This is from an old blog on Smith Micro’s blog site back in 2010, but it still makes me laugh. Smith Micro is the creator of Poser and they had interviewed me for their User Forum back then because they saw one of my posts entitled: “Remember When Poser Figures Looked Like Ugly Dolls?”
Then one of their bloggers decided to profile me and sent me a bunch of crazy questions that I just couldn’t answer seriously. So she took my answers and wrote the following:
There’s no such thing as a stupid question
As a recovering journalist, I pride myself in my ability to ask great questions. Some journalists don’t even ask questions. Case in point, the World Series game last night: (Congrats Giants!!) When players were being interviewed, some broadcasters didn’t even ask questions. They just made a statement and put the microphone in front of the player.
But better than great questions are surprising answers. And I got a lot of those when I was talking to Big Al Gruswitz, a photo and medical illustrator who uses Poser. He told me he liked his eggs well-rested and sent me this photo, which he made.
Cute luggage. Is it weird to envy an imaginary egg? It’s more rested and better accessorized than me!
Big Al has done a lot of work with Poser. He’s been using it since 1998, doing photorealistic illustrations and medical illustrations as well. He’s got some amazing work.
My favorite? He illustrated 33 dinosaurs for the Discovery Channel’s My First Dinosaur Encyclopedia. How rad would it be to create a Diabloceratops for the Discovery Channel?
Big Al had a great sense of humor about my silly questions. When I asked him what his pets names’ were, he became convinced I was after his bank account information! And I think my favorite answer was what his super power would be:
“I have a super power! It’s the enthusiasm and creativity that has allowed me to remain excited about what I do for a living now for the last 46 years… and counting.”
For more of Big Al’s cool illustrations he creates for a living, inspiring stories and awesome answers to my questions, you should read his user story. He makes me want to ask even better (and weirder) questions to the artists I profile!
