7 Questions with Aloe Bud Pixel Artist, Peri Foxglove
We created the “7 Questions With” series to meet new and old friends of the Aloe Bud community and to learn about the way they incorporate self-care and take care of their mental health in their daily lives. This month, we are introducing you to Peri Foxglove, an artist and creator of pixel art for Aloe Bud.
Q1. Tell me about yourself?
Image via Peri Foxglove
I’m a self-taught pixel artist, went to college, never finished. I have two cats (Cooper & Neelix) and I’m married. I have a big family, and my mom is my biggest supporter/cheerleader. Love my mom! I am into textile art, and teach classes about it. I’m a very passionate person because of my ADHD. Video games, mechanical keyboards. I also enjoy sewing, painting, nail art, and interior design. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Q2. What got you into pixel art?
This is a fun story. When I was really young, maybe 11, I started doing pixel art on Microsoft Paint. I would play Neopets and Gaia Online. I can’t access them anymore cause it’s so bad. Maybe 4 years ago, my friend Demo, got me a program called Aesprite. So I started doing things for the FF14 guild I’m a part of, and went from there, it kinda exploded. I didn’t consider myself a serious pixel artist until I started working with Aloe Bud and made other commissions.
Q3. What inspires you to create?
Nature. I’m really big into fairies. I love my fairies. If I were like a DND class, like in real life, I think I'd be a druid because I just love being out in nature. When I got married, we got married at this park that really like fulfilled me and made me feel complete. I just feel like it's like good for your soul when you go back into nature, and I find it really inspiring.
Q4. Why is self-care important to you?
If you don't do self-care, then you will burn out. It's really important to do self-care for a multitude of reasons, just because you gotta love yourself like you would love anybody else, right? I like beauty self-care. If I'm in a really bad mood, I'll take a shower, I'll tweeze my eyebrows. Tweezing my eyebrows is a big one. I’m into hair care, because I have really long hair. Just looking good makes you feel good, I think. Going outside, being in nature, doing breathing exercises. Breathing out in nature is so therapeutic. I'm also a big fan of guided meditation. That's a big one for me. Yeah, guided meditation is so helpful for me, even though I technically can't visualize things in my brain because I have aphantasia. I do it to go to sleep a lot because I have insomnia.
Q5. What advice would you give to the Aloe Bud community regarding caring for yourself while on the computer all day?
I think just take breaks and care about yourself like you would a friend. I take screen breaks during the day. I like to stop and play with the cats or, you know, go for a walk out in the middle of the day. I do that pretty often. Just go for a walk. Going for walks is so helpful, especially now that it's springtime and you can hear the birds. I actually put the bird TV on for the cats, but Cooper jumped into the TV and knocked it down on himself, and I felt so bad.
Q6. What helps you to stay focused on your art and goals?
Oh my gosh, brute force. Yeah, brute force. I'm a big procrastinator. Sometimes I just have to sit down and force myself to work on things, or like give myself little treats. Little treats motivate me. I'm a big, you know, drinks fan, little coffee fan, little Dunkin Donuts. Lemonade refreshers, you know? That's my favorite. I love lemonade. I'll do anything for a Monster Energy or lemonade. That is the way to motivate me is a drink. Like Dr. Pepper, I'm about it.
Q7. Where can we find you on the interwebs?
Perispixels.com. I do have a Tumblr. My Tumblr is really random. I love it. Tumblr, stresses me out because I compare myself to other blogs. But comparison is the thief of joy.
Thank you for your time and wise words Peri!
