Interview with MS WEDNESDAY GROTESQUEYour artwork is collected on your Facebook community page Ms Wednesday Grotesque. Describe its purpose to the readers?
Ms Wednesday Grotesque, it is hard to say, honestly. It is above all dedicated to my art but it is so many different things for so many different people. I am a person that supports as well as encourages your dreams! It’s a one woman gig that will strive to do nothing but get you to exactly where you want to be. It is a place where you can escape to dig for your own inspiration and even get feedback. All the personalizing and customizing for people is the greatest part. It’s a thing of hope that captivates the heart when you need a solid foundation and have to use your own voice to be heard even when you are at your breaking point or weakest. There have been times some feel helpless, brought to their knees, and have no words at all. This person, place, thing had to be those people's voices. It definitely comes in so many different forms that identifies with so many diverse people. It’s a raw nerve that over time has spiraled and become a world of its own.
What inspired you to name your community page Ms Wednesday Grotesque?
When I was seventeen, I came up with my very first watermark. My grandmother passed away in 2008; it took a giant toll on me. I loved that woman despite that she was crazy. She meant as much as my own mother. She was the reason for my nickname "Wednesday". She used to tell me when I would go out every weekend to spend time out in my homestead with friends I looked like Wednesday Addams. It started out as a polite tease and somehow became a nickname of a sort. My friend heard her call me that, and it just kind of stuck. She passed away from breast cancer; she had been struggling with it for six soon to be seven hard long years. I did that for her; she was the only person in this world who was the very first to accept me for who I was instead of what others wanted me to be. She never judged unless my eyeliner was way too heavy in her opinion, and even then she would say "You should go redo it how you did it as such-&-such time." I would go back remove the heavy eyeliner and do it the other way she liked it. I miss her every day. For Grotesque, I was searching poems and books for the longest time. I came across a review on a site online for one of Edgar Allan Poe's creepiest tales. I will reference "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" that was published in 1841. The review was by a college student who was somewhat several years older than me. They had said in the review that it was somewhat grotesque. I did not know the meaning of the word at the time and I looked it up. I was astounded to find that I loved it. You can twist it up in different contexts it was risqué in a sense. I first tried it out as several names to see if I could get used to the idea. I loved her, as well as her name. I wanted it to sound dark but have a light and purpose about it you would never find anywhere else. Maybe, it sounds a bit absurd and a bit farfetched but this is how Ms Wednesday Grotesque came to be.
How long have you been on Facebook and what made you want to open a community page featuring your artwork?
Ms Wednesday Grotesque has been on Facebook for four years. I just out of curiosity decided one day that it was time to keep up with the statistics. I wanted to know the fans for this that I had worked so hard and dedicated half of my life to. The ones who support, advocate, recommend and enjoy all the things I have done for so long without a website or page. I wanted to know everything! I wanted to work with them. I wanted to see who is sharing as well as posting. I wanted to have more to do with the people in my own world. I wanted to talk, listen, and see all their faces. I had finally decided it was time to have the gumption as well as motivation and tenacity to spend time with them all. I wanted to hear their voices, see them for myself, and put it all out there to get feedback and bounce feedback off one of another.
How well known has Ms Wednesday Grotesque become since you founded it?
I wanted it all to grow into something bigger. Man, it was definitely a surprise and a rude awakening to watch this thing grow before my eyes. I wanted them to be able to request the things that they wanted even if they were just a "nobody". I didn't care if you were some plain Jane or John Doe at that point; you mattered to me. I owed myself that even if not one person took the time out to view the page or make requests for things. As I began that journey, it became so much more in itself. Before I knew it Ms Wednesday Grotesque spiraled out of complete control. The page numbers for the likes started climbing as did my followers for both of my Twitter and Tumblr accounts.
Are you meeting anyone outside the U.S. through your community page?
