Post by eternity on Aug 21, 2006 19:58:12 GMT
"Meet Pandora" by Ryan
Name: Barbie
Age: 29
Sex: Female
Occupation: Lab Technician/Starving Artist
Sites You Own (if any): www.tagworld.com/Pandorasbox (Lame little site I set up for my art and prose and haven’t updated in a million years)
Sites You Like to Visit: I don’t surf the web much. I like visiting art sites like Salvador Dali’s or Michael Parkes’, or musician’s sites like Deftones, Tweaker, Skinny Puppy, etc.
Let's start with the basics. So, Pandora, who are you, and what makes you unique?
I’m a product of my family. My mom sings, paints, writes, and reads a ton, my dad is a computer programmer who delves into spiritual philosophy for fun, and tends to tell really corny jokes that only I seem to find funny. Computer programming never rubbed off on me, but the rest did. My dad’s father died when I was five, but our brief time together was a big influence on me. He played guitar and piano and wanted to teach me before he died. I never met my mom’s mother, but she played the drums and guitar. Music, philosophy/religion, art, and expressing ourselves honestly are important traits in my family. That’s what makes me who I am, an open minded truth seeker who likes to “suck the marrow out of life” without “choking on the bone.”
It's obvious that you have a love for literature and writing. Is this love something you have had since you can remember, or were you introduced to it by someone (if so, who)? Also, do you feel your style is unique or did you have a strong influence from (a) certain author(s)?
I was born with an appetite to master words. I have yet to satisfy that appetite, but I’m closer than I used to be. I’ve kept a journal for about 12 years now. A journal has kept me honest, and shows a record of how I’ve learned to handle life a bit better over the years. My poems and prose are exactly like my journal entries can be when my emotions are at their highest. Out of every 1000 journal pages, maybe 3 are possibly interesting enough for me to share with others. The rest are for my eyes only, either due to their private nature, or just plain bad writing.
I would love to say my style is unique, completely unlike anyone else’s, but I’m a terrible liar. I don’t copy anyone, that’s not what I’m saying, but I can’t deny my influences: Tad Williams, Anne Rice, Terry Brooks, Henry Miller, Plato, Edward Abbey, Hunter S. Thompson, Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card. Many, many others that I’m forgetting, I’m sure. But it’s more like their works influenced who I am, and my writing is a product of that influence.
In regards to the Herald, quickly after joining the team you were offered the title of Supervisor. How do you feel working with some of the teams best writers and editors, and has it influenced your writing style?
Up until about ten months ago, I refused to share my work. And until I submitted a sample article to Kari I’d never written anything in article form. The Herald, SSD and its Literature board have helped me more than I thought possible, no bullsh*t. Kari and Whitney have been especially helpful, giving me freedom to post my own thoughts in editorials without interfering, but the variety of article topics has kept me on my toes, thinking about topics I never would have otherwise.
Any tips for up and coming writers who might be seeking it as just a hobby, or even a profession?
Anyone who wants to seek writing as a profession probably already writes as a hobby. Passion for the subject is absolutely necessary, and also respect for proper grammar and spelling. One thing most amateur writers don’t seem to know is this: Improper grammar and slang can be very affective in certain writing projects. Even a well placed F bomb. When writers are rigid and dry it turns me off, and most other readers as well. People want honesty. There’s no way someone like Jack Kerouac could have lived his drifter lifestyle without cussing a few times. Hunter S. Thompson would never have been able to write more than a pamphlet of words without being able to reference more-than-casual drug use and sex, and which sentence is more believable? “He scored a bag of skunk.” Or “He purchased an aromatic eighth of an ounce of marijuana.” There is something to be said for slang.
The most important bit of advice I can give is to BE HONEST. Readers will know if you’re faking the funk. You have to have some bit of first hand knowledge before you can make even a sci-fi project believable.
Now that we have talked about one of your talents, are there any other hidden skills that we don't know about?
I paint and draw. You will notice my Old School Artist title under my name. (Thank you very much, Oliver.) I’ve thrown about half a dozen art/open mic shows over the years. I’ve been commissioned a few times to make murals, portraits and original work.
I sing. I wail like Aretha Franklin when the mood strikes me. I got this voice from my mom, but stage fright keeps me from joining any more bands. I’ll rock karaoke night any day of the week, but performing with a live band makes my knees wobbly. I’ve done it, but it takes every last ounce of courage in my body.
Next, are their any interesting tidbits about you?
There are plenty of interesting tidbits, I guess, which is true about everyone I’ve ever met. I can be somewhat impetuous. I leap without looking quite often. For example, I’m moving to Florida, that’s a 1200 mile move, without having a job waiting for me so that I can go to school to become…I’m not sure yet, and to be with my long lost love from 6 years ago. Let’s see, what else? I think Star Wars geeks and nerds in general are far more interesting than celebrities. I once had a 16 inch tall mohawk. I’ve yet to get a tattoo, even though I adore them. Not because I’m afraid, but because every time I plan to get one something terrible happens that sucks my bank account dry. I’m keeping this PG, so that’s enough with the tidbits, I suppose.
Any last thoughts for those reading the interview?
Sure, why not? Life is not easy. Period. But if you are true to your own heart and soul, it will at least have meaning.
