We are very lucky today!!
The brilliant Steemit Artist, @MagicCleatus, has agreed to be interviewed. I am so happy about this!
Many of you will recognise him from his weekly Zen Colouring Contest. I have been an entrant to this activity where you can relax and have the chance of winning a prize.
So, without further ado, here is the interview:
Dee:
I see you have developed a strong online presence via Steemit including art posts, teaching posts and your famous and fun ‘Zen Colouring Contest’. So, what inspired you to become a Steemian and what benefits has it brought you?
My inspiration to join Steemit came from a combination of close friends encouraging me to share my personal art and from hearing all the great things Steemit had to offer through research and word of mouth.
The biggest benefit of becoming a Steemian has been the social interaction. I am quite a shy character in most social situations so this has been very helpful to further develop my social skills. Beyond that, it has encouraged me to make more art and push myself creatively. It has been so rewarding to receive regular feedback on my posts, forge working relationships with other Steemians and create an art community with my Zen Colouring Contest.
Steemit surpassed my expectations on all levels, I am very proud of the Steemit website and what we are all achieving together.
Dee:
You say on your Steemit profile that you are a ‘self-taught graphic designer’. What is the history of your art career outside of Steemit?
I have been a freelance graphic designer for the past few years and have worked on projects such as logo design, personalised avatars and album art. In my spare time, I create video game assets for both a personal project and a collaboration with a fellow Steemian.
When I was younger I failed GCSE art due to unfortunate circumstances and didn't get a chance to retake the exam. Once I finished school I was rushed into employment, therefore, art had to be put on the back burner for many years. Within the last decade, my creative flair has returned and recent opportunities created time for me to focus more on art. Everything that I have created I have learnt to do myself, from researching the methods to trial and error.
In my early days of school, I used to love those rainy days when the teacher would bring you in off the playground and hand out stencils to colour in. I have enjoyed creating art my whole life.
Dee:
I know you as the creator of the Zen Colouring Contest. What led you to this niche on Steemit?
The Zen Colouring Contest was born from the 'Zen Colouring' art series that I first started posting on Steemit (can include some links) and a desire to further my interaction within the Steemit community.
After participating in a few art contests on Steemit, I got the contest itch and wanted to create my own. After some research and planning, I started the process of turning my Zen Colouring art series into the 'Zen Colouring Contest' that we all know today. I wasn't sure of the response I would get but I wanted to put my best effort into it.
My main aim when creating the contest was to spark more creativity and interaction within the Steemit community, this is why I encourage that as one of my contest rules. I had never done anything like this before so it has been quite the learning curve but I am really enjoying it. I wanted to develop something for people to enjoy and be creative with, enabling everyone to interact and make new friends, all while colouring a relaxing Zen pattern.
Dee:
Do you foresee your Steemit input developing in other directions than your contest?
I do. I have plans to bring back my 'Original Artwork' series and I want to introduce more gaming content, as well as getting involved with the #steemitartcentre created by 
The original artwork series will be pieces of art I create In my spare time, with process images/gif and a little paragraph written about them, like the inspiration behind the piece or a brief tutorial of how I achieved the effects used in my creations.
Broadening my blog into gaming will include things like; my own gameplay footage and reviews of the video games I play, Fan art and perhaps weekly gaming sessions with the community generated from these sorts of posts.
The Steemit Art Centre is a brilliant idea and I want to help it any way I can. I am working on a weekly contest compilation post to include links from all the contests within this community we are creating. This is to help advertise fellow hosts contests, to remind entrants of the deadlines and to encourage art.
The Zen Colouring Contest will still receive the same level of attention and will have some more new and improved graphics soon! I am so pleased with what it has become, with the recent increase in the prize pool created by the community. I am brainstorming ways to share it out amongst more participants without removing from the winners.
Dee:
Over the past year, Steemit has changed remarkably. There have been a couple of hardforks and it has become a viable social media. How do you see Steemit developing in the future?
The future of Steemit is looking up in my opinion. The value of STEEM/SBD took a big drop at the beginning of this year but has been creeping back upwards with each day that passes. The impending 'Communities' update will skyrocket the platform even further as a social media hub.
My only concern is that similar of 
Dee:
Could you please choose one/some examples of your art to show us?
Here are some examples of my art:
(avatoons/personalised avatars)
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-avatoons-dirtylilrat
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-avatoons-takamara
(album art)
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-album-art-los-garrote
(original artwork)
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-sunset-silhouette
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-orginal-artwork-surreal-space
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-original-artwork-marshmallow-sunrise
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-original-artwork-digital-eclipse
(original zen colouring series)
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-strange-flower
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-zen-colouring-roses
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-zen-colouring-peculiar-lotus
(personal video game assets)
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-video-game-assets-mobile-controller
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-animates-wip-title-screen-lights-test
(video game assets for 
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-video-game-assets-occult-logo
https://steemit.com/art/@magiccleatus/magiccleatus-draws-video-game-assets-occult-artwork-progress
(zen colouring contest)
https://steemit.com/zencolouringcontest/@magiccleatus/zen-colouring-contest-11-a-chance-to-win-sbd-by-colouring-a-weekly-pattern
Dee:
Is there anything else you would like in the interview?
I would just like to add how great it has been to have this opportunity to answer these questions. It is a very kind and thoughtful thing you are doing for all of us
I can't wait to see more interviews from other artists, creators and Steemians within this community you have made. I wish you all the luck and support in the world!
Many thanks to @MagicCleatus for this inspiring and interesting interview. The artworks take our breath away, don't they?
Would you like to see another interview? Click here for @organduo.
Last but not least, please, please, please spare an upvote for this interview!