The Ups and Ups with Deviantart: Happy Birthday!

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SinistrosePhosphate
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Today is deviantArt's birthday. And despite recent controversy with the increase "enhanced usage" fees (whether you want to call it "premium" or "core") and the unceremonious changes in staffing, I think most of still consider this website and the community that it brings as a positive force in their lives. I, for one, most certainly think so. 


Deviantartist Questionnaire
1. How long have you been on DeviantArt? 
I signed up on January 1st, 2008. This is the 7th year I am on dA. 

2. What does your username mean? 
This is actually a common question I get asked from time to time. The story goes like this: At work, we use a sugar phosphate solution in an injection to replenish the patient with water. This sugar solution is basically glucose, one of the simplest 6-carbon sugars. It exists in two forms in nature, the right-handed "Dextrose" and the left-handed version. There has been no official name of the left-handed version because it's rare in nature. But if it has to have a name, it would have been Sinistrose. (In Latin, "dexter-" means right-handed and "sinister-" means left-handed.) 

I believe art is like water. It's free, it's necessary to life and it's everywhere. So it makes sense to name myself after the sugar phosphate solution that replenishes people with water. And if my day-time self uses Dextrose Phosphate to do so, then the night-time version on dA would be "Sinistrose Phosphate". Which is what the name means. 

3. Describe yourself in three words.
Eccentric, Esoteric and Emergent. (Alternatively: Stubborn, Strange and Scholarly. Alliteration not always absolute.)

4. Are you left- or right-handed? 
I am right-handed. But I end up doing many things (sometimes better) with my left. 

5. What was your first deviation?
The very first deviation has been deleted. This was a revised version of the second deviation that was posted.
Tsukiyo no Higeki by SinistrosePhosphate

6. What is your favourite type of art to create? 
I don't think I have a favourite. I have several types of deviations that I will always return to. But at the end of the day, my repertoire keeps on growing because I want to try out new things in unfamiliar medium. 

7. If you could instantly master a different art style, what would it be? 
Speed-painting. I work at the speed of a tortoise. And it means I usually have an unfortunately long "list of things to do". Having a full-time day job doesn't help the situation any, either. 

8. What was your first favourite? 
A dear friend of mine (who is a poet, an artist and a photographer) took this photo: 

9. What type of art do you tend to favourite the most? 
Things that inspire me, really. And since I get inspired by a lot of things from different genres of different styles, my list of favourites ends up being quite varied. It's hard to find a theme. 

10. Who is your all-time favourite Deviant artist ?
I don't think I have an all-time favourite, no. Some artists are quite inspiring by their words while others by their action. Some are adept in their craft while others are warm and enthusiastic by personality. That's what a community is all about, really - it's hard to choose a favourite.

11. If you could meet anyone on DeviantArt in person, who would it be?
I would like to meet a lot of people! In fact, I would personally love to meet anyone who has ever visited my gallery or have added my work to their list of favourites. I would love to thank each and every one of them in person, even just once. 

On the other hand, I do believe that I have made some significant and long-lasting friendships on dA. Not only would I love to meet these deviants in real life, I think it would be an honour, too. 

12. How has a fellow deviant impacted your life? 
Well... someone made a death threat at me recently? 


Joking aside... During the last 7 years, I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in my personal and professional life. And while the details of these trials and tribulation almost never make it to the surface here on DeviantArt, the friends and acquaintances I have met here have, each in their own way, kept me going. And they kept me coming back to this spot to literally get away from it all. And I believe this place and this community have saved my life, at least a few times. 

13. What are your preferred tools to create art? 
Paper. Almost everything I do involve paper. What else I use in conjunction to the paper is a secondary issue. But paper itself remain paramount. 

14. What is the most inspirational place for you to create art? 
When I sit in front of my desk, usually into the wee hours of the morning. It's either that or a particularly boring class or a horrendously long meeting. My mind rebels at stagnation.

15. What is your favourite DeviantArt memory? 
I have a lot of happy memories on dA, and it is difficult to say whether I have a favourite moment or not. I can say that I was very pleased to have hit the first benchmark of 100 watchers or the first 10,000 views. I can also say that I have been very proud to have my first daily deviation back in 2011. But I would be lying if I said these are my favourite moments. I don't think  I have a favourite... because it'd be a sin to choose a "best" from a sea of "great". 



On DeviantArt's 15th birthday, it's actually quite sad to hear distressing news that the company may be under financial trouble. I believe a lot of deviants, like myself, are willing to chip in to keep the community going, by whatever means we have at our disposal. A little communication goes a long way between the staff, administrators and the volunteers and the community. And instead of making unannounced changes, I think we would all like to know what is going on exactly. After all, this is a community, right? And as a community, communication comes first and foremost. 


Skin by; NishithV
© 2015 - 2024 SinistrosePhosphate
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Maivory's avatar
Maivory
I had no idea Da was going through any financial crisis. 

As for your answers, love them. You have a way of writing my friend, like always.