#2024 will be the year of me commissioning art of her (I say this now but lol)

[optiwashere]

any art of your tav to share? i'd love to know what asheera looks like!

I have a bunch of screenshots and art linked in the Light Casts a Shadow series description!

Two very lovely folks made some art of her here and here. Artists linked in those posts.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Apologies—I meant to post this to another of my blogs. But since a few folks have liked it, I guess I'll leave it.

NYCB Attracting Younger Fans

The AP put out this story, which has run in many papers.

I've never understood why so many organizations prize young patrons over old. The old ones have more money, after all. But I suppose they're thinking of their future: today's young people are tomorrow's "sea of gray." 🙄

It's also news to me that Whelan is in charge of programming. I'm sure that Stafford has (a big) say in what goes on.

At 75, NYC Ballet is getting older. Its audience is skewing younger, and that’s the plan

By JOCELYN NOVECK Updated 12:58 AM EDT, May 24, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Alice McDermott settled into her seat at New York City Ballet on a recent Friday night, excited to see her first-ever ballet performance. The 31-year-old Manhattanite, who works in recruiting, was on a fun girls’ night out with three friends she’d met through work, starting with dinner.

“They told me I’d love the ballet,” says McDermott, who was also excited to realize she was already familiar with one of the evening’s performers, Tiler Peck, via the dancer’s popular Instagram feed. “They said you can put on a nice dress and just immerse yourself in another world, whilst marveling at what the human body can achieve.”

Seems they were right: At the end of the evening, McDermott, a new fan, went home and watched a ballet documentary.

Perhaps you could call it “Ballet and the City”? Whatever the term for McDermott’s ballet evening with pals, the scenario would surely be music to the ears of the company — which has been celebrating its 75th birthday with fanfare this year — and especially its artistic leaders of the past five years, Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan.

The two, both former dancers at the storied troupe founded by George Balanchine, have made it a key goal to bring in a younger audience to ensure the company’s long-term health — and more broadly, to guard the vitality of a centuries-old art form.

It seems to be working. Though some initiatives have been in place for longer, the last five years have seen a marked shift, according to numbers provided to the Associated Press: In 2023, 53% of ticket buyers were under age 50, and people in their 30s made up the largest age segment by decade. Five years earlier, in 2018, 41% of ticket buyers were under 50, and people in their 60s made up the largest age segment.

Now, longtime ballet followers note that on a bustling Friday evening you can look down from the first ring of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and not simply see, well, a sea of gray.

`A GENERATION OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS’ A major factor in attracting younger people, especially those under 30, has been affordable pricing. There are also evenings targeting young professionals, including post-show receptions. And there have been collaborations with visual or musical artists with youthful followings — like the musician Solange, who in 2022 was commissioned to score a ballet by 23-year old choreographer Gianna Reisen.

The Solange collaboration was a significant moment, Whelan and Stafford said in a recent interview, surveying the past five years as the thumping of leaping dancers’ feet echoed through the ceiling above Stafford’s office.

“We sold out every show,” Whelan noted. “It was a little nugget, but it was memorable.”

Perhaps even more important was the fact, says Stafford, that about 70% of those ticket buyers were new to the company — contributing to “a generation of young professionals in the city that are at our theater every night now.”

Wendy Whelan and Jonathan Stafford, Feb. 29, 2024. Photo: Bebeto Matthews via the AP

Katherine Brown, the ballet’s executive director, said the company had taken a look at the theater and vastly reduced the price of certain seats — and saw them fill up. She also noted the 30-for-30 program, where members under 30 can buy any seat in the house for $30. “That thing has just exploded,” Brown says, from some 1,800 members in the last full season before the pandemic-forced shutdown, to some 14,000 now.

One can’t discount the “pure economics” of an evening at the ballet, especially for young people, says Wendy Perron, longtime dance writer and former editor of Dance Magazine. “When I was in New York in the ’70s and ‘80s, I just couldn’t afford to go to the ballet,” she says.

GETTING BETTER ACQUAINTED Also not to be discounted: the effect of social media in promoting dancers as people with personalities.

“We’ve got this crop of really exciting but also relatable, approachable dancers, and through social media, audiences can connect to them in a way they couldn’t back when we were dancing,” says Stafford, who retired as a dancer in 2014.

Consider Peck, one of the company’s most popular ballerinas (and a rising choreographer), whose Instagram feed had reached McDermott before she ever saw her dance. Peck supplies her half-million followers with short, punchy videos about everything from her 10 favorite dance roles to how she applies stage makeup. Her videos often feature her partner onstage and off, rising principal dancer Roman Mejia.

It’s all very different from a time when — like Odette in “Swan Lake” — ballerinas used to be mysterious and, above all, silent.

Social media — whether used by the company or via the dancers’ own feeds — can also answer questions. If you attended a performance of “The Nutcracker” a few seasons ago, you might have wondered why dancer Mira Nadon, as Sugarplum Fairy, suddenly disappeared from the stage at a key moment. The answer was on her Instagram later: her pointe shoe had slipped off.

“See, you can get all your answers from Instagram now,” quips Whelan, who herself has an active feed.

