Survey: What Art Do You Do?

For this week’s survey I asked people what kind of art they do, and it’s okay if they don’t do it here on SpinDizzy or if they don’t get to do as much of it as they want or they aren’t as good as they wish they were.

Borris said, “I create with Explosives! I make beautiful hole’s in the ground, that fill up with water. :)” I asked if any were near and he said, “Not close to hand, no. Too many underground dwellers about. I also enjoy exploding old buildings.”

Chaz said if he would be a musician, if he had to art on a regular basis. “I play bass guitar. Alternative/rock/jazz. That sort of stuff. Hehe. =)”

Ping had a really complicated one. She said she does music, “I play piano, mostly jazz. And make sound effects. My studio is just west of [the Rose Garden], in fact. ;)” And then she handed me a box that looked like an empty Chinese food takeout box, and when it was opened even a little bit it sounded like a train whistle going in the distance. “I make things like that,” she explained. It won’t wear out, either: “That’s the cool thing about it. Once I train it how to make the sound, it likes to just keep making it.” Ping gave one to Niny’ah that made thunder and then rain that she said she’s going to keep on her nightstand. Ping said she “hasn’t been feeling very artish lately, so it’s a little scarce. I’ve been thinking about doing it a little more lately, but then I don’t get around to it.”

Featherwing said he’s a photographer. “Recently [what I photograph] was of an animal made famous by a movie. (Hope the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale 2).”

Larana said, “I guess you could call photography art. Is the closest I get anyway.” Borris said he also liked taking pictures, “of Bridges and Water Towers,” while Chaz likes “taking photos of airplanes. Unsurprisingly. ;)”

Azure said, “The art I do is…that people are my canvas and letting them be the best of what they can be is my pursuit,” and that he does this “with genehacks and lasers and nanotechnology.” I asked what that means and he said, “well, you know, there’s an old joke about that. Someone came over to me and said ‘Can you make me a spaceship?’ and so I put him to sleep and worked and worked and worked and then I woke him up and said, ‘Okay! You’re a spaceship!’ And then he flew off and had adventures.” I asked if someone actually asked that and he said, “A few people [did], actually. You’d be surprised how many folks want to be a spaceship. When I was a little kid I wanted to be a signal, just a signal, dashing from star to star, blazing through the sky at the speed of light…then I realized how far apart stars were and how slow light is.” And he could still do that, “but by the time I came back to visit my friends on one world to tell them about other places, they’d all have died of old age. So now I just try to rebuild people so they don’t DO stupid things like that.” And besides making people into spaceships, “I also make people smarter, faster, stronger, you know, whatever.”

And he said that’s his art, “That and singing. [I sing] lotsa’ stuff. Mostly Lieder. You know. German songs about being depressed. And fishing.”

Kandra said she “in the most literal sense does sometimes try to draw or whatever” and has “thought about doing various other things perhaps more than actually done them” which is true about a lot of people.

Garrison said, “I just draw and or animate depending on the task at hand.”

Sumanitu answered, “Well, I do like to play guitar, though these pesky claws get in the way a lot! I have an electric and an acoustic. I play all kinds of things, classic rock, ballads, other stuff.” His favorite kind of guitar is “Whatever one that’s in my paws!” and “I just wish I was better at playing them.” I asked what kind of music he likes playing and he said, “Just about everything! But my favorites are classic rock. Right now I’m working on perfecting the theme from the Dogfather, and another classic called More Than Words.”

Then Borris asked Sumanitu about Classical Gas which he said “is very good song” and Sumanitu asked “the song by Mason Williams? It sounds beautiful, for sure [ … ] I could probably play it, but it would take a month of practice. The claws and fur get in the way so much!” And Borris shared https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vXtywOlayc that’s a version of it, and mentioned he used to play guitar but “I lost the tip of a finger on my left hand, to a table saw. Now I can no longer chord.”

Dragoncat said, “I do a little sketching now and then. Mostly characters, in a cartoony style. I think it’s a cartoony style. I’m not really sure how a style qualifies as a style. But it’s what I manage.” He shared his pictures at http://dragoncat00.deviantart.com/ and then I asked if he liked drawing real people or imaginary people better and he said, “I haven’t drawn someone else yet.” He maybe wants to but “I guess I’m kinda nervous. I don’t want to make a drawing of someone, and ends up making them look horrible.” I didn’t think anybody was ever sad about being drawn and he said, “Well, I don’t want to be the first to make that happen.”

PatchO’Black said, “I’m known to sing and dance, but I’ve also acted, and done video work. I did a few plays and such when I was younger. No big parts,” but he didn’t tell us what he did play.