Thanks for doing the interview, Barbie.
Name: Barbie
Age: 29
Sex: Female
Occupation: Lab Technician/Starving Artist
Sites You Own (if any): www.tagworld.com/Pandorasbox (Lame little site I set up for my art and prose and haven’t updated in a million years)
Sites You Like to Visit: I don’t surf the web much. I like visiting art sites like Salvador Dali’s or Michael Parkes’, or musician’s sites like Deftones, Tweaker, Skinny Puppy, etc.
Let's start with the basics. So, Pandora, who are you, and what makes you unique?
I’m a product of my family. My mom sings, paints, writes, and reads a ton, my dad is a computer programmer who delves into spiritual philosophy for fun, and tends to tell really corny jokes that only I seem to find funny. Computer programming never rubbed off on me, but the rest did. My dad’s father died when I was five, but our brief time together was a big influence on me. He played guitar and piano and wanted to teach me before he died. I never met my mom’s mother, but she played the drums and guitar. Music, philosophy/religion, art, and expressing ourselves honestly are important traits in my family. That’s what makes me who I am, an open minded truth seeker who likes to “suck the marrow out of life” without “choking on the bone.”
It's obvious that you have a love for literature and writing. Is this love something you have had since you can remember, or were you introduced to it by someone (if so, who)? Also, do you feel your style is unique or did you have a strong influence from (a) certain author(s)?
I was born with an appetite to master words. I have yet to satisfy that appetite, but I’m closer than I used to be. I’ve kept a journal for about 12 years now. A journal has kept me honest, and shows a record of how I’ve learned to handle life a bit better over the years. My poems and prose are exactly like my journal entries can be when my emotions are at their highest. Out of every 1000 journal pages, maybe 3 are possibly interesting enough for me to share with others. The rest are for my eyes only, either due to their private nature, or just plain bad writing.
I would love to say my style is unique, completely unlike anyone else’s, but I’m a terrible liar. I don’t copy anyone, that’s not what I’m saying, but I can’t deny my influences: Tad Williams, Anne Rice, Terry Brooks, Henry Miller, Plato, Edward Abbey, Hunter S. Thompson, Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card. Many, many others that I’m forgetting, I’m sure. But it’s more like their works influenced who I am, and my writing is a product of that influence.
In regards to the Herald, quickly after joining the team you were offered the title of Supervisor. How do you feel working with some of the teams best writers and editors, and has it influenced your writing style?
Up until about ten months ago, I refused to share my work. And until I submitted a sample article to Kari I’d never written anything in article form. The Herald, SSD and its Literature board have helped me more than I thought possible, no bullsh*t. Kari and Whitney have been especially helpful, giving me freedom to post my own thoughts in editorials without interfering, but the variety of article topics has kept me on my toes, thinking about topics I never would have otherwise.
Any tips for up and coming writers who might be seeking it as just a hobby, or even a profession?
Anyone who wants to seek writing as a profession probably already writes as a hobby. Passion for the subject is absolutely necessary, and also respect for proper grammar and spelling. One thing most amateur writers don’t seem to know is this: Improper grammar and slang can be very affective in certain writing projects. Even a well placed F bomb. When writers are rigid and dry it turns me off, and most other readers as well. People want honesty. There’s no way someone like Jack Kerouac could have lived his drifter lifestyle without cussing a few times. Hunter S. Thompson would never have been able to write more than a pamphlet of words without being able to reference more-than-casual drug use and sex, and which sentence is more believable? “He scored a bag of skunk.” Or “He purchased an aromatic eighth of an ounce of marijuana.” There is something to be said for slang.
The most important bit of advice I can give is to BE HONEST. Readers will know if you’re faking the funk. You have to have some bit of first hand knowledge before you can make even a sci-fi project believable.
Now that we have talked about one of your talents, are there any other hidden skills that we don't know about?
I paint and draw. You will notice my Old School Artist title under my name. (Thank you very much, Oliver.) I’ve thrown about half a dozen art/open mic shows over the years. I’ve been commissioned a few times to make murals, portraits and original work.
I sing. I wail like Aretha Franklin when the mood strikes me. I got this voice from my mom, but stage fright keeps me from joining any more bands. I’ll rock karaoke night any day of the week, but performing with a live band makes my knees wobbly. I’ve done it, but it takes every last ounce of courage in my body.
Next, are their any interesting tidbits about you?
There are plenty of interesting tidbits, I guess, which is true about everyone I’ve ever met. I can be somewhat impetuous. I leap without looking quite often. For example, I’m moving to Florida, that’s a 1200 mile move, without having a job waiting for me so that I can go to school to become…I’m not sure yet, and to be with my long lost love from 6 years ago. Let’s see, what else? I think Star Wars geeks and nerds in general are far more interesting than celebrities. I once had a 16 inch tall mohawk. I’ve yet to get a tattoo, even though I adore them. Not because I’m afraid, but because every time I plan to get one something terrible happens that sucks my bank account dry. I’m keeping this PG, so that’s enough with the tidbits, I suppose.
Any last thoughts for those reading the interview?
Sure, why not? Life is not easy. Period. But if you are true to your own heart and soul, it will at least have meaning.
Thanks for doing the interview, Barbie.
