Welcome to Undiscovered Weekly for Traditional Art.
Undiscovered Weekly is committed to spotlighting exceptional artists who have low page views, and/or few watchers, and have been a deviant for three years or less.
Astrikos for fella
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Welcome to the stock and resource gallery!
Featuring undiscovered wild life and architecture stock, and CelticStrm-Stock
Undiscovered images from the stock and resource gallery!
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Interview with =CelticStrm-Stock! 
Introducing Cheryl, an awesome stock provider! 
How did you find deviantART?I stumbled across dA in mid-2004. I was looking for a way to unwind during a study break for my finals. Art has always soothed me when I’m stressed, and when I came across deviantART’s treasure trove, I was in heaven. I was going to college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the time. There weren’t many art galleries within driving distance. I think the closest ones were the Gilcrease and Philbrook Museums in Tulsa. I guess you could call me an un-official lurker back then. I didn’t make my own account until December of 2008.
What inspired your username?
Wow this is going to reveal my inner nerd. Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was very into online chat roleplaying on AOL. I started in 1993 and back then there were only a few characters allowed when you created a user name. I was going for the user name Celtic Storm, but the only way it could fit was without the space or the O, so I became CelticStrm. I’ve kept the name ever since. I’ve always had a vague hope that some of those friends that I knew back then would recognize it someday. The name suits me down to the bone. I’ve had two passions since I was a child: Storms and Celtic Mythology. It made sense to combine the two for the user name, and the rest is history.
How does deviantART stand out for you?
Honestly the art drew me in, but the sense of community has kept me, even through the rough patches. As a newbie and a fan of manners, I was shocked to see such polite people in an online community. Before I came to deviantART, I had assumed that the basics of please, thank you,and you’re welcome were pretty much non-existent online. That was one of my very first impressions of the site aside from the exceptional art.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people on dA . I consider quite a few of them to be very dear friends, even though they may be states or hemispheres away. I love the fact that age, ethnicity, religion, or orientations aren’t factors on here. We have an opportunity to get to know each other as people and artists without the bias of the regular world. I keep saying we’re all deviant green and look like fella because what matters on here is who we are, not what we are.
The community is amazing and the most unique of all the online communities I have experienced since I first started venturing online in 1993. Complete strangers will protect each other from art thieves and band together to support each other in difficult times. Even though it’s just an online website, it’s so much more. It’s a safe haven for artists to grow and nurture their art. It also gives the members opportunities to learn life lessons that can apply in the real world such as leadership and international communications and collaborations.
I also absolutely love the groups on here. I run and admin quite a few groups on dA. It’s a great place for artists to get to know each other and learn from each other. My favorite in particular is #The-Stock-Directory. We’ve taken an initiative there to become a learning based group to help new stock providers learn the ropes. I can honestly say that I prefer deviantART above all other social networking sites.
What got you interested to join dA?
In 2008 I actually took a class on Photoshop which was a disastrous experience. My stubborn streak kicked in and I decided that I would master the program, so I went hunting for tutorials which led me right back to dA. I have to say that I’ve learned more techniques on dA than I ever did in the official college course. That was when I created my art account ~CelticStrm. At the time I had both my art and my stock on the same account. I felt guilty using stock by others, but not providing it myself at first. So I decided to give back to the community that was so generous by providing my own stock in return. I eventually moved my stock over to this account in 2011, just to keep it separate. I’ve been hooked ever since!
What inspires your work?
I know it’s a bit cliché, but everything inspires me. I’ve noticed that I look at the world differently since I’ve been involved in stock. My neighbors see the crazy lady in her front yard on all fours taking photos of the weeds, but I see a fairy forest hiding among the green grass. I swear I need a disclaimer t-shirt that says “I’m not crazy! I’m a stock photographer!”
What’s fun about stock is that anything can be usable. The spoons cower before my mighty camera! I always keep it in my purse just in case I see something that might be neat. I drove my husband nuts on our honeymoon because I was taking stock photos everywhere we went.
What camera do you use for capturing stock?
Oh my poor little camera. It’s just a simple Canon Powershot A590 IS. I’ve put it through so much abuse. It’s been a tough little trooper through the rain and snow. We were even zapped by the ricochet of lightning once while taking stock photos during a tornadic storm. I got the shot though, which you can see here: [link] I’m surprised that it’s still in working order, honestly. I have dreams of a Nikon D800 someday, but for now we’ll carry on!
What kinds of stock do you enjoy creating?
I love creating all kinds of stock. I generally go with object stock as a standard. They don’t argue with me when I try to take their pictures.
Occasionally I can badger my sister into posing for some model stock, but that’s usually on Halloween when she’s already in costume. My gallery is pretty eclectic, though. I enjoy making everything from premade backgrounds to photoshop brushes, textures, and fractals. I’ve recently started dabbling with 3D stock as well, though I want to take some time to learn the program first.
Any difficulties regarding your stock?
Unfortunately yes, as much as I hate to admit it. The problems have ranged from outright theft and redistribution to simple failure to credit and notify. Most of the problems seem to stem from off-site locations and non-members, though. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to list my entire gallery as Premium Content in an effort to curb the abuse. I’ve kept the cost at a minimum of 10 – 20 points so it can be reasonable for everyone. I do, however, return the points from what would normally be my free stock to artists that follow my terms upon request. I also send the free download links to artists who do follow the rules on a regular basis if they don’t have the points to use on the automatic download.
