The Beauty of Bluesky - Helen Whistberry
It's been some months now since I picked up virtual pen and paper, six to be precise. I'd love to say it's because I've been tripping the light fantastic and having a grand old time, but alas it has been a morass of medical mysteries and stress. I am now hopefully living less of a life of mystery, at least the medical kind and getting used to my new 'normal'..... So, anything major happen while I've been away?!
Um, yeah, the world is.... please feel free to finish this sentence with your preferred expletive here. The nasty people are doing what they do in the loudest, vilest way possible and it can feel overwhelming, because...well..it is. But they are not the only thing this world has to offer and finding pockets of sanity and kindness is a vital way to keep afloat in such times. So I'm diving back into what I do best, championing my fellow creatives and their beautiful work, so that as a collective we can roar back together, stronger and better than they can ever hope to be.
Like many recently I've had to pivot, adapt and alter course, especially when it comes to my online presence, gone are the days of the bird app of social media, instead, here are the days of the butterfly app aka BlueSky. I joined back in November last year, (feel free to follow me here) and can honestly say it's been an overall delight, now whether or not it will stay that way is anybody's guess and I've more than learnt not to count my chickens when it comes to social media platforms, but as it stands I find it an enjoyable platform where I've come across creative comrades both old and new. This is where my new blog series comes in. Now those familiar with my general modus operandi will know that there's nothing I like better than a maker interview and having done more than a few in my time, I'm very much of the opinion 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. So I'm embracing the format once again to explore and get to know more about the great creative community that can now be found on BlueSky.
To start the series I have the absolute pleasure of highlighting one of the lovely new folks I've discovered, having stumbled upon their work, if I remember rightly, while we were both taking part in an online art challenge. So without further ado let's get to know a little bit more about Helen Whistberry.
Helen Whistberry (she/they) is the pen name for an indie author and artist who began writing after retiring from a long career working in libraries. They have published numerous books as well as contributing horror and fantasy stories to anthologies. Helen’s writing often explores their own experiences with gender, asexuality, alienation, and autism. Their whimsical digital artwork focuses on the natural world. Helen also loves to read and review books by fellow indie and small press authors. You can find out more by visiting their website at https://www.helenwhistberry.com/ for a complete list of publications and links.
If you could pick one piece of music to listen to as you make what would it be?
I actually do listen to one song on repeat when I'm writing. Wait by M83 has just the right moody atmosphere and the words aren't too intrusive so they don't interfere with my flow. I've listened to it so much that when I hear it now, my hands automatically itch to start typing!
What is your earliest creative memory?
My grandmother on my mother's side was an artist (mainly oil painting) so I remember visiting her and watching her paint. She had severe arthritis in her hands but still managed to hold and manipulate the brush with great delicacy and skill. It seemed like magic to me watching the images take shape as she layered on paint.
What fires your imagination?
My artwork has been mainly inspired by a love for nature. People joke about loving animals more than humans but that may be close to true in my case. Something about the purity of animal behavior, their ignorance of all the machinations and cruelties of the human world, the astounding variety of species. I would definitely like to come back as any type of animal in my next life.
What's the best 'mistake' you've ever made? Creative or otherwise..
I make "mistakes" constantly in my art. I am a completely self-taught digital artist and am still learning by leaps and bounds all the time. I love experimenting and have found many times that when things seem to be most hopeless and going completely off the rails is when I stumble across some technique or accidental effect that I end up loving. I've learned not be afraid of just trying things and not sweating it so much. Let the process work itself out.
If money were no object what's the first bit of creative kit you'd treat yourself to?
I was a bookbinder in a former life so I'd love to set up a home studio with all the equipment that you don't absolutely have to have in order to make and bind books but which make it a lot easier.
As it only seems fair, this is where I give every interviewee a chance to turn the tables and ask me a question...
What do you find to be the greatest challenge in your creative life?
Oh cripes, I have to pick just one?! I'm notoriously bad at this, but if I really think about it most challenges, at least the negative ones, stem from the fact that as one person I have to do the jobs of about 50. I know anyone who's a freelancer in any field can probably sympathise with me on this, we have to be accountants, marketing teams, postal workers, packing and production teams to name a few, and that's before any of the creative part of it really kicks in. It can be utterly exhausting and nigh on impossible at times to do, but it is what it is. If you really think about it, it might also just be what makes us all that little bit more indestructible in the end. You see as artists we're constantly having to adapt and learn new skills to survive and those about us making life such a 'joy' at the moment have rarely had to, they've got minions for that stuff. Evolution is all about adapting to our surroundings and we've all been evolving for centuries while they've stayed stagnant, so I know who I'm backing in a game of survival of the fittest that's for sure!
Well I hope like me you've enjoyed getting to know more about Helen Whistberry and their stunning work! If you're a creative with a BlueSky account who'd like to be featured by me here, you can do so by clicking here (it'll take you to a handy interview form I've set up where you can fill in your details).
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