Interview with:Tori McDivitt [totallytea]
PROFESSION
 | What is your profession? What is your title printed on your business card? Tattoo Artist |
ART
| What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? I am a tattoo artist. I use skin as my canvas to express the individuality of the person that is getting the tattoo. To make a statement on their behalf. |
| What is your message? My art reflects the message of the person getting the tattoo. My work states whatever it is the person wearing it has to say. |
| Your biography in four lines. I have always drawn things that people liked.
I have no formal education other than high school art classes.
I trained by watching a tattoo artist learn from the beginning of his training, but never picked up a tattoo machine until I felt I had learned enough by observing.
I then practiced on myself to develop my skills and felt comfortable enough to be able to create for someone else. |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? I have a portfolio of some of my work at totallytea.cleanfolio.com I am still in the process of making the portfolio so it is not complete. I also have some of my work on devientart.com my user name is totallytea. |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? For myself, it usually has to do with events in my life. |
| What role does technology play in your creative process? I use the computer to perfect some of my work and to get ideas. |
| What is art? Self expression. |
| When do you get your best ideas? When discussing what someone wants me to create for them. |
| How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not? I always draw it on paper first to see if it will look the way I want it to. |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? I don't think of myself as an artist yet. I still have so much to learn, I don't know if I will ever think of myself as an artist. |
| How should a work of art be evaluated? In my line of work, by the person that is wearing it. |
| Is art necessary? Absolutely. It is a form of expression. It makes a statement. It is a direct reflection of who I am. |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? i CAN'T KEEP WHAT DOESN'T BELONG TO ME! |
| In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is? You don't. It is how you want it to go. |
| What role have the figures of art dealer, gallery owners, representatives, and intermediaries in general played in your career? They really don't pertain to my form of art work. |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? Mostly just tattoo art. |
| Do you personally collect any items? You might say that. I have several tattoos of my own. They are placed so that my art work is not the main focus when people meet me. I want them to know me before my art. I have a sleeve that covers my left arm, but it is done in invisible black light ink. It can not be seen unless I am under a black light. |
| Which websites do you frequently visit? devientart.com it has some of the most talented new artists around. |
| What advice would you give to those just beginning? Pay attention to detail and learn any of the tricks you can. It will benefit you in the long run. |
HARMONY
| What were the circumstances that led you to choose the professional path you have chosen? I didn't have a choice. |
| What is happiness, and the main obstacle to reaching it? Happiness is being content with who you are. We are always working to better ourselves, so it's a never ending stuggle. |
| Do we think too much? Why is it so difficult to feel here and now? You can never think too much. It's difficult to feel the here and now its called over analyzation, underestimation and insecurity. |
| How do you deal with discouragement, despair, a sense of setback, etc.? I try to look at what good will come out of any situation. |
| Are meditation and prayer cultural variants of the same thing? I think so. |
| Is faith necessary for spirituality to work? Definiately. You have to believe. |
| Is it necessary to have a teacher to find the way? Sometimes, but if you try hard enough you will find your way! |
| Is it necessary to have a purpose to find meaning in life? We all need to feel like we have a purpose. If we don't we tend to lose our sense of identity. |
| Is it wise to believe in things that do not exist if it helps you to be happy? I don't think that is a good idea at all. |
| How do you distinguish between spirituality and religion? Spirituality is who you are. Religion is what you believe. |
| Is God an idea? Is God in the brain? God is real. He can be anything to anyone. |
| What is your concept of free will Vs destiny, fate, karma? We are free to make certain choices, but our destiny or fate is determined by us before we come to earth. Karma is what you make of it. |
| Give us a simple proof for the existence of the soul. Soul is your core being. It is who you are. If you exist you are proof. |
| What happens when you die? You go to heaven where your first stop is the hall of records. You can watch your life and decide if you need to work on certain areas or learn certain life lessons. If you do then you choose to return to earth to learn those lessons. If you have become a complete whole soul you will choose to stay in heaven where you have complete and total knowledge. |
| Do you believe in the law of attraction: that we attract what we think about? Yes if you want something and you are one with the universe, it will come. |
| How does one maintain body-mind harmony? I haven't mastered that yet. |
| Do creativity and positive thinking slow aging? I think it keeps your mind and spirit young, but it all depends on how you treat your body. |
| Is there a false face to positive thinking; an obsession about appearing happy that is not healthy? There could never be a false face to being positive. If you put that much effort into appearing happy, wouldn't it be easier for you to just be happy? |
| What is your short list of healthy habits? Showering daily
Brushing my teeth |
| In what ways has your spiritual practice affected your creativity? When I'm in the right place spiritually, everything else falls into place. |
PERSONALITY
| What hobbies have you got? Finding and refinishing antique furniture. |
| How do you find the balance between working to live and living to work? We all need to balance our work and personal life. We aren't content if we don't find that happy medium. |
| In moments of tension, what techniques work in calming the mind? I try to stop what I'm doing and start mentally unhooking the bones in my neck and working down my spine. Then I mentally zip them up when they are relaxed. |
| A simple pleasure that for you is quite big or important. Holding hands and going for a walk with my boyfriend. Now my husband! |
| What is the greatest loss you have had in your life? I haven't experienced that yet. |
| How do you respond to telemarketing calls? I politely tell them I'm not interested and hang up or I don't answer. |
| It is 5 pm on a typical Sunday: what are you doing? I don't have a set routine so it could be anything! |