I try to be as flexible and understanding as I can be. It’s just not in my nature to be a mean person. I know that some of it is simply new artists that are unfamiliar with stock use and terms. I’m always happy to help teach a new artist about stock and how to credit/notify. Unfortunately we’ve lost several fabulous stock providers because of theft and failure to follow the rules. It’s not only a loss to the stock community, but a loss to the art community as well.
What are some of your favourite pieces made from your stock?
Now this is a difficult choice for me. I love them all, regardless of skill levels. Each notification of use is like a little Christmas present for me. It’s the main reason why I’ve shifted my focus from art to stock! I love seeing the creativity others have to create the extraordinary out of the ordinary. Here are some of my favorites:
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What words of advice do you have for others?
Do what you love! I firmly believe that you create your best work when your heart is in it. Let your own personality shine through and forget about the critics. I’d also say that you should become familiar with deviantART’s terms of service, especially those FAQs geared towards your medium of choice. If an artist is a stock user, whether it’s photomanipulation, mixed media, or premade background stock, be sure to thoroughly read the terms of use of each stock provider. We’re all a little different in our terms, but the one thing we all agree on (mostly) is to credit our stock and notify us of use. If you ever have a question, just ask! We’re happy to answer questions. I’d also advise artists and stock providers both to add their Community Volunteers to their watch list. They are amazing people that are full of helpful information who have most likely already answered the majority of questions in their blogs and features.
Anything more you'd like to add?
I would like to add that though I mentioned above that I was hit by the ricochet of lightning, I do not condone stock providers putting themselves in harm’s way for the sake of stock. Nothing is more important than your safety. That experience could have ended badly for me and I was very lucky. I’ve also had some experience with storm chasing in Oklahoma. If storms are your thing too, I’d suggest going with a trained spotter. They have tour groups for tornado chasing which are ridiculously fun and on my stock-to-do-list in the future.
Oh my poor little camera. It’s just a simple Canon Powershot A590 IS. I’ve put it through so much abuse. It’s been a tough little trooper through the rain and snow. We were even zapped by the ricochet of lightning once while taking stock photos during a tornadic storm. I got the shot though, which you can see here: [link] I’m surprised that it’s still in working order, honestly. I have dreams of a Nikon D800 someday, but for now we’ll carry on!
What kinds of stock do you enjoy creating?
I love creating all kinds of stock. I generally go with object stock as a standard. They don’t argue with me when I try to take their pictures.
Occasionally I can badger my sister into posing for some model stock, but that’s usually on Halloween when she’s already in costume. My gallery is pretty eclectic, though. I enjoy making everything from premade backgrounds to photoshop brushes, textures, and fractals. I’ve recently started dabbling with 3D stock as well, though I want to take some time to learn the program first.Unfortunately yes, as much as I hate to admit it. The problems have ranged from outright theft and redistribution to simple failure to credit and notify. Most of the problems seem to stem from off-site locations and non-members, though. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to list my entire gallery as Premium Content in an effort to curb the abuse. I’ve kept the cost at a minimum of 10 – 20 points so it can be reasonable for everyone. I do, however, return the points from what would normally be my free stock to artists that follow my terms upon request. I also send the free download links to artists who do follow the rules on a regular basis if they don’t have the points to use on the automatic download.
I try to be as flexible and understanding as I can be. It’s just not in my nature to be a mean person. I know that some of it is simply new artists that are unfamiliar with stock use and terms. I’m always happy to help teach a new artist about stock and how to credit/notify. Unfortunately we’ve lost several fabulous stock providers because of theft and failure to follow the rules. It’s not only a loss to the stock community, but a loss to the art community as well.
What are some of your favourite pieces made from your stock?
Now this is a difficult choice for me. I love them all, regardless of skill levels. Each notification of use is like a little Christmas present for me. It’s the main reason why I’ve shifted my focus from art to stock! I love seeing the creativity others have to create the extraordinary out of the ordinary. Here are some of my favorites:
<da:thumb id="328037143"/>
What words of advice do you have for others?
Do what you love! I firmly believe that you create your best work when your heart is in it. Let your own personality shine through and forget about the critics. I’d also say that you should become familiar with deviantART’s terms of service, especially those FAQs geared towards your medium of choice. If an artist is a stock user, whether it’s photomanipulation, mixed media, or premade background stock, be sure to thoroughly read the terms of use of each stock provider. We’re all a little different in our terms, but the one thing we all agree on (mostly) is to credit our stock and notify us of use. If you ever have a question, just ask! We’re happy to answer questions. I’d also advise artists and stock providers both to add their Community Volunteers to their watch list. They are amazing people that are full of helpful information who have most likely already answered the majority of questions in their blogs and features.
Anything more you'd like to add?
I would like to add that though I mentioned above that I was hit by the ricochet of lightning, I do not condone stock providers putting themselves in harm’s way for the sake of stock. Nothing is more important than your safety. That experience could have ended badly for me and I was very lucky. I’ve also had some experience with storm chasing in Oklahoma. If storms are your thing too, I’d suggest going with a trained spotter. They have tour groups for tornado chasing which are ridiculously fun and on my stock-to-do-list in the future.
Thank you for your insightful interview! 
