold.  Mainly, I work in Marketing under Heidi and with megturney, danlev, and mattdanna.  Marketing can mean a variety of things for different businesses and can be pretty complex, but we work to communicate what happens behind the scenes to the members, pulling important details and hopefully making the site more fun and enjoyable for all.  Since I'm part-time, I do a lot of random tasks like writing copy for articles and blogs, conducting weekly contests at :devpremiummembers:, analyzing stats, etc.  

I also work in the CEA team to enforce the copyright and etiquette policies.  This is an amazing team that doesn't get enough credit for what they do.  Occasionally, you may see a reply to your Help Desk ticket from me.  Keep and cherish these rare treasures.

What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your position?

A challenge for me has been to balance school and work life.  I love working for deviantART and I wish I could devote most of my time to it in a day, but I'm also a full time student (though graduating in May!).  The projects I do get to work on, especially those I get to see from inception to fulfillment, such as the Halloween Carving Contest and the 2010 Snowball Fight and Holiday Puzzle, are definitely rewarding.

What would you like to achieve in the long term and short term on dA? In life?

Maybe it's a generic answer, but I'd like to see deviantART continue and grow in its success over time.  I'd like to see billions more members but with that same strong community spirit behind it.  I haven't found any other community on the web stronger or more unique than this one, and I am so thankful to have been apart of it for so long.

In life, well, I'd like to graduate. I hope to become financially independent in the next year.  I really enjoy writing, so I also want to grow myself in this area by taking some classes and commit more time to it.

What movies did you enjoy most?

I'm a sucker for a good comedy.  Perhaps what I like the most are movies with Rifftrax commentary played in the background.  They can make any movie hilarious.

What type of music do you listen to? Specific groups/artists?

I've never been able to explain my tastes.  I've always named my overall favorite band as Lifehouse.  A while ago, all I would listen to is Coldplay.  Now I'm back to my old love of Linkin Park.  Other favorites include Gorillaz, Jack Johnson, Jon Foreman, Matt & Kim, Oasis, Owl City, Regina Spektor, Switchfoot, and U2.

Which books could you just not put down?

I'm generally more a nonfiction reader, but I will say aunjuli got me hooked on The Hunger Games series for awhile.  It seriously consumed my life for awhile.

I really enjoy works by philosophers.  Sartre, Pascal, and Kierkegaard are a few of my favorites.

What foods can you never seem to resist? Drinks?

I've been asked this question so many times throughout my life and my answer is always just so dull and boring.  I love anything with chicken.

What are your pet peeves on dA and in general?

Take the time to breathe and think before doing anything you might regret and try to stay rational in these situations.  Always a good thing to keep in mind before commenting, deactivating, or running to the Help Desk with a problem. As well as other circumstances in life, of course.

Something random about yourself that you wish to share?

Aye, there's so many things.  Here are three.

I have a motorcycle license but no motorcycle.
I have a whole lot of trouble with the alphabet.  It takes me years to figure out whether or not i is before k.
I can touch my tongue to my nose.

What tips can you offer to better oneself in his or her art? In
life?

I don't know much about improving one's art except that the pieces with the most heart are usually the best.  Oh, and kittens improve any piece.

Is there anything else you wish to say?

I honestly have to say I never saw myself working for deviantART, but now I can't imagine my life without it.  I grew up on this site, and it's been such an influential part of my upbringing.  Thanks for the opportunity to interview!  PurpelBlur is my hero. <3

Thank you Ayame-Kenoshi for all that you do!

Memoirs of a CutlassToday we lay to rest
One of the very best
A car, nay, a friend
Who was with me 'til the very end
Of the fall semester of senior year.
There was nary a car with a trunk
That could hold copious amounts of junk
Or steering that could turn on a dime
At least 30 percent of the time
You will be missed.
From your wide set eyes
To thighs that held no lies
With a pleather interior which absorbed the heat
And was sure to burn those who took a seat
Well, that may not be as missed.
You got me from point A to point B
Even when I wanted to go to point Z
With such a style that was all your own
You traveled across many time zones
And as such your clock was often wrong.
Short trips to NHS, OD, and VU
And long trips to LA, IL, and NYC too
You never complained when I pushed you too far
And far surpassed any sports car
Except for not having working interior lights, a broken gas gauge, a radio antenna that didn't retract, a small engine, tiny tires, belts that often came loose, etc.
You survived harsh wint


BTS Archive: _{Please see the widget on my page for all previous editions.}

Kaz-D Atramina godofodd MyntKat Pixel-Spotlight