@themefinland - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What is the story behind your username being partially based on a mistranslation from South Park?

A: There's this character called Timmy, right, the guy who keeps repeating his name? My dad was cool and let me watch South Park when I was like 7 years old, dunno if that was a good idea or not :D Anyways, to my 7 year old brain Timmy sounded like the pronunciation of Theme. The second bit comes from the practice of everyone indicating their country of origin in their usernames back in the 00's. I've had my username ever since :)

Q: What were the really bad YouTube music videos that got you interested in making art, and why?

A:Oh they were called "Dragon trance", "Dragon techno" etc. What made this music dragon? Well they always had a dragon themed drawing as the "video" part of the music video. I was 18, and I found those drawings to be super impressive and I wanted to make something like them too. And then I was delivered a 1-2 punch with the release of dark souls 1, which I also tremendously enjoyed and which I found immensely inspiring. Oh yeah, did I mention I was the winner of the first official reddit dark souls 1 PvP tournament and won a mug for it?

I likely would not have begun drawing so seriously if it didn't take like 2 hour to find people to play with in that game because of the busted netcode :D Gave me plenty of time to draw while waiting.

Q: What did you learn about yourself through creating art?

A: Hmm, that's a good question. I don't know what I have learned about myself, but I have learned about the world. Such as that there are people out there who share my thoughts and feelings and find the things I enjoy neat as well. I think fairly quickly I learned to enjoy the process of doing things, rather than the thing that awaits at the end. This applies tremendously to art, and many other things in life. Pro tip, if you wanna have good vacations for the rest of your life, don't look forward to all the big ticket things on your trip and rush from A to B. Enjoy that time spent going from A to B and you'll never get stressed out.

Q: What advice would you give to people who sometimes go through creative droughts?

A: Go outside, exercise, work on your body when your mind is tired. After I internalized the need to exercise each day in some way, I don't think I have gone through a single creative drought. Also having a handful of projects you can bounce between may be helpful to prevent you from getting bored.

- Bad Company

I was asked to draw a pokemon vore comic for free in my early days of doing art, you know in the early days when I was still doing free art requests, as people do. I didn't even know what vore was as a concept, but the whole ordeal was just super unpleasant and made me aware of what vore is. I don't know why I felt so beholden to do the comic regardless, maybe because I had already given them my word that I'd do it and it was hard to say no after that. But that was one time I contemplated on just stopping doing art. It sounds super ridiculous to think back to it now, but the mind works in weird ways when you're shut in and are seeking (and getting some) validation from a community.

Q: That sucks! What would be your advice on navigating online art communities?

A: The online world is a funny place, try not to take it too seriously. My problem only surfaced because I took the online community I was in way too seriously. Have friends in the real world. Online communities are fickle and the bonds there can be severed at the drop of a hat. They can also become addicting, since they are there 24/7 and they can lead to bad habits, like consistently staying up late because your friends live across the planet.

Q: What is it like having double jointed thumbs?

A: Lmao, it's like having the ability to roll your tongue, I guess? I can freak someone out by pretending my thumb broke, but beyond that, it doesn't have any other pros or cons.

Q: How do you discover the benefits of sleeping on a bed of nails?

A: It's like going to the sauna. After you've been lying there for several minutes and get up, you just feel super relaxed and calm and your whole back is spry and loose, thanks to all the increased blood circulation. After that, I can work really focused for the next two or so hours and find it really easy to get into the flow state.

Q: Why do you think you enjoy sitting an cafe and just relaxing?

A: I think I just enjoy the ambiance of it, quiet conversations all around, people walking and moving to and fro. I think I like having things happening around me, small things. That's probably why when I want to read a book, I rarely read it on my couch, and instead go to the park, the forest or a cafe to read it.

Q: What do you like about cycling and running? What is it that you dislike when people turned themselves into the "runner guy" or "cyclist guy" and why do you think a lot of the discourse around those hobbies revolve around gear and clothing?

A: I'll be honest, it is primarily because said hobbies give me a good reason to get outside and allow me to work on my fitness all the while. I love the outdoors and if I had to cycle or run indoors, I don't think I'd do it. I also enjoy the good feeling they give me, after cycling for several kilometers or running for a dozen minutes there's just a calm good feeling that takes over, your mind becomes engaged in this repetitive activity and you start to focus on your breathing and your surroundings, everything else disappears. I suppose it is somewhat similar to doing art when you are in the flow state.

There's people who talk about equipment and there's people who talk about the activity their equipment allows them to do. I don't like the former, they are incredibly dull and boring people. Talking about the price tags on their new pants or whatever. Gearheads arise sports that are pretty basic in technique, like running and cycling, because there isn't much to talk about unless you want to get philosophical about it. I don't talk about running, cycling or swimming because they are like talking about dreams or meditation. My experience is impossible to convey to another person in words,but maybe art can do it ;)

- Adventure on the road

When I was 19 I did my first long multi-day cycling trip. In a bush in the middle of nowhere, around early evening, a dude pulls up in their car next to me and rolls their window down. An old dude, probably in their 50's kinda looks me up and down asks me where I am headed and flashes a grin, showing several golden teeth in their mouth. Leaves a lot of awkward dead air after each reply. Dude probably meant good, but that was the one moment when I felt like I was gonna get got :D

Q: Why do you think the event resonated with you?

A: Probably because I had never even considered the idea of being kidnapped before that. I overall have a pretty positive view of the world and people, some would say naive and that event rattled that a bit. Though in retrospect I don't think the guy had any sinister intentions, his beat up corolla and pimp ass smile just gave some sus vibes.

Q: What do you like about swimming?

A: I got into this a bit already, but it is the meditative nature of it. Just you and the water, as human as it gets, no technology or equipment between you and it. And then it is the way you slowly move through water, feeling the sun or rain on your entire body. How it can be calm or explosive depending on how you want it. Diving underwater and all sounds going away and seeing the world from a new perspective. Never have I had a bad swim, it is always a positive experience.

Q: Diet advice for a healthy lifestyle?

A: Do not snack! Have two or three big meals a day. If your meals are appropriate, you can go for 5 hours or more between meals. Drink water. Look at a pee chart to make sure you know what healthy piss looks like. Eat oatmeal and fibers. Breakfast is a lie, you can skip that and just do lunch instead.

Q: Your favorite aspects of creating art and why?

A: The process of it, how I can challenge myself at a deep, demanding task. And how it allows me to create something personal, something nobody else could create except me. What I, and other artists create, is a piece of ourselves, a way to preserve ourselves. Even when we die, these artworks will remain after us, culture will decide if they are worth preserving and in what way. But there will be remnants here and there, on people's harddrives, data hoarder's stashes, ancient web forums etc. And those remnants can still touch somebody and inspire.

I enjoy art for the selfish reason that it challenges me and I enjoy that feeling. Sometimes it is frustrating and makes me want to scream or cry because nothing I try works. But I have done art long enough that I know that those moments are fleeting and a necessary part of learning and improving myself. I will never stop being frustrated and upset, but I know not to let those emotions stop me from doing what I enjoy anymore, since I know how to treat said emotions. And the treatment is doing something else, running, swimming, lying on a bed of nail, reading a book etc. I think another thing that fascinates me about doing art is the infinite nature of it, there's an infinite wall to climb, you never reach the ceiling of art, it's a mountain that keeps going and going if you commit to it. It's a process with no ultimate goal in on itself. And I like that, I can just keep doing art until I am dead in the grave, safe with the knowledge that I'll never be finished, unlike a stamp collector who ultimately finishes their collection and then finds a void within themselves after their work is done.