A few months ago we started the new blog feature, Getting To Know You, which is posted every other week on Tuesdays. This week I am happy to bring you an interview with one of my favorite scrappers at Designer Digitals: Phyilis (aka Whatnext). If you haven’t yet visited her gallery, (Whatnext’s DD Gallery), you are in for a treat because Phylis is wonderfully artistic and creative, whether she’s scrapping a heritage page, a page about her grandson or joining in on a one of the many challenges here at Designer Digitals.
Here is how Phylis describes herself:
I was born and raised in Southwestern PA and will probably always live here. (Dunno how I feel about that!) In my “former life” I earned a degree in music and was a music and piano teacher. My last music-related job was teaching Eurhythmics at the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh. I’ve been married for over 30 years to a quiet, smart and honorable man. Plus he’s good-looking! When our son was born in the early ‘80s, he became my life’s work. Our daughter arrived five years later, and my lifelong “profession” was decided: Mom-hood! I’ve never looked back and have frankly lost interest in music. I have been a part time volunteer, salesgirl and preschool aide in the intervening years, but now I stay pretty close to home and do whatever I feel like doing on a daily basis. Completely decadent!
And, without further ado, here is my interview with Phylis:
Phylis, when I visit your gallery here at Designer Digitals, I know I am seeing the work of an artist. Before the advent of software for creating digital art, how did you express yourself through art?
I used to do a lot of needlework after I lost interest in music. Then somehow needlework led me to spinning, which I adore. (Yep. I’m talkin’ about a spinning wheel.) I don’t do as much of it as I would like to anymore, but I have to tell you: BIG FUN!!
Hmm. Well. I don’t know about being an artist. Really, I think of myself as “painting with someone else’s hand,” as far as doing digital scrapping is concerned. Before I found digi, I was a frustrated paper scrapper, knowing the look I wanted but unable to create it because I wasn’t someone who could draw or paint or execute a decent flourish with a colored pen or paintbrush. Digi freed me from the impediment of NOT being an artist. I can lean on the talents of people like Katie and Anna Aspnes and all the other wonderful DD designers who use THEIR artistic ability to create the magic that I can then put onto a page.
I’d like to imagine you in your home creating at your computer. What do you see surrounding you when you look up from your computer screen? Is there a favorite time of day when you feel the most creative?
I’m a morning person. Everything clicks for me in the A.M. That’s when you can usually find me working on a page. I’m sitting here at my computer looking at what we jokingly refer to as “The Upper 40.” My window looks out onto a gentle hill covered with grass, trees, several rows of raspberry bushes and my husband’s orchard of semi-neglected apple, pear and peach trees. This orchard produces totally ugly fruit, but the fruit makes excellent apple cider. We usually get about 50 gallons of the stuff every fall from our trees, then we give it away to friends and family so that they can forget all about having it until it explodes in their refrigerator.
Among your fabulous layouts are many with introspective and soul searching subjects. What are your thoughts about using art as therapy?
One of the most useful things I learned from my piano teacher in college is that the key to “reaching” someone is to find something similar they can relate to. Someone may not know what kumquats taste like, and you could spend a lifetime trying to characterize the taste. But until you say: “They taste a little like a banana and a grape,” something that they have a real connection to, the explaining can be a fruitless (Oh, good grief. NO pun intended. Really) exercise. With therapy, it seems to me that, to reach someone, it must be through something that “speaks” to that particular person. If it’s art, so much the better. If it’s music, go for it. But I think that these sorts of therapies can be empty exercises if the patient doesn’t have the gut connection with the medium. “Draw how you’re feeling” can be really annoying for someone who would rather dance his feelings. Or write them.
Where does your inspiration most often come from….do you start with a photo or is it a feeling you want to express and then you find the photo or photos?
I have absolutely NO idea how I do what I do. I rather avoid looking too closely at the creative process for fear it will evaporate under any sort of scrutiny. So, generally it’s me trying to sneak up on “it” from behind. Lately I’ve been relying heavily on the various Challenges on DD for inspiration. (Long Live the iTunes Challenge!) Once I think about the challenge, the first thing that usually pops into my mind is a photo in my collection. Then I go from there. And sometimes “it” happens and, as we all know, sometimes it doesn’t.
Do you have a few favorite elements you recommend we all keep in our digital stash?
Did you hear that?? That was about 50 DD women all yelling my answer simultaneously before I even say it:
Anna Aspnes’ FotoBlendz Clipping Masks!!!!!!!!!!
Textured FotoBlendz Clipping Mask no. 01 by Anna Aspnes
I asked Phylis to choose one of her layouts to feature with this interview. She says, This page is ME in a nutshell! I love coloring outside the lines, but especially with a heritage page.
Isn’t that a delightful heritage page? Like I said before, you must visit her gallery for lots more inspiration. Phylis, I know I speak for all of us at Designer Digitals when I say we are so glad you hang out with us here and share your talent and your friendship. Thanks so much for a delightful interview.
