Recently I met most amazing lady called Jasmin, , with not only amazing community spirit but most stunning artwork as well. Her artworks are not only beautiful and fragile, but also emotionally charged that spoke to me amazing tales about her spirit. When we needed help with the International Women's Week project she jumped in and helped designing the most beautiful official IWW css I had then a browse through her gallery and I was stunned with the work she has made. It touched my soul, showing the the beauty and hope, and not only that it got me to try new things in my artwork. She is true inspiration

Can you please tell me a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jasmin, I'm 26 years old and I study process engineering at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. My art is my hobby, it keeps me from going insane by providing a distraction and an outlet for me

What do you enjoy about artwork?
It helps me focus on the beautiful things and forget about the complications and the nastyness that can be seen all around. In creating art, I can share my feelings and views and I hope I am able to help others see "the bright side" of life through that. It can also be a wonderful means to point out injustice or things that should be changed as a picture usually says more than a thousand words. In viewing others art, I can go places my own imagination cannot take me - the same goes for reading books or poems.

What inspires you?
Everything around me, from daily things like cooking or going for a walk over watching movies and shows (I'm addicted to a bunch of series among other things) to the internet world and all the gems that can be discovered - from art to science, everything is fascinating and worth a second look.

Can you name me few inspirational artists on DA and why they are inspiration to you?
That is a very, very hard thing to do as I'm someone who draws from the variety dA has to offer. At this very moment, I'd say the following have had a great impact on me on more than just the artistic-collegue-level:
I met on dAmn when I was still trying to find out what I wanted to do manip-wise. I came to realize then that technique isn't all there is to creating something you are proud of in the end. She helped me a great deal and we've become friends.
is not only a fabulous artist, but also a great guy and his textures (published through ) are legendary. They have shown me just how much you can do when you start thinking "out of the box".
It took us a while to find out that we have quite some things in common and tend to view the world in the same way. Chatting with is so much fun no matter if we're going on about dA or manips or whatever.
must be one of the sweetest persons I've encountered and on top of being very easy-going and great to talk to, she has a wonderful sense of pinpointing just what exactly it is that's been bothering me with a particular wip this time around. Her advice is truly invaluable.
I'll leave this last one for a bunch of people who are always here with advice and encouragement: , , , and as well as at least half the AR team (forgive me if I forgot someone! - I'm sure I have) - all inspire me in their own way.

Which are your 5 favourite works of yours and why?
This one just turned out the way I was hoping for even though at first I seemed to be stuck (thanks for help!). And on top of that I was able to make a person happy
I love the way the textures turned out in this one. It was great to work on, too.
This one was completed after a personal setback - an exam that didn't go as planned. But I knew I had to try and shut all my frustration out and fous on the next exam that was scheduled 8 days later. The picture also helped put my feelings into perspective and I actually had a great second exam.
One of my most treasured manips ever as I managed to put so much into it and make it conceptually sound, too. It is based on my love for crime novels and tv shows as well as my strong sense of justice.
I've taken up photography about two years ago and I think I've come quite a long way since. Even though I'm still using a point-and-shoot camera, I find I've managed to take some pretty nifty pics lately. Perhaps it's not so bad that I can't afford a drool-worthy camera atm, this way I can concentrate on the subject matter and how to frame it etc. without worrying about technical aspects too much.

Which themes do you like exploring with your artwork and why?
I love to show that there's always hope and that an individual person can make a difference for themselves and others if they just want to. It is very rewarding and it also serves to remind myself to look forward instead of dwell on things that can't be changed when I'm feeling blue.

How do you find yourself as a woman in the artworld?
I don't know much about the real art world as this is just my hobby, however on dA, it seems that most photomanipulators are women (or at least the active ones are), so I guess I'm in good company

Can you name 5 of favourite works on DA and tell us whythey are your favourite?
The following 5 deviations are not necessarily my "All-time-faves", but some I've picked from my recent faves to show the diversity of photomanipulation - I love the way they use colour, texture and/or form combined with their imagination to create something wonderful:


Lets debunk few myths. Which is your favourite colour and why? How do you feel about pink colour especially it being used with everything girl?
I love pink and purple when it comes to design, but I'd die if I had to wear them Other than that I love all colours, but they have to be used in a way that suits the concept of a piece. Colour just for colours sake is pointless. Which brings me to the pink and the girls: I think it's ridiculous that something as unimportant as "pink is for girls and blue is for boys" gets so much attention.

What do you think needs to be done so women around the world would be able to stand on equal footing with men? Do you think we are equal? Why do you think when one talks about masters in art there are no women mentioned? What do you believe needs to be done to change this?

We will never be equal because it seems to me that if we were we would loose our identity. I am very much against demanding equality and what not just so feminism can prevail (or however you'd like to put it). I study process engineering which is traditionally a job done by men. I do expect to be treated the same way anyone else with my qualification is treated, and I would be glad to see payments and job decisions etc. being made regardless of sex. Some feminists seem to think that this can be done through quotas and sanctions, but I firmly believe it can't. It has to develop and for that, we do still have a lot to do. If someone is forced to give you a job (or whatever else) because you are a woman, it will not help you feel equal in the least...

As for the masters in art: it was a different time then and women did not get the opportunity to be artists or anything besides wives and mothers. It may seem to us today that equality is only logical, but we should not forget that not all that long ago, women weren't even allowed to vote. We need patience as much as we need determination to one day find ourselves in a position to look back on 200 or 300 years of women in history and be proud of it. Though by then, we may not see it like that any more because ideally, it will not matter if it's a woman or a man who painted this or invented that


Who is your favourite woman artist and why?
I honestly have no idea and I wouldn't know a man to fill that "favorite artist" spot either.