ESTABLISHING A PARTNERSHIP A few months ago, Whelan, a much-loved former NYCB principal who also retired in 2014, got a congratulatory text from Stafford in the morning — it had been exactly five years since the two had taken the helm after a turbulent period when #MeToo accusations caused scandal.

Historically, the company had been led by one man — Balanchine until 1983, then Peter Martins. This time, the board tried something new: a duet. Stafford was already interim head, and Whelan had applied for the job.

“They put us in a room and closed the door, and we were like – ‘Hi?’” Whelan says. “They were like, figure it out! And we did.” Stafford, the artistic director, serves as a bridge between the creative and business sides. Whelan, associate artistic director, focuses on the delicate task of programming.

Company insiders describe a mood different from the days when one outsized, all-powerful personality ruled from above. For one thing, the pair says they’ve instituted annual taking-stock conversations with each dancer.

Diversity — ballet is slowly changing but still overwhelmingly white — is also a priority, they say, and that includes diversifying “the pipeline,” meaning students at the affiliated School of American Ballet.

Recently, the company heralded its first two Black dancers to dance Dewdrop, the second most important female “Nutcracker” role: India Bradley and guest artist Alexandra Hutchinson of the Dance Theater of Harlem. Yet to come is a Black Sugarplum Fairy. The company says 26% of of its dancers identify as people of color, whereas 10 years ago that figure was 13%. Stafford and Whelan have commissioned 12 ballets by choreographers of color in the last six years, it says.

“We know where the gaps are, and we take it seriously,” Whelan says.

She and Stafford say they’re also paying more attention to wellness, be it physical training to avoid injury, healthy diets, or a more frank discussion of mental health.

As for the company’s financial health, it is strong, Brown says, four years after the pandemic cost tens of millions in losses The 2024 budget is roughly $102 million, compared to $88 million in 2019. Audience capacity has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

As for new fan McDermott, she’s planning more visits, along with her friends.

“I think we have a new tradition between the four of us,” she says. “We’ll definitely be making it a bit of a thing.”

[lilyoffandoms]

Countdown to 2024

@choicesfandomappreciation December 28: 4 artists or artworks that brought you cheer (I’m not sticking to four fyi hehe)

@oh-so-youre-a-nerd whether it is the gorgeous Aerin art you create or any of it, it’s all stunning and you always have the best ideas for light and symbolism. I can’t really pick of favorite of yours but if I had to, it would be my first commission from you or the surprise you gifted me (which still has me floored!!)

@hydn-jpg your Trystan x Noel art is some of my favorite in fandom! I so adore your style and you are always so giving and kind. If I had to pick a fav from you it would have to be this final art for my year of kisses for these two.

artbyainna (IG) take your pick of any of Ainna’s art and it’s my favorite I’ve ever received from her. I must say that I do so favor the CoP cover art I had her redo. Or the loveliest of surprises from @jerzwriter that she had created by Ainna for @storyofmychoices and me. Or the prize I won from CFWC. Or the NYE art I’ve yet to share from her.

@exotic-inquiry creates some of my favorite Chen/FHR art but this piece they created for me of my favorite four is forever and always my favorite now.

@javsarts I’m here for all your art but you know I do so love the big pieces you tackle for me and just astound me every time with how drop dead gorgeous they are. My fav from this year I can’t post here without messing up the formatting but I’m gonna link it here.

@callmebeem definitely tops my list for favorites from multiple fandoms and the art they created for me for Distant Shores will always live rent free but I must say a new art holds top spot now. I will never get over this art of Maiele and Daenarya!!

I gotta shoutout to every artist in this fandom for creating beautiful works of art and then sharing them with us all!! You are all truly amazing people 💕

[lionews]

Hi. I never really post here. I mainly just lurk to keep myself informed on what is going on in the community.

I think about a few days ago or so, I saw that someone made a post asking about a user I had commissioned for custom decor a while ago. I don't want to scroll down and find the post, so you might have to just take my word for it. I wanted to wait a bit longer to post this, but I feel I have waited long enough as is. You are free to ignore this post but if you do read, I respectfully ask of you to not harass/witchhunt the user mentioned or myself. I do not have a desire to "cancel" anyone. I am sure this individual is a decent person. There is absolutely no resentment I hold towards this individual either, just disappointment towards my own mistake. I am only posting this to inform others of my experience and hope it doesn't happen or has happened to anyone else. If you have trouble reading long paragraphs like I do, scroll down to where it says "Long Story Short" in bold.

Almost a year ago I had commissioned #105942, a decently known custom decor artist for two pieces of custom decor. One was going to be a mane+fluff, the other other was wing+tail attachments. One other was going to be commissioned as a Christmas gift for a friend but I had not sent a deposit since there was no response on if it would be accepted in game since the custom decor had pot leaves. I had to save up GB from sales so I could send the deposit and get the CD rocks. I had told her I would buy GB and send the deposit in a week, but due to my financial struggles, I chose not to buy the currency and I failed to communicate on that. I hold full accountability on my lack of communication. I did eventually send the deposit of 80GB (I swore it was 70GB but she said in messages it was 80GB) on 01/20/2023 and I recall purchasing both rocks on that same day, which is an additional 20GB (but that's on me). I had 50GB set aside in my bundles so I could pay her later once I was able to approve the first WIP of the pieces. That never came.

