AhWai

Hey! Come back!

As the year draws toward a close, my mind returns to the events that have taken place. A few stand out among the blur: my graduation, my entrance into college, my first car accident, my first graphic design class—most significantly my struggles with the school’s laser printer—and absolutely the first time I met my first love, face to face. He is someone I met on this very art community through sheer, unpredictable chance; and I have loved him more sincerely than I ever thought was possible through online communication.

Thus, I wanted to go out and personally thank each of you for the impact you’ve made on my life this year. Each of your comments and deviations has left an impression on my heart that can never be repaid or forgotten. I hope that your holidays are full of festive cheer, good food, and great company!

Chai tea and Hugs
~ Heathery

I hate leaving generic messages on user pages, but it’s a hard habit to break – and since I’m writing to so many people there really is no other way to go about it. Sorry if this all seems redundant, I’ll do my best to make this letter as warm and personal as possible.

The year is drawing to a close; so much has happened over the past twelve months in my life, and in some respects I’m still trying to make sense of it all! DeviantArt has played a major part in my life over the past year – it has shaped me as a person more than University ever has – and I have all of you to thank for that.

During high school my father handed me a leather bag – I didn’t know what the contents were. When I opened it up I found to my delight an old Pentax 35mm with an assortment of lenses. I was thrilled. I had never tried my hand at photography before but immediately went out to the nearest store, picked up some film and joined the school newspaper. A week later I got my first rolls of film back – all underexposed and ruined. I had failed miserably and put the camera away in my closet.

In early 2003 I took a trip to Quebec City for the Winter Carnival – and I took the camera with me. In April of that year a good friend from High School introduced me to DeviantArt. I submitted some of my photos from the trip (that were not underexposed – hurrah!) and a handful of pencil drawings of Totoro. It didn’t take long for me to become hooked and soon I was taking pictures again and learning from other photographers. That summer I bought my first digital camera, and I haven’t looked back since.

As of this moment I have been taking on small commercial jobs, doing commission work and creating a portfolio that I will take to local galleries in early 2005. I have started to sell prints both online and offline, and I have started to think of photography as a serious profession down the road. Perhaps it will be as a photojournalist, perhaps as a researcher – maybe simply as an artist trying to capture the beauty around me. In the course of just over a year photography has become my one true passion – I can’t put the camera down, and I can’t stop flipping through books, magazine articles, collections etc. It truly is addictive, and it changes the way I view the world around me.

I owe this tremendous change in my life to all of you. Since the very beginning you guys have been incredibly supportive, and incredibly inspirational. The amount of constructive feedback that I have received is overwhelming to say the very least. The other rich aspect of this community is the ability to see what others see – I have enjoyed viewing your work since joining – there have been some very moving / thought provoking / gorgeous imagery produced. This artistic community is a blessing for those starting out as an artist, or for those who simply want to share or observe work.

I don’t want this community experience to end anytime soon – I hope to remain an active member of the site and play as much of a part in your lives as you have played in mine. Sometimes I do get busy with school etc, but don’t ever feel that I’m ignoring you! Leave a message; kick me from time to time (even a slap to the face will do). I say this from time to time, but I’ll say it again here – if you ever want feedback on your work just let me know – I really don’t mind stopping by to comment / offer input! It is always nice to see what other people are using their imagination and creativity to produce.

Regardless of what your background is, I hope that you find the time over the next couple of weeks to relax and sneak away from the hectic pace of life - enjoy the company of family & friends! All the best to you in 2005

Cheers,
Evan

I love your gallery, i'll set you on my list

amazing amazing gallery!
keep up the good work!

I love your gallery
lot's of emotions in them

thank u tons for the visit by my gallery and the watch