Statistics wise? I see there are several people in other countries that do like my community page. I have some online friends from all over and some even that aren't my friends but know my family somehow that also love the things I do that have liked MsWednesdayGrotesque's community page on Facebook. That is one of the awesome things about my graphic design I am always connecting with other people in a positive way through MsWednesdayGrotesque or just through something awesome I made that they have grown fond of somehow. I love working with all the people that come across MsWednesdayGrotesque or myself coming across them, each of them are blessings.
What programs do you normally use to upload your artwork?
Brace yourselves, as I am about to teach you something you may or may not already know. The format you view on my Facebook is basically just the regular basic JPEG format. As Facebook does not support other formats outside of the basic JPEG, this is not all of the work you will find of mine online. I exclusively work with mostly JPEG/JFIF, GIF and PNG formats. It’s seldom but for templates to start work I often also use for some graphics BMP formats.
What are the advantages of using JPEG to upload your photos?
JPEG/JFIF (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a lossy compression method; JPEG-compressed images are usually stored in the JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format) file format. The JPEG/JFIF file name extension is JPG or JPEG. Nearly every digital camera can save images in the JPEG/JFIF format, which supports 8-bit grayscale images and 24-bit color images (8 bits each for red, green, and blue). JPEG applies lossy compression to images, which can result in a significant reduction of the file size. Applications can determine the degree of compression to apply, and the amount of compression affects the visual quality of the result. When not too great, the compression does not noticeably affect or detract from the image's quality, but JPEG files suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved (JPEG also provides lossless image storage, but the lossless version is not widely supported).
Explain what PNG files are and what sort of photos you use that program for.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) file format was created as a free, open-source alternative to GIF. The PNG file format supports 8 bit paletted images (with optional transparency for all palette colors) and 24 bit truecolor (16 million colors) or 48 bit truecolor with and without alpha channel, while GIF supports only 256 colors and a single transparent color. Compared to JPEG, PNG excels when the image has large, uniformly colored areas. Even for photographs, where JPEG is often the choice for final distribution since its compression technique typically yields smaller file sizes, PNG is still well-suited to storing images during the editing process because of its lossless compression. PNG provides a patent-free replacement for GIF (though GIF is itself now patent-free) and can also replace many common uses of TIFF. Indexed-color, grayscale, and truecolor images are supported, plus an optional alpha channel. The Adam7 interlacing allows an early preview, even when only a small percentage of the image data has been transmitted. PNG can store gamma and chromaticity data for improved color matching on heterogeneous platforms.
Describe the GIF and BMP formats and what sort of graphics work best with them.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is limited to an 8-bit palette, or 256 colors. This makes the GIF format suitable for storing graphics with relatively few colors such as simple diagrams, shapes, logos and cartoon style images. The GIF format supports animation and is still widely used to provide image animation effects. Its LZW lossless compression is more effective when large areas have a single color, and less effective for photographic or dithered images. The BMP file format (Windows bitmap) handles graphics files within the Microsoft Windows OS. Typically, BMP files are uncompressed, and therefore large and lossless; their advantage is their simple structure and wide acceptance in Windows programs.
How much study went into figuring out the different graphic programs you work with?
Researching, can be hard sometimes. I will admit, GIMP is not something I am fond of at all. I stay away from those programs, because they make it harder than it should be to learn. If you spend years using one program you find it hard to get used to other set ups of other various programs. Photoshop is what I use but I have found somethings online over the years that I use a lot as well to get certain favorite effects. I will also admit google, Youtube, and tutorial coding sites, are your best friends when it comes to working with new programs regarding the differences that vary from one program to the next. It really is all about what you prefer and what the person that needs or wants this or that would like to see or has their hopes up for. Its constant feedback feeding off one another's ideas. I am my very own critic, if I do not enjoy how something turns out I will be blunt on the details and tell the other person exactly my feelings on how I can make it better or starting from scratch all over again.
What sort of promotional work are you generally doing with Ms Wednesday Grotesque?
Everything on Ms Wednesday Grotesque is just a glimpse of what I can as well as have done for many different people and things. I encourage and promote many people, places, and things. I keep everything I have done on hard drives. It is all very well documented; I have at least a thousand folders altogether.