I can say in full confidence I failed on my part to communicate more with her. It takes two to have a conversation. I didn't want to bother her as I felt I would rush her in the art process and simply waited for her to reach out to me. We didn't speak again until I made myself message her on 07/17/2023 and she replied stating she was busy with her baby, which I completely understood. She said she would have an entire weekend to work on my commissions and would have an update by Saturday, which would've been on 07/22/2023. There was no update.

I didn't reach out again until 11/30/2023 when I decided to message her. I kept her situation, with her now having an entire life to care for now, in mind when asking for a refund. I said I couldn't quite remember if the amount was 70GB or not since I could not find the receipt in the "Sent Messages" folder on Lioden, which I assume was because she deleted the gift notification from her folder. She said that life was hectic with her baby at the time, which I understood, and stated it was 80GB she owed and would get it to me after she had sold a lion of hers. I agreed.

Messaged her again on the 12th of December to see how the sale was going. She said she was still waiting for it to sell.

Skip ahead to the 22nd of December, I reached out again and asked if her lion had sold. She said no, but she would be buying GB after Christmas and would issue the refund to me after the holidays and I told her it was no problem, since it was nearing closer to the holidays n' all. I understood she would be busy around then.

I reached out again on 01/03/2024 just wanting to peek in. No response.

Reached out again on 01/11/2024 asking if she was okay, since there had been no response, but I could see that she had posted an ad on Discord in a Lioden server she and I are both in and on a thread on Lioden. Of course, I was a tad peeved. I reached out to the Lioden mods, not expecting anything to be done since all conversations she and I had were over Discord and, as expected, nothing was done. I sat on it for bit, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. I haven't sent another message, but I know if I do I would be met with nothing anyway. I already know I will not be receiving a refund, but I don't care. I'm not sure if anyone else has had an experience like this with this user. I feel I may be the odd one out, since I haven't heard of any complains in regards to them.

Long Story Short

I commissioned #105942 for two pieces of custom decor almost a year ago. Sent the first deposit on Jan 20th 2023. Was never sent a wip/she never worked on it. Asked for a refund (80GB) in November and she said she would give me a refund after one of her lions sold. Messaged again on December 22nd 2023 asking if said lion sold and was told it hadn't but that she would be buying GB after the holidays so she could issue me the refund ASAP. Reached out on Jan 3rd 2024 to check in and was met with no response. Messaged again on Jan 11th 2024 but never received a reply back, despite seeing some activity on her part on Lioden and Discord.

Link to proof: https://imgur.com/a/fLMPn4n

If the link doesnt work, I'll try again.

.

[dragonsfromthemoon]

I saw a few people already trashing rhaegar in the RHAELYA OFFICIAL ART (I can't believe I can say that after 9 years of being here fighting for my life) and is like MOTHERFUKCER is not enough that you are not able to read between lines to identify that their relationship was willing and consensual that you also are not able to see that the picture is calm but fun, with lyanna being playful jumping from branch to branch, FEELING SAFE IN RHAEGAR'S PRESENCE, and he is observing her from the shadows, representing his careful and aloof nature. Nothing creepy. LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT THE WINTER ROSES flourishing on Lya's feet. And the weirdwood/heart tree ... It's is said that the remain weirdwood on the south is on the isle of faces 🤔...

Anon, I really feel you 🫂

But let me tell you, this official art is so powerful I still can't believe it's real. I can't stop smiling and being all hyped up about it. Rhaelya antis are being sore losers and having a meltdown now.

First, they especially commissioned Justin Sweet to draw it. He had to make time in his busy schedule!

And both Rhaegar and Lyanna are so carefree in each other's presence. She's “dancing” in front of the heart three, he's sitting on a branch observing her. I think it represents so well both of their personalities. Lyanna is bold and “willful”, Rhaegar has a melancholy to him. This is even highlighted by the composition and the light in the painting.

You're so right when you say she feels safe in his presence! Her body language says it all. Plus the winter roses on her feet... roses that happen to a symbol of their romance! They're clearly having a moment of intimacy on this art.

[I'm curious as well about the heart three! I wish we were told where in Westeros the art features.]

This art is also the COVER of the 2024 ASOIAF calendar. That's pretty big for rhaelya! Let's take into consideration their story is still supposed to be a mystery in ASOIAF.

It makes me all the more hyped for TWOF and the Harrenhal play this year.

Thank you so much for the ask. All the best for you, anon ♥️

[amalgamgooze]

Today, my high school hosted their annual art show.

This year was the first (and last) year that I had a piece featured in it.

It was also the first (and possibly last) time I'll go to it. (Though maybe I'll be back someday?)

Though I'd never been to one before, this year's exhibition felt special compared to the other years.

Maybe it was because a lot of my friends had full displays at this show.

=====================================

I walked in, showed my parents the one thing I'd painted, and quickly made my way to the main floor where all my friends were displaying their work.

