Monday Muses

Welcome to our activity on Mondays - Monday Muses!

There are many ways someone can be an inspiration. By displaying inspiring community spirit, or providing helpful resources for example. Or maybe you just stumbled over an amazing artwork that simply knocked you off your feet and inspired you to make something of your own right away. No matter what it is, we want you to share it!

Simply pick an artist or deviation you find inspiring in some way, and post them in a comment on this journal. Please also include why you chose that artist or artwork. Your suggestions will be featured next week!

If you want the feature to be a surprise for the deviant(s) you suggested, please leave away the '@' or :dev: when typing the username (and post links to artworks instead of thumbs), that way your Muses won't be notified of your comment here through the mentions system.

This week's Muses are:

"belindamary is my Monday Muse she is kind and sweet and has inspired me with my photos unlike anyone else. The amount of favorites I have gotten per piece since I learned some stuff from her has went up incredibly."
"I'd like to recommend, submit, or suggest Gloria Graziati a.k.a. MiciaGlo for next Monday's edition.  She's from Treviso in Italy and is a biotechnology student in her final year at the University of Padua.

One of her hobbies or pastimes is costume play a.k.a. cosplay, an undertaking in which she excels.Gloria is one of the finest cosplayers in the world, in my humble opinion; and I believe she's an inspiration to other cosplayers, on several levels.  She's definitely an inspiration to me because I'm an aficionado of anime/games/manga art; hence I can't help but admire her dedication and meticulous attention to detail.  It doesn't hurt that Gloria keeps fit, hence she can do justice to characters who are themselves fit.

Unfortunately, as we all know, there's an "artistic hierarchy" in place here at deviantART; and cosplay is relegated to a dark corner of that clan's dungeon.  When's the last time you saw a female cosplayer's Deviation receive a Daily Deviation Award?  Few have been awarded over the years; and then only to cosplays of female characters wearing ball gowns and/or ten layers of head-to-toe clothing.

Remember when fractal art was thought by this Web site's elitists to be undeserving of consideration as "art"?  That same attitude (and status) is accorded cosplay, yet cosplay is art in and of itself and also reflects art from other media.  Plus, it's hard work!

So, I hope Gloria and her colleagues in cosplay will eventually be allowed to sit anywhere on the deviantART bus.  We'll know that's happened when outstanding cosplayers such as her begin receiving Daily Deviation Awards.  Regardless, she's one of my muses."



"Lily Annissina is probably the most talented fractalist that I know! I am a huge fan of her work!

Not only that, but I have known her for over five years by now, and I think not only is she an extremely talented artist, but that she is a really wonderful person!  Her 21st birthday is on April 18th,  and unfortunately I won't be here on dA to celebrate it, but I want her to know how much I wish that I could be and how much I'll be thinking of her. She's become such a good friend over the years, that I think of her as a younger sister!"