Who are you supporting through Ms Wednesday Grotesque at the time of this writing?
I support causes I feel passionate about. I have contributed a lot to the cause of bereaved parents these cannot be found online. If you do not know what a bereaved parent is, it’s a parent whom has endured the loss of a child or miscarriage. What I do is I take their childrens’ little hand-prints and/or foot-print and turn them into Photoshop brushes for bereaved parents. This cause in itself is a hard one for me to process that definitely hits the hardest, but I turn them into keepsakes and momentums for their very own personal treasures to hold close. The only album you can find anywhere online showing you these is for my nephew, Moses Allen Hutchinson. In dedication and tribute I call these, Mosey-Prints, I do not share these at all on my pages, these must be requested privately. I respect their wishes, as I am honored to make all the above's keepsakes, tributes, and momentums. This is definitely not something I feel should be online unless it is of both parents consent and request. I will go ahead and put here that I have helped with full memorials, designing videos, pictures, tributes, graphics, cards etc. Tribute albums, you may find on my page are dedicated to those whom have passed away of all ages. These albums were specifically put there for loved ones that have been requested. Tributes are a collection or collaboration of photos I have personalized or customized for the dearly departed's close friends and/or family for personal reasons or for events of the family such as memorials. In regards to those people that have exclusively requested that I not share.
What is the complete range of the graphic work you are doing at Ms Wednesday Grotesque?
I have my own collections of photography as well as graphics. I also customize and personalize making personal cards, postcards, covers, display pictures, banners, flyers, logo's, meme's, phrases and sayings, keepsakes and momentums, tributes, promotional pamphlets, templates, and cards for personal businesses. There has even been drawn artwork submitted by artists to turn into personal watermarks as well as digital masterpieces. I have an album dedicated on Ms Wednesday Grotesque's community page called Random Muses. It is for all those whom I have edited pictures for such as even the shabby one we all know so well best known to the virtual world classified as selfies. Haha! Yes, I just went there. This is where if you request sometimes even didn't request at all your picture can be found. This also happens randomly because if you look there are a few people whom have multiple ones on there. Those are the ones whom consider themselves as my regulars that enjoy and embrace and have chosen to be Ms Wednesday Grotesque's "Muses". They actually take these pictures themselves and I edit them then turn around and upload on the page to that particular album. I love and appreciate all of those guys. Oh! Also sometimes, pay attention, here is definitely a kicker” some of them have also never even been requested. They have been put there as gifts to bring a smile to that one particular person’s face whom may or may not be having a bad day. It is an album dedicated to all those who have come in close contact with the page as well as those who support Ms Wednesday Grotesque.
How much appreciation do you have for the people who are currently supporting Ms Wednesday Grotesque?
While I have created this page it wouldn't be anything without all the great inspiring people who visit it and make requests! I am pleased with the environment I have created in this whole other world ("world", simply because that is the only way I know exactly how to explain it). It is something that has become very important to not just myself but many people. I embrace everything that hits that message box, and the many great people I have gotten the pleasure of knowing through my Facebook community page journey. There is not much you cannot find there as far as my basic jpeg formats. If you request it, in a message we will work through it together and see it gets done exactly. I will do the best of my ability to see that it all happens exactly the way you would like to see it. If it doesn't turn out the way we originally thought it would or would like to see it, the resolve is simple we start over until we get perfection, even if it is perfectly flawed.
When it comes to designing band logos and personal cards, are you self-educated or did you take courses anywhere?