First, I'd stopped at a table with a friend I knew from soccer at the beginning of the school year. He'd been injured for the first half of the season, so we'd spent a lot of time talking while on the sidelines. (It's worth noting I managed the team, so I didn't spend much time in drills either.) While we talked about his art projects occasionally, I had no idea what to expect tonight from his display at the art show.

What I didn't expect was Wes Anderson level stop-motion projects. At no point had I ever gotten the feeling that this friend was one who'd worked with stop-motion. A whole area was dedicated to watching various films he'd made. My favorite one was one he'd made about lemmings, which was a criticism of the work-intensive culture in America. (You know I love my societal parodies!)

But I think it goes to show that you'll never really know everything about a person. In fact, I'm still learning new stuff about my parents even after living with them for the past eighteen years.

Next' I'd visited a table with a newer friend, who, while we went to elementary school together, I can't say we talked much until more recently during art class. She was always working on some crochet stuff or something similar, so when I finally read their exhibit description, I was honestly shocked to find out that they focused on making their own dyes.

You know, like in Minecraft? When you take the flowers and--it's something I'd always been interested in doing, but never really had the time to do myself. It was exhilarating to see someone else who'd actually taken it up seriously. I can't explain why. After all, I wasn't even doing the thing--someone else was, and I still thought it was cool!

Maybe it's because it was someone I knew in person, who existed as a real tangible person as opposed to the online people I could've watched do the same techniques. That's just my guess.

Then I walked past the piano, which one of my friends was playing. They'd played piano at past art shows, usually with someone else to take turns with, but this time, they played the whole two hours alone. I commend Piano Friend for this--it's hard for me to even improvise for more than an hour before my hands hurt!

I also feel kind of bad for them--he never got a chance to look at most of the art, save for the displays near him. Nonetheless...

Near Piano Friend was quite possibly the most awesome artist at our school--who also happened to be another one of my friends! She was super busy talking to the many people who'd come to look at her work--as expected, since she's done so much art-related stuff for the school. Her first piece of the year was elected as the poster for the art show, and she was also commissioned to design the 2024 mural portrait thingy. (I don't remember exactly what it's called right now, but it's kind of a big deal to have the honor of designing it!)

Honestly, I didn't feel a strong need to talk to Awesome Friend since they seemed so busy with all the art show guests, and I get to talk to her every day at school anyway. Nonetheless, I still said hello when I had a chance to.

After that, I had a pleasant conversation with another artist who'd taken a more abstract approach to art. We discussed how "spontaneous art is often great", and how playing the guitar spontaneously often leads to better melodies than playing it mechanically.

Finally, I stopped at another newer elementary school friend's (like Dye Friend) display, which featured a painting of an image that was unmistakably a painting of a scene from our kindergarten play. Obviously, when I asked her about it, she confirmed my assumptions, and also added that the work made her feel a little sad.

I must admit it also made me sad, but in a good nostalgic sort of way. I feel that the painting was sort of a testament to how far we'd come since then. Just twelve short years ago we were on the stage retelling the children's story "Are You My Mother?", and now here we were getting ready to graduate from high school.

Of course, and all the things that happened between those two points.

=====================================

This year's art show was, again, special.

Though I've tried to appreciate and understand art when I go to museums and such, I can't say I've ever understood it as fully as I did tonight. When I know and have watched the stories behind the pieces my classmates've worked on, it really adds something to the experience of viewing all the finished works displayed together.

Honestly, I'm a bit miffed that I'll probably never know the art at an exhibition again as well as I did tonight.

But life goes on. And I'll have new once-in-a-lifetime experiences to mourn the singleton-ness of soon.

[pashterlengkap]

Sen. Dallas Harris is a martial arts master who co-founded Nevada’s LGBTQ+ caucus