| Something in which you are completely incompetent. I think there are too many things to list in this catagory! So I won't even try. |
| Of what are you an addict? Too many to list! |
| You have nine wins in a row in a game of roulette: do you continue because you are on a good run, or abandon the game because statistically, it is your turn to lose? Keep going! |
| What toy gave you the best moments of your childhood? The skidaddle. It was a two seater sled that you could steer and my dad would tie it to the back of the car and drive us around the yard. |
| What was your favourite primary/secondary school teacher like? Mr. Lambert. He was cool and didn't stick to a strict teaching plan. He was impulsive and if it was a nice day outside he would tell us to put our books away, we were going to play softball. |
| How did you meet your current boy/girlfriend? Through a neighbor. |
| What was your first vehicle? 1964 VW Bug |
| Your New Year resolutions. To be a better friend and return phone calls. |
| Is there any superstition that makes you change your behaviour? I don't put any hats on the bed and I don't put a purse on the floor. |
| Does knowing someone's zodiac sign help you to better understand that person? Sometimes. |
| Please list something you have not yet done, but that you would definitely like to do someday. Parasail or hanglide |
| A bad habit you have overcome. Pete! I guess I didn't overcome because I married him instead. |
| A word or expression that you detest. Can't |
| Which animal do you prefer for company? I love all animals. Each have their own personality and are as unique as each person is. So it isn't the animal, it's the animals personality. |
| What do you imagine yourself doing for your retirement? Spending it with the people I love. |
| If you were to return reincarnated, which real-life person would you like to be? Just me. |
IDEAS
| Did God create the world in seven days, or do you believe in the theory of evolution? God |
| To what percentage do you believe in statistics? maybe 30 to 40 percent. |
| Do you believe many illnesses can be caused by the mind? Absolutely! |
| Do you believe it is true that humans only use 10% of their brain capacity? Yes we would be dangerous if we used more! |
| Does brand name influence your buying habits? To a certain degree. There are some things that are just better. |
| Do you think tipping is a good custom? Yes |
| Are there too many holidays in the work calendar? No way! |
| What is your opinion of the rise in popularity of plastic surgery and implants? If it makes you feel better about yourself then go for it! |
| Do extraterrestrials exist? Of course they do! I met three when I was about three years old and I will never forget that experience! |
CULTURE
| What do you currently have in your MP3 player? A wide variety of music |
| What books are you currently reading? The Bible |
| Places in the world that you have visited recently. California that's about it recently. |
| What do you use: Mac or PC and why? PC I like it better. |
| Do you find the saturation of advertising in the media excessive? Extremely |
| Do you believe there is excessive sex and violence in the media? It is a changing world and those are very prominant things in todays world. I would have to say no. |
| What were your favourite subjects when you were in primary/secondary school? I liked all of them |
| Do you think video games, chat rooms, etc. have a dangerous addictive
effect on teenagers? No I think video games can challange and chat rooms expand their mind to different ways of thinking. |
| Do you defend urban graffiti? Some of the graffiti I have seen have been beautiful works of art! Tagging is what I don't like. |
| What magazines do you frequently read? Flash |
| What do you have in your wallet right now? $1,400.00 |
| How do you kill time? I play on the computer or write. |
| In which city do you live? What are your favourite and least favourite things about it? Phoenix. I love everything except the traffic! |
| A YouTube video about something that was significant to your life. I just think this is a very upbeat video. It is cool that so many people came together and did this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9CmZXSSYmc |
| Where have you thought of going for your next holiday? Disneyland! |
PHILOSOPHY
| For you, what is "the good life"? Having enough. |
| What is the secret to happiness? Don't rely on anyone else to make you happy. |
| What is a friend? Someone you can turn to for anything, and tell anything to. You can do something stupid and they don't judge you. Someone you care about. Someone you may not have seen or talked to in a long time, but know they are still there for you. |
| Does the soul exist? It is who you are! |
| Your own definition for beauty In a person, A caring loving person who makes the world a better place because they are in it. In an object, I believe you can find beauty in just about anything. |
| What is God? A soul that is all knowing and loving. We are all a part of God. |
| If the ticket price for a football match is twice the regular price for those 12 years of age or older, and your child turned twelve yesterday, what age would you say your child is? Under 12 |
| If you were a millionaire, what would be your charitable work? Something to do with children. |
| Your sins and virtues. My sins are to great to list. And My virtues should be listed by someone else. |
| Please list three important words for the world today. Love
Patience
Compassion |
| What will your epitaph be? Thank God she's gone! |
CONSUMER
| Is your personality that of an investor or a spender? both it depends on the investment |
| Do you love or hate to go to stores? Why? What kind of store are we talking about? The grocery store I hate, but a store that I am going to buy something fun at I'm always up for! |
MEMOIRS
| What is your earliest memory? Living at my Great Aunt's house. It was a two family house we lived upstairs and she lived downstairs. I used to sneak out of bed and go downstairs and climb into bed with her. |
| Who were your childhood playmates? What did you play? Debbie and Lori We played dolls and barbies, and house. |
| What toys do you recall most fondly? My dolls and barbies |
| What can you tell us about your family? My family was a very normal family. It was my mom and step dad brother and sister |
| What was primary school like? What teachers and classmates do you recall most vividly? I was very shy in grade school. We moved a little bit so I went to three elementary schools. Mr. Lambert was my favorite teacher. |
| How complicated was your transition to adulthood? I would have to say it wasn't easy. I was a pretty rebelloius teenager. |
| How many times have you found the love of your life? What about unrequited love? once as for unrequited love probably twice |
| What was your first job? How did your first work experience turn out? I delivered pizza. It didn't last long. I couldn't afford the gas! |
| 
825 visits Whohub
Tori McDivitt
Phoenix, Arizona USA
|
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