Self-educated, I sometimes use Youtube as a tutorial guide to help with the things I need/want to do with whatever I am working on. Youtube is such a big help with so many things these days. If you need help figuring out something anything in real life that is technical or something online that you need help with you can find it there. People are always helping others and doing a step by step to be a big help. I have learned so many new things using Youtube. Courses would be great but when you haven't the time or the money it’s also good to sink into a thirty minute video to show you the "do's & don'ts". I will admit I have grey areas that need improvement here and there but that is the greatest part. In order to be better in the grey areas it calls for learning something new that spikes your interest no matter how hard. It’s all about pushing yourself to be better in those areas that call for certain measures which only inspires more for MsWednesdayGrotesque to grow and become more. College is something I want to do but at this time not something I can really foresee in my future. My life has taken a completely different route for the time being. I am extremely ambitious but at the moment some things have to be put on hold due to important personal reasons at this time.
Are you also promoting bands through Ms Wednesday Grotesque? Who has expressed interest in your support?
I have designed and promoted for many local bands, mostly from different places around the U.S.! The ones you may find on Ms Wednesday Grotesque's community Facebook page are: Vapid Butchery, Janelle Frost, Descend Upon Deceit, Dakota Wright and Celphlic.
Who is Vapid Butchery and how did you come into contact with them?
Vapid Butchery is a local band out of Meridian, Mississippi. It was mostly just my talking to one of the band members and next thing I know I am talking to all three of them. Brandon Moore, Benjamin Boes and Rick Durbin all started plotting with Ms Wednesday Grotesque about some awesome things that they would like to see with album art and some photographs they had of them together. It all then fell into place over time, and then before you knew it we all were talking about scatterbrained ideas revolving around their band "Vapid Butchery". I was showing them several different styles of everything that they had on their pages that they decided to let me work with them. I still talk to all of them from time to time. You could not ask for a better death metal band to work with as Vapid Butchery. They all have completely different personalities and lives. I will always be forever thankful and appreciative for them taking the time and checking my stuff out and for letting Ms Wednesday Grotesque have the opportunity of representing them. They have been so supportive of Ms Wednesday Grotesque, Definitely a band that if they asked me to come up with stuff for another of one outside of Vapid Butchery. I would be all over it, they are all such awesome dudes.
By what circumstances did you start corresponding with Janelle Frost?
Janelle Frost found Ms Wednesday Grotesque when she was in Panama City, Florida. She can now be found around Alabama. Janelle Frost, is THE WOMAN! I have no idea, where or how she found me? Honestly, I could care less. She has played with so many amazing people that include Mustang Sally, The Sassy Brown Band, David Allan Coe, George Jones, Patti LaBelle, Quiet Riot, Little River Band, The Drifters, Percy Sledge, and lots of others. This woman literally seems like she eats, sleeps, breathes, poops, showers and shaves her music. No way in hell, you will ever find another southern rocking goddess like, Ms. Janelle Frost! I would have to say, I absolutely adore working with her! She is beyond comparison to any other you will ever find on my page. She is one of a kind and you will NEVER find another like her. Haha! I know I have said that twice now but it’s the damn truth! She is one of the most amazing, creative, hardworking, independent, inspiring, and empowering women you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. I have done more for her than any other band. If I ever have a daughter in life, this is definitely the woman I would want my daughter looking up too. I have an absolute blast working with her, she always gives the most honest feedback. She is one of my biggest advocates, she is such a nurturer when it comes to my dreams with Ms Wednesday Grotesque.
Who are Descend Upon Deceit and how would you describe your working relationship with them?
Descend Upon Deceit is a grindcore band from Crossville, Alabama. They are pretty legit and serious about their music. I won't be adding in any of their names here because they were 110% Descend Upon Deceit. They are loyal, trusting, and respectful of one another. If you go on Descend Upon Deceit's community Facebook page there is one piece that is probably one of the most time consuming piece's I have ever done. It will be under their cover photos in case you don't want to dig too hard. It looks like graffiti but if you look closely it’s an eye with lots of neon colors. It took a total of three months constantly working on it. I know I glared at that for the longest time, I think that is without a doubt one of the hardest most challenging pieces I have ever made as well as done for a band. The finished product was so awesome, I was extremely happy with it and I was so glad they took as much pride in it as I did. They also wanted a logo or something for their videos. I thought that was awesome considering not many think to do that. I worked on a lot of different stuff for those guys. They are definitely a team when it comes to their band. They are absolutely one of the best bands I have worked with as far as all the team effort goes. Everything we worked together with was a challenge and so different from other stuff you will find on Ms Wednesday Grotesque.