Nevada State Sen. Dallas Harris (D), 38, represents District 11 in Clark County and parts of Las Vegas. She serves as chief majority whip in the Nevada State Senate and is one of only four out LGBTQ+ lawmakers in the legislature. She was appointed to the seat in 2018 and won a four-year term in 2020. She’s running for reelection in 2024. Related: State treasurer Erick Russell is making history… and helping you get free money Erick Russell is the first out gay Black man to be elected and serve in statewide office, and he told us about all he’s doing to help people. Harris is a Las Vegas native and earned her JD at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. in 2005. As an attorney with Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission for several years, Harris gained experience under the hood with state government. As well, she’s a pro-bono attorney with the Adult Guardianship Project at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.  Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024 Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our daily newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter. Harris spoke with me from her district office in Las Vegas, in a mall southwest of the Strip. She was dressed casually in a grey crew neck sweater, where long dreads — new for Harris after years of short hair — rested around her shoulders. LGBTQ Nation: Last May, you and another lawmaker founded the Nevada Legislature LGBTQ+ Caucus. What are three bills that you want to either see get passed or make sure they never see the light of day? Dallas Harris: Yes. Okay, let’s start with “never see the light of day” because I think there are too many to count across the country right now in that category. So in Douglas County, that’s a county here in Nevada that’s a bit more conservative than, let’s say, some of our more populous counties, we’ve seen some attempts to limit the sports that children can play, as little as elementary school. Those are things that I want to make sure we do not see here in Nevada on a statewide level. Let’s just be like the anti-Florida. That would be great. As far as things that I want to see get done, one thing we did last year that was awesome — but the governor, for some reason, vetoed it — was we had a bill that would take away the gun rights of folks who had committed violent hate crimes. So, you were already convicted of a violent crime, demonstrating some bias against someone, and we’re saying, we’re going to take your guns away. We’d have a cooling off period. And the governor vetoed it, so we’re gonna bring that back. That’s Republican governor Joe Lombardo. What was his reasoning? We can speculate. Politics, virtue signaling to his base. I think that he cares more about that than us. What is a biennium, and had you ever heard that word before you joined the Nevada legislature? (laughing) It is the two-year period of the Nevada legislative session, and no, why would anybody use that term? One of your legislative priorities is education, and you’ve been instrumental in increasing funding for K-12 students in Nevada. Who has been the more formidable opponent, Republican lawmakers or parents’ rights groups? Ooooh. Republican lawmakers, for sure. They’re the gatekeepers, right? They are the ones that have the right to vote up or down, any way they want, regardless of what I or a parents’ rights group pushes them to do. They’re the ultimate hurdle. At the end of the day, the buck stops with them for sure. Do you think groups like Moms for Liberty or Libs of TikTok have had any influence on them? I think they’ve done immeasurable amounts of damage to children across the country who are just discovering themselves and are now growing up in environments that could have been welcoming and open but instead are now very much closed and dark and look just like that metaphorical closet that we talked about coming out of. You’ve talked about… http://dlvr.it/T3GKNl

[iunctura-arch]

@ancicntforged:

lilia, what can i really say? I can't remember when the fuck we've met, but I do remember that you've been a constant presence on the dash I always like to see. despite struggles, you always have a good outlook in live and your art is fantastic as well, which is why I always look forward to commissioning you when i can in terms of muses, hwoa nelly you have a lot of them, but my favorite among them definitely are melanie and sasha. sasha is a bias, because i'm a dragon ball nerd, but mel is fantastic too. from her story, to the fc and the many conenctions she has, i love it all. you've put it all together in an unique and enticing manner i hope that 2024 will be a good year for you both IRL and on tumblr

Joy mah Boi! Always glad to see you on the dash too, even if it's silly nonsense like Ruby blowing up the moon on a semi-normal basis or whatever threads you're doing with others! I think we met a few years ago? Honestly, until a certain point, you were always... idk, intimidating to me. WEIRD, I KNOW!!! But given my past of being abused by online rpers (twice. for years. Get rid of one, here comes another that same year a few months apart!), I feel intimidated by everyone but I'm slowly starting to ease up on that thanks to the fact that everyone's been so kind and accommodating. Like, none of y'all pressure me to fill in plot holes, expect me to go by what you want alone and not actually contribute anything besides your own damn plotline (basically making me write half of your fanfiction), ect...

Like I'm finally healing but at what cost.

MY ART IS LEVELLING UP THIS YEAR!! That I can tell you for sure. I'm going to be doing so much art this year it'll be uncanny. Creative burnout who? (yes I'm dealing with burnout atm but pushing through it!) I HOPE THAT I CAN GIVE YOU A WORTHWHILE COMMISSION IN THE FUTUREEEE

I think it's about 100 or so now, not counting the ones I haven't brought to Tumblr and keep to Discord/the fact I can probably RP anyone as long as I've seen the series. If I did that, I'd have well over 200 and then some!!! I love Sasha, really. She's neat to RP as. A very well-mannered Destruction God who just likes food because her predecessor gave her a good reason to! Oh god, Melanie has come so far from just being an "alternate version" of Rani (who was the original Melanie before I changed her name, fun fact!) because I was knee-deep in Symphogear. I love how, with @stalwartembers' and my partner's help, she basically became the Melanie we all know and love today. The best version of herself. And it all started as a "what if she got Gungnir instead of Hibiki" thought.

It's not going too great right now (but then again it's the end of the first month and a lot has changed due to death in the household, which is why I did a doodle donation stream and will probably be asking for help going forward), but I hope it gets better. Can only go up from here, right?

I hope this year gives you the best times of your life.

[mochidoodle]

✨ mochidoodle info & FAQs ✨

Hello and welcome! Thank you for visiting my blog 🥰 Here's a masterpost of FAQs and information. Please consider giving it a browse!

ABOUT ME

Who are you (and are you steoh!?)

Yes, I'm steoh (she/her)! My handle is steohsama on TWITTER and INSTAGRAM. This blog is named after my cat, Mochi, and I haven't the heart to change it.

Where are you from/how old are you/etc.?

I'm based out of the US and I'm veritably 阿姨-aged.

Do you draw professionally?

Nope, I'm an engineering researcher by trade.

How can I support you as an artist?

Reshares on any social media are appreciated! I immensely enjoy reading the comments and tags you all leave 🥺 I also have a Ko-Fi if you feel like supporting my art!

ABOUT MY ART

Do you take commissions? Requests?

Batch 1 commissions are closed. Batch 2 opening early 2024!

