Arena Interview - Artemesia's Garden

[BlackCurtains]

This week I interviewed Artemesia's Garden. Thank you for participating!


Personal Interview-

Where did you get your user name?

It was a project I was working on for a while and I decided to use it for other things as well

How old are you?

43

Do you go to school or work?

Work

What are your hobbies?

Gardening, reading

Do you have any pets?

We have a black cat called Puma

What do you like/dislike about yourself?

I'm generally quite good at gardening and some crafts. I don't like my social awkwardness!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Wales

Do you collect anything other than ponies?

Plants and books

Ponies-

How long have you been collecting ponies?

In my adult life, since 2013 I think

Why did you start collecting ponies?

I suddenly remembered how nice they were and decided I'd like to own one again.

Who is your favorite pony and why?

I think at the moment it's shy pose Confetti. I never really liked her since she had the traditional wedding theme, but then I finally got married in a white dress myself and now I'm a bit obsessed with her amd the Wedding Bells playset. I also love fluoro. Plus, I got a really nice one a few months ago.

Who is your least favorite pony and why?

I'm not a fan of cartoony symbols so I guess my least favourite is probably Rapunzel. I'm not a huge fan of the pose or colours or symbol. Super long hair doesn't thrill me either, I just worry that the pony will stand on it or trip over it (in my imagination).

Who is your favorite Nirvana pony?

Probably German Nightlight with large symbol.

Who is your favorite fakie?

I have a smallish green one with green hair and a pear symbol. She's nice.

Who was your first pony?

I think when I was a kid it was Cotton Candy, then Lemondrop. As an adult it was Wind Whistler.

What pony did you get recently?

The last pony I got was shy pose Confetti but also the four Basic Fun twinkles thanks to SunPony.

What is your favorite generation?

It's G1. I love more things about G1 than the others and dislike nothing.

What is your favorite part about collecting?

Musing on my ponies as I make up stories about them in my own ponyverse

How big is your collection?

I have only about 350 different G1 characters, but I have several of many G1s plus around 150 G3s and G4s, so it must total around 1000

What do your friends and family think about your collection?

Some think it's cute, some think it's odd, some think I'm nuts but that's OK. If anyone thinks it's a problem they don't say it to my face.

Do you still play with your ponies?

Not exactly. I clean and style new ponies, I display them, get them out of storage and inspect them from time to time, re-pack them or rotate them into a display. I restore ponies and sometimes go back to unfinished restoration issues and work on them from time to time. Some things like frizzy hair and pindot can take several sessions to resolve because they can take a lot of patience. I like to collect and catalogue accessories as well as ponies and occasionally make dioramas and photograph them. I write stories if the diorama works well. I wish I still had time to do more of these things!

What rare or popular pony makes you ask why!?
I guess I usually know why even if I don't feel the same, mainly because I read this forum a lot and I'm interested to hear why other collectors like different things. The ones I don't really understand are I guess cartoony ones or ones that are important to people trying to complete rather than because they are the prettiest pony.

If you had to have a pony symbol tattooed on your butt, which would you pick and why?

I wouldn't have a tatoo personally but if I had to choose I would say possibly Butterscotch, Skyflier or Merriweather. They are all summery and to do with the air or weather which I guess makes sense for my birthday.

If you could have any pony remade in a different generation, who would you choose and why?

I would love to see some of the G3s made into G1s. Sparklesnap, Forsythia, Brights Brightly, Anchors Away, Port-O-Bella, Shell-belle, Tropical Surprise, Shenanigans, Apple Spice, Star Beam, Wishawhirl, Sunshimmer, Crystal Lake and Autumn Skye are some of my favourites.

What has been the worst part about collecting?

Worrying about storage conditions I guess!

What is your ultimate collecting goal?

I don't have a main goal but I have small ones. A few upgrades, a few more ponies and finding all the accessories for certain play sets and the ponies I have from certain sets, like Perfume Puff and Glittery Sweetheart Sister ponies.

What is your biggest collecting accomplishment?