What work have you done for Celphic since you and they came into contact together?
Celphlic is a local death metal band from two different states, Ohio as well as Missouri. I don't know much about their backgrounds but just enough to tell you they are some pretty kick ass, old guys. We both kind of found one another. They found my personal profile, through Facebook. I liked their bands community page. I want to just address something I like a lot of my friends bands. If you are in the web spun around Ms Wednesday Grotesque chances are I support your dreams, man. Anyway, I messaged Jimmie Little also known as "Big Jim", I asked about if they needed anything new for their page. I mentioned Ms Wednesday Grotesque and then they handed me some penciled up artwork taken with a digital camera and we started working together. Jimmie Little has been basically the front man of Celphlic with a lot of it. Big Jim has become one of my closest friends over the course of time. He is definitely one of the most laid back people you could ever talk to.
Give the readers a brief rundown of Dakota Wright’s experiences as a musician, and his experiences meeting you.
Dakota Wright is from northeast Alabama. He has made it as a local musician fulfilling his biggest dreams being his own muse and book & play his own gigs. He is very talented and has a love for all kinds of different music. A very respectful guy and a total inspiration to his peers. I met him at a gig he played at locally around where my parents reside. One day, I talked to him and I asked if it were going to be okay if I edited pics for his pages. He said he would love the photos taken from his gigs to be revamped. He had gotten farther than he ever thought he could. Now he is playing with bands and in a band.
Do you plan to work with more bands as Ms Wednesday Grotesque gets around, and/or perhaps host some live events?
I do! I hope in the near future I can work with more bands as the time comes but I am looking further into supporting more causes. There are so many things in this world that need answers that no one has. I hope at some point if I do work with more bands they can work with MsWednesdayGrotesque as a team to help support causes outside of music. There is so much we don't know and so little time for some to figure out. This has become something extremely important that I feel very passionate about that would be a change to benefit the greater good. I want to start encouraging more people in the world to make the efforts of showing small acts of kindness. I would love to support my passion and help others get their answers and get to where they would like to see themselves.
What do you most want Ms Wednesday Grotesque to be remembered for?
I really do not know how to answer this question perfectly. I will try to the best of my ability as I have taken some time trying to piece it together. I want MsWednesdayGrotesque to be remembered mostly for being a dream that was brought to life by working really hard for it to be something so much more. I want it to stand as a lesson to others that as cliché as it may sound "If you set your mind to it, you can do anything in the whole world." Do not be made to measure to others expectations of you. You can show them the way, and you define it because it is your way. The way you have worked so hard to pave a better you. Do not ever let anyone tell you your dreams are impossible. Do you know what the best revenge in the world is? The best revenge in the world is to succeed, and never give up. It’s not every day you find yourself looking at big achievements in your past and looking at what sits in front of you and prospering from all the small ones you achieved that made it possible. It’s amazing watching your strong foundation fall before your eyes as more stepping stones in front of you. It is your very own journey! You live it up, and you do the things that mean the most to you for when you really find yourself doing the things you most love. In the end buried in all of your greatness with whatever you have set your mind too there will always be a little piece of you stuck forever in time. In many ways that sort of makes you immortal; you left your imprint on the world without ever even realizing it. I want MsWednesdayGrotesque to be remembered for, I didn't just dream it, I became it. In conclusion, it’s as the song goes, "Don't dream it - be it.”.
Ms Wednesday Grotesque on Facebook
Vapid Butchery on Facebook
Vapid Butchery on Reverbnation
Vapid Butchery on Youtube
Janelle Frost on Facebook
Janelle Frost on Reverbnation
Descend Upon Deceit on Facebook
Dakota Wright on Facebook
Celphlic on Facebook
-Dave Wolff
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