May I use your art for my profile pic/header/edit?

You may use my art for PERSONAL USE ONLY with proper credit visible somewhere in your profile or the post itself. Much appreciated if you asked me beforehand, too!

May I repost your art to my own account?

NO. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY ART.

All reposts will be reported swiftly without warning (and with extra ire if my signature is removed). If you find my art on an account that is not this one or any of the steohsama handles, I would be very grateful if you informed me! (...so I can slap a DMCA report on it)

May I translate your work?

Please ask first (though be warned, I'm likely to say no.)

Where did you learn to draw/how long have you been drawing?

I'm self-taught through visual osmosis of my favorite mangaka and other artists. My first memories of doodling (all I did was illustrate horse girls in horse books lol) is probably almost 20 years ago now.

What do you use to draw?

Primarily an Intuos 4 with Clip Studio Paint. I highly recommend CSP! When I'm on the go, I have an affair with my iPad Air.

What kind of art can I expect from you?

I like to draw fun and fluffy ideas for the most part. Usually it's some whimsical AU where the entire cast of a series is impossibly alive and interacting in interesting ways (this is mostly to staunch the pain of canon lol).

🔞 There is occasional spicy content, so be warned! I do tag it as 'nsfw' or 'slight nsfw'.

FANDOMS & INTERESTS

What are your current interests?

I have reawakened my roots in Katekyo Hitman Reborn...

Will you draw [FANDOM] again?

Depends on my mood...rest assured, I probably still love those series dearly. Except book fan art. Sorry...

Do you have OCs?

YES I DO. I hope to share more about them in the future! Feel free to browse this moment or the Houseki tag.

Fandom list?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Spy x Family, Psycho-Pass, Naruto, Legend of Zelda BOTW/TOTK, FMA Brotherhood, Unlimited Blade Works, Kuroko no Basuke, and Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro.

[newyorktheater]

What is a play – and what is its purpose? These questions come to mind after reading the 15 plays commissioned by T the New York Times Style Magazine in America 2024, a multimedia anthology of scripts an videotaped performances in answer to the question: What will the U.S. be like in five years?  The plays come from some of the leading playwrights of the nation, including Jackie Sibblies Drury, who yesterday won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, “Fairview.”

Her play for T is entitled “Various Pre-Apocalyptic Post-Coital Scenes”  The script is accompanied by a video of a staged reading of the play by Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Roslyn Ruff and Hannah Cabell.

Her T play, and those by Adam Rapp and Celine Song will be read at the Brooklyn Academy of Music next Monday, April 22nd, followed by a discussion with the three playwrights. This thus avoids one of the questions that T inspired: Is something a play that’s intended only to be read?

  Terrence McNally contributed “Muses of Fire,” his conversation in the clouds during the 2024 Presidential inauguration with six dead great American playwrights (“Life is wasted on the living,” the imagined Thornton Wilder says.) They are portrayed in a video accompanying the script by six well-regarded actors —  Eugene O’Neill (Nathan Lane), Thornton Wilder (David Hyde Pierce), Lorraine Hansberry (Kerry Washington), Tennessee Williams (Richard Thomas), Arthur Miller (John Lithgow) and Edward Albee (Frederick Weller.) (McNally portrayed himself.)

“Theater stopped telling the truth when it started charging for admission. After the Greeks, it was selling something. Everybody was a salesman,” Edward Albee says in McNally’s play. “You got that part right, Artie.”

Ironically, the photographs of the playwrights and actors are captioned with descriptions of the clothes they’re wearing and how much they cost — one of the two aspects of this otherwise extraordinary project that go beyond odd (to annoying?) The other is the introduction by Hanya Yanagihara offering a definition of literature that leaves out a lot of really good theater. “…there is a crucial difference between journalism and literature: If the former concerns itself with What is, the latter is interested in What if. That instinct — the artistic compulsion to stretch the possibilities of the moment to their most outlandish, terrifying extremes — can often illuminate the current era. Literature, be it in the form of a play or poem or novel, is often at its most captivating when it is at its most exaggerated, when it articulates our collective fears or concerns.”

The Week in New York Theater Reviews

Norma Jeane Baker of Troy

I might go a great distance to watch Ben Whishaw strip off his suit and turn into Helen of Troy and Marilyn Monroe before our eyes. But I only had to travel to 30thStreet and 10thAvenue, in between the High Line and Hudson Yards, to the Griffin Theater on the sixth floor of The Shed, a new $500 million performing arts center .

As it turns out, though, it was the creative team that went far — too far. “Norma Jeane Baker of Troy,”  which is half sung and half spoken by both Whishaw and Renee Fleming, combines the myth of Helen of Troy with the story of Marilyn Monroe (birth name: Norma Jeane.)  This inaugural piece at the Griffin reflects the mission of The Shed, as articulated by its artistic director Alex Poots, to commission original works that “take creative risks and push artistic boundaries.” The show, with a starry cast and impeccable avant-garde credentials, is an intriguing and erudite experiment on multiple levels. On too many of those levels, however, it just didn’t work for me.

