This week's "Power User Profile" features frequent commenter and "recipe" builder Myro!
- A photo (or drawing) of you in "real life":
- Online name used in HeroMachine environs: Myro
- Real name: Derek Myro-something-or-other. I'm not going to give my full last name, but at least you all know where the "Myro" comes from.
- Real city/state/country: Calgary, Canada
- Real job: Hospitality Industry: Food and Beverage supervisor.
- Real age: Late 30s, I'm not going to get more specific.
- Gender: Male
- Married/single: Engaged to be married
- Online archive of your creations (if any): http://s685.photobucket.com/home/Myrowire/index
- The best piece of HeroMachine art you've created: in my opinion, this: That's like trying to ask me to choose between my children, and I don't play favorites...yeah, I'm kidding. I'm going with this one:
There are a number of reasons: I really like the way it turned out, it got a bit of praise in what was a very difficult contest, it gave me a chance to work with one of my older characters once again, and mostly, because it pushed me, and in doing so, helped me gain insight into myself as a HeroMachinist.
- Favorite all-time geeky movie if any: "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back". Although, to be honest, I'm a fan of all the Star Wars movies. Even the prequels. Let the slagging begin.
- Favorite all-time geeky book if any: Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
- Favorite all-time geeky TV show if any: Ummm, errrr... Is "Lost" considered geeky? I was a huge fan of that. Probably the geekiest thing I watch regularly now is "Chuck."
- Favorite all-time comic book character: Depends on what day you ask me. I tend to like my characters to be comedic, so I tend to rotate between Atomic Robo, Scott Pilgrim, Blue Beetle (the Ted Kord version), Spider-Man, and Deadpool.
- If you could have one super-heroic power in real life, you'd choose: I tend to hurt myself often, so Invulnerability or a Healing Factor would be nice some days, and given the nature of my job some days, there are times where Teleportation or Flash's Super-Speed, or even the self-multiplication of Multiple Man or Dupli-Kate would come in quite handy, but ultimately, I'd probably have to go with the ability to accurately predict the future, say, a week in advance. Can we say, "winning lottery numbers?"
- In your leisure time you like to: Besides playing with HeroMachine and commenting in the blog forum? Reading, playing video games, watching movies, watching TV, playing pool, table-top RPGing, and sometimes hiking when weather permits. In fact, if anything, I tend to have too much on my plate too often, so even my leisure time seems like a chore.
- Character design turn-ons (things you love to see that make for a good design): "Wow factor." You'll know it when you see it. After that, good craftsmanship and attention to detail.
- Character design turn-offs (things you hate to see that make for a bad design): Oh, the usual. Lack of attention (the old backwards hand with the thumb facing the wrong direction, missing ears or eyebrows, etc.), laziness (lack of attention is a lapse in judgement; laziness, the far more abhorent crime, is a choice. I can usually tell the difference in the final product), poor color choices. All the kinds of crap I've done in the past (and may possibly do in the future. It's funny that I can spot someone else's problems sometimes, and yet not when I do it myself).
- Best tip for a HeroMachine newbie: Actually tips, I have quite a few. HeroMachine 3 can be a little intimidating when you first use it (or at least it was for me), so go slowly until you get a general handle on what you're doing. Once you have the general techniques down, start challenging yourself. I've made some spectacular crap (and not in a good way) when I've done so, but my best work has always come when I've tried to push myself to create something different and challenging. Try not to get too hung up on your failures, and try to learn from them. Create for yourself, not for the approval of others; if you aren't interested in what you're doing, it's doubtful anyone else will be impressed either. Take advantage of everything the forum has to offer, it's a great and helpful community that is willing to help out others that are running into problems; taking part in Open Critique Days especially can help improve your artistic abilities.
And one final piece of advice that no one else will give you: Don't underestimate the benefit of a good night of sleep. I've got chronic intermittent insomnia, and when I've missed a lot of sleep, I make some of my biggest errors. Get some rest before creating, or at least, after you finish with a design, sleep on it and take a fresh look at it after a good night's rest. It should help you catch your mistakes.
- Any personal message you'd like to share with the HeroMachine community about Geek Life: I'm not going to say that geek is the new cool, but it's certainly more mainstream than it was when I was younger. Embrace your geek side. Being sincere and truthful about who you are will lead to a more liberating and happier life. It's been said that geekiness is simply a passion for subjects that most people don't get, and with the proliferation of the internet, it's easy to find others who share your passion. Acceptance is not only possible, it's actually quite likely if you're willing to make the effort.