I really like having all the rainbow ponies, even though I decided later not to upgrade Trickles and Confetti. I love having my three favourite Mountain Boys and Cha Cha and Creamsicle from among the non-ponies.

What is your biggest collecting regret?

I let some Perfume Puff Palace accessories go in a swap when I was a kid and now I can't find them! Other than that it's been really good.

Who is your grail pony and why?

I think Cha Cha was the biggest for a while. I had a sheepskin Llama toy as a kid that I loved, and I love sheep and goats etc for some reason. They seem to have a lot of character.

Do you have it?

Yes

Do you prefer loose or MIP ponies?

Loose because I like to photograph them in dioramas

Do you collect Nirvanas?

No especially but I have one or two Dutch and German versions of ponies

Quick! Close your eyes and grab a pony! Who did you get?

Glittery Sumblossom (the pink one)

Are you a customizer?

Sometimes I customise ponies but rarely; usually the creative decision is led by the condition, not the other way around. I try to make it reversible too in case anyone ever wants to restore the pony to the original appearance.

Would you ever be?

Yes, with limits

What do you think of custom ponies?

I have a conflicted view on it but I like to tinker from time to time.

What are acceptable and unacceptable pony flaws, in your opinion?

I'm OK with a lot of things, but plastic breakdown is a no-no for me because it's irreversible so I'm always looking out for it and make sure my storage conditions are good.

Would you rather have a bait pony or a fakie?

It depends on the bait or the fakie! I'd happily spend hours restoring a Night Light to OC.

Do you watch pony shows/movies?

I watched the new G5 ones and really enjoyed them. I won't be collecting the toys though.

Which ones?

G4, G5

Do you read pony comics?

Yes

Which ones?

early G1s

What is the worst thing you've ever done to a pony?

I cut the hair on a Lady Lovelylocks horse once because it was very long and I thought it looked wrong. Very silly! I think I was in my teens as well, so definitely old enough to know better.

Fill in the blank!

"I wish Hasbro would go back to fairy tales"

"When I was new to ponies I didn't know about conservation of plastics"

"I think the most underappreciated pony is Tootsie because she's a cutie"

"I think more ponies should have interesting colour combinations"

"I don't like Rainbow Dash because she's more stereotype than character"

"I love the waterfall because I guess the scenario is a bit like relaxing at a spa but there's a rainbow. Seems like a perfect afternoon."

[Leave a Whisper]

Good interview.

[stjarne]

loving these interviews! such a great idea

[Artemesia's Garden]

Thank you I enjoyed it!

[SunPony]

Another fun interview  
I have to say, the waterfall is growing on me more and more over time, probably because I also want to relax, ha ha.  And yeah...some of those G3s really would look great as G1s as well!  Shell-Belle...wow, I think she would look even better as a G1 than as she currently is

[Heart Of Midnight]

It was nice to read a new interview! 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

aw so lovely!  thanks for sharing

[Taffeta]

That was great to read! Confetti is a lovely pony in the shy pose, I agree on that. I like the walking pose one, but there's something about the shy pose one that just works better. Maybe I'm biased though since I grew up playing with my friend's one. I think she doesn't discolour quite as easily as the walking one which is also nice.

[Ponybookworm]

I love these, please keep going!!! Btw who's going to interview you???

[brightberry]

Fun! I also wish Hasbro would go back to fantasy/castle type worlds.

[Carrehz]

I love these, please keep going!!! Btw who's going to interview you???

I was wondering this too!

[BearlyToys]

This week I interviewed Artemesia's Garden. Thank you for participating!

That was so much fun to read! great interview!

[BlackCurtains]

I love these, please keep going!!! Btw who's going to interview you???

I was wondering this too!

Haha, I suppose I could just fill it out myself. It's the same questions for everyone, but you can pick and choose which ones to answer

[Griffin]

Thanks for the interview, Artie!

[LadyMoondancer]

The Waterfall does seem relaxing, I'd love to lounge there under the rainbow.  Great interview! <3