Oklahoma

I’m grateful for having first seen Daniel Fish’s dark, hip and homey production of “Oklahoma!” at St. Ann’s Warehouse last year, because I can see how much improved it is now that it has transferred to Broadway. They kept what I liked about it, and got rid of much of what I found most annoying.

The Week in Theater Awards

Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury –

Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury Wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Congratulations to @jackiesdrury for winning the #PulitzerPrize for her stunning play Fairview! And thank you to the @PulitzerPrizes for naming me a finalist along with the brilliant Clare Barron, who also grew up in my hometown of Wenatchee, WA (pop. 34,000)!

— Heidi Schreck (@heidibschreck) April 15, 2019

Ann Reinking & Ben Vereen will serve as hosts to the Chita Rivera Awards on May 19 at the NYU Skirball Center

New York Theater Awards 2019 – Guide and Calendar

The Week in New York Theater News

  Terrence McNally

Paula Vogel

Chay Yew

MJ Kaufman

Pride Plays at Rattlestick Theater,  co-produced by actor Michael Urie, will feature staged readings to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, June 20 – June 24. Plays included (so far): Blueprints to Freedom by Michael Benjamin Washington; Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers; Some Men by Terrence McNally; On this Morning by Caroline Prugh; As Is by William Hoffman; Eat and You Belong to Us by MJ Kaufman; Room Enough by Daaimah Mubashshir; Nora Highland by Ryan Spahn;Le Switch by Philip Dawkins; Mariquitas by Eduardo Machado; Bike Race by Eri Nox; The Last Sunday in June by Jonathan Tolins; The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel; A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew

.@TinaBroadway, starring @AdrienneWarren, will open at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 7, 2019, shortly before the 80th birthday of the dynamo entertainer Tina Turner born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennesseehttps://t.co/sdL09HUqOO

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) April 11, 2019

Laurie Metcalf,

Eddie Izzard

Russell Tovey

Patsy Ferran

Laurie Metcalf and Eddie Izzard will star in the fifth Broadway production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, opening April 9, 2020. Russell Tovey and Patsy Ferran will co-star.

Signature Theater 2019-2020 Season:

Fires in the Mirror By Anna Deavere Smith Directed by SaheemAli October 22 – November 24, 2019 A revival of Smith’s extraordinary documentary mosaic of the people involved in the Crown Heights riots in the summer of 1991 in the aftermath of the deaths of an African-American boy and a young Orthodox Jewish scholar.

The Young Man from Atlanta By Horton Foote Directed by Michael Wilson November 5 – December 8, 2019 A revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of an aging couple still reeling from the death of their only child, whose friend visits them with the truth they don’t want to acknowledge.

Cambodian Rock Band**A New York Premiere** By Lauren Yee Directed by ChayYew February 4 – March 8, 2020 The story of a Khmer Rouge survivor returning back to Cambodia for the first time in thirty years as his daughter prepares to help prosecute one of Cambodia’s most infamous war criminals. It is infused with a live band playing contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies

The Hot Wing King By Katori Hall Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III February 11 – March 15, 2020 Ready, set, fry! It’s time for the annual Hot Wang Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, and Cordell Crutchfield knows he has the wings that’ll make him king.When Dwayne takes in his troubled nephew however, it becomes a recipe for disaster

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 By Anna Deavere Smith Directed by TaibiMagar April 28 – May 31, 2020 The Smith treatment of the Los Angeles riots after the Rodney King police brutality verdict.

Confederates  By DominiqueMorisseau Directed by Kamilah Forbes May 12 – June 14, 2020 Sarah, a savvy slave turned Union spy, and Sandra, a brilliant professor in a modern-day private university, are facing similar struggles, even though they live over a century apart.

92Y’s Reel Pieces series will present a conversation with Tony and Oscar winner Glenda Jackson April 29 at 7:30 PM.”

Jayne Houdyshell with a canine at Broadway Barks

The 21st annual Broadway Barks, the pet adoption event co-founded by Tony winner Bernadette Peters and the late Emmy winner Mary Tyler Moore, will be held July 13.

Billy Crystal is working with composer Jason Brown and lyricist Amanda Green on a musical version of his film Mr. Saturday Night, according to Variety.  The 1992 film focused on Buddy Young Jr., the self-destructive, washed-up (or never-was) comedian estranged from his family, which began as a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Crystal age from his 20s to his 70s in the film. “It’s a great character and now I don’t need the makeup!” said Crystal, who turned 70 in March.

Oh, and we’ve BEEN rehearsing…#InTheHeightsMovie pic.twitter.com/ogA0QzWdKs

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 11, 2019

    How adult actors pull off playing children onstage

The bigger challenge is pulling off realism, creating the illusion that the adults onstage are plausible as the much-younger characters — a feat accomplished by two of Broadway’s biggest hits, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” “Mockingbird” features Celia Keenan-Bolger, 41, as Scout; Will Pullen, 28, as Jem; and Gideon Glick, 30, as Dill. Potter has a new cast that took over March 20, with Nicholas Podany, 22, as Albus Potter; Bubba Weiler, 25, as Scorpius Malfoy; and Nadia Brown, 24, as Rose Granger-Weasley — all ages 11 to about 15 during the course of the two-part play. (The original Rose was played by Susan Heyward, 36.)

The distance between an audience and actors in a theater helps. Podany also doesn’t want to “play a kid,” saying instead he tries to “stop being an adult.” “It’s a small shift in semantics but a big shift in my mind-set,” he said. Kids experience everything so vividly while adults “make a choice not to feel things so intensely.”

Rest in Peace

I’m shocked and saddened by the death of Broadway veteran Eric LaJuan Summers, at age 36, from cancer. In 2013, when he had six roles in @MotownMusical , I called him the best male dancer on Broadway.https://t.co/bT6Pn7GRub

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) April 10, 2019

RIP Georgia Engel, 70, best known for portraying sweet Georgette on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. She began her career on the stage (she was in the original Broadway production of Hello Dolly), and returned Off-Broadway (in @AnnieNBaker‘s John) pic.twitter.com/Khd85nSIce

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) April 16, 2019

Engel obituary

Alan Wasser, a veteran Broadway general manager, dies at age 70

A memorial for late actor and director Alvin Epstein, who made his mark as a premiere interpreter of Samuel Beckett’s plays, will be held at the Irish Repertory Theatre on April 29 at 3 PM

Pulitzer Honors Fairview. Pride Plays. Plays on Paper. Tina on Broadway. #Stageworthy News of the Week What is a play – and what is its purpose? These questions come to mind after reading the 15 plays commissioned by T the New York Times Style Magazine in…

[tribelamag-blog]

http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-11-25-17-slumber-celebrating-universal-spiritual-physical-bond-between-mother-child-synthia-saint-james/ TribeLA Magazine • Los Angeles With a focus on multicultural figurative paintings, SAINT JAMES also paints seascapes, landscapes and even butterflies. Her artwork has been described as ebullient, bold, creates paintings that remind one of Matisse cutouts in their clear line and intense color, and joyful. #Allartallthetime #Arttoday #Synthiasaintjames #Tribelamagazine

New Post has been published on http://tribelamagazine.com/art-today-11-25-17-slumber-celebrating-universal-spiritual-physical-bond-between-mother-child-synthia-saint-james/

ART TODAY 11.25.17 "Slumber" – Celebrating the universal spiritual and physical bond between mother and child by Synthia SAINT JAMES

“Slumber,” Acrylic on Canvas – 24×36″ (2015)

Synthia SAINT JAMES is a Certified Minority Women Business Enterprise, Visual Artist, Licensor, Designer, Keynote Speaker, Author, Songwriter, SAG/AFTRA Actor, and Playwright and still trailblazing

With a focus on multicultural figurative paintings, SAINT JAMES also paints seascapes, landscapes and even butterflies. Her artwork has been described as ebullient, bold, creates paintings that remind one of Matisse cutouts in their clear line and intense color, and joyful. Synthia’s artwork has proven perfect for not only promotional campaigns, but also for advertising and licenses.

Contact Synthia SAINT JAMES Doctor of Humane Letters P.O. Box 27683 Los Angeles, CA  90027/USA www.synthiasaintjames.com 323.993.5722

TribeLA Magazine Acrostic Interview.7 

Special: Who or what holds a special place in your heart? First and foremost my mother Hattie, who is now 90 years old. My champion and wind beneath my wings!!! How does this factor into your creative process? I was EXTREMELY fortunate to have had someone who always had my back, and who always encouraged me, since early childhood, to pursue my dream/s. She taught me to “Keep On Pushing” to GO FOR IT…and I still do so on many creative and personal levels.

Time: What is your all-time favorite piece of writing/art/music you’ve created? A hard call…they’re ALL “My Babies”. 1. Book: Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing” – which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award 2012 – Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional. 2. Song: “Happy Happy Kwanzaa” – Co-wrote – Received a NAPPA Gold Award – National Parenting Publication Award. 3. Painting: “Slumber”

The entire Acrostic Interview will publish next…

A zestful week with Dr. Synthia SAINT JAMES

ART TODAY 11.24.17 The International Decade (2015-2024): Inspired by the United Nations General Assembly – Synthia SAINT JAMES + Books!

ART TODAY 11.22.17 Kwanzaa Forever Postage Stamp by Synthia SAINT JAMES – What is KWANZAA, you ask?

ART TODAY 11.20.17 “Junkanoo” – Say that again? “Junkanoo” by Synthia SAINT JAMES, the exciting twice annual Bahamian Street (party) Parade

ART TODAY 11.23.17 “Masekela’s Marketplace: Congo” by Synthia SAINT JAMES + video receiving her Doctor of Humane Letters

ART TODAY 11.21.17 The Dutch Caribbean of Curaco + Read what film inspired Synthia SAINT JAMES to make a living as an artist

ART TODAY: 11.19.17 The Fascinating world of artist Synthia SAINT JAMES begins with her 10th commission for Historical Black Colleges & Universities, unveiled last Friday + Acrostic Q&A starts today!

ART TODAY 11.22.17 From the Haitian Series by Synthia SAINT JAMES + numerous commissioned projects including the U.S. first Kwanza postage stamp