11/20/97 4:34am
my message to the scene - by maestro
1993.. the year my life changed. it was a warm summer afternoon. i was
sitting in my basement playing on the new computer mom and dad brought
home. i should have been outside taking in the sun with the rest of
the teens but i was the new kid in town and didnt have many friends
yet. a kid i met at the bus stop had told me about bulletin boards and
given me a few numbers, so i decided to use the afternoon to give
them a try and see what they were all about. after all, it was alot
easier to talk to another computer than to talk to another face.
after spending an hour or two trying to get my comm program working, i
finally connected to my first bulletin board. the first thing to catch
my eye was the graphic that slowly displayed on my screen. it was
crude and kind of ugly but at the same time it had a certain charm
to it. it was ansi.
as weeks passed by and i became more familiar with this new realm, i
became more interested in this simple graphic. local artists were
showcasing their poorly drawn pictures all over the message boards, bbs
advertisements were being included in zip archives and online door games
were coming to life in 16 colors. it was obvious that this artform
played a significant role in the bbs world beacause it was everywhere i
connected to. i had pretty much learned all there was to know about being
a bbs user, now it was time to move on to something else. i wanted to learn
more about these images i was seeing all over the place. in early 93 i
downloaded my first ansi pack not knowing what to expect. little did i
know that that pack would have such a dramatic impact on my life.
it was the most amazing thing in the world. i was absoloutely astonished
by what i saw. i couldnt believe the types of things these artists
were doing with these odd sized blocks and limited number of colors. i
downloaded pack after pack, taking in as much as i could, leaving no file
unviewed. i decided that night that i was going to be a part of it. i
was going to draw ansi.
ill never forget the excitement.
do you remember the excitement? do you remember seeing your first ansi?
do you remember downloading your first pack? do you remember proudly
showing off your first pic? where did those days go? whats happened to
the excitement?
its been forgotten.
what has happened to us? we have forgotten what its like to be artists.
we have forgotten what its like to have passion. we have forgotten what
its like to push ourselves to be the best. we have forgotten what its
like to be astonished. ansi is not dead and as long as im still
drawing it will always be alive in my heart, because thats where i draw
from. its not about bulletin boards, its about art. its about
making time to sit down in front of that computer and draw because you
want to and because you love to. the once great computer underground art
scene known to us as the ansi scene has changed because we have changed.
were all guilty and instead of wasting time pointing fingures why dont
we do something about it?
do you understand that we have all helped in one way or another to keep
this legacy alive? thats right.. a legacy. thats what we have created.
a bunch of people, most of us teens, from all over the world have
united with one common love.. ansi. a silly 16 color graphic thats
probably not important to alot of people, but its important to us. i dont
want to see that legacy die. i dont want to see the excitement forgotten.
its time for a new era. its time for a change.
like anything in life, the scene is what you make it. you can make it
great again by bringing back that personal enjoyment you once knew. you
can bring back that level of excellence that once existed by putting
your heart into those blocks and having some pride in the art you release.
all it takes is a little effort.
in the ansi scene, wanting to be one of the best is what makes it so
exciting because that attitude is reflected through the images we all see.
i wanna be the best! i want to outdo you and i want you to try and outdo
me! i want my group to be 1! i want peoples jaws to drop when they
take a look at my pack! and i want my jaw to drop when i take a look
at yours! i want to see some competition damnit! whether youre in my group,
your buddies group or your own group, you can make a difference.
its time to draw.. its time to be the best.. its time to inspire..
join my legion and help me keep this legacy alive..
- maestro egod@berkshire.net
my message to the scene - by maestro
1993.. the year my life changed. it was a warm summer afternoon. i was
sitting in my basement playing on the new computer mom and dad brought
home. i should have been outside taking in the sun with the rest of
the teens but i was the new kid in town and didnt have many friends
yet. a kid i met at the bus stop had told me about bulletin boards and
given me a few numbers, so i decided to use the afternoon to give
them a try and see what they were all about. after all, it was alot
easier to talk to another computer than to talk to another face.
after spending an hour or two trying to get my comm program working, i
finally connected to my first bulletin board. the first thing to catch
my eye was the graphic that slowly displayed on my screen. it was
crude and kind of ugly but at the same time it had a certain charm
to it. it was ansi.
as weeks passed by and i became more familiar with this new realm, i
became more interested in this simple graphic. local artists were
showcasing their poorly drawn pictures all over the message boards, bbs
advertisements were being included in zip archives and online door games
were coming to life in 16 colors. it was obvious that this artform
played a significant role in the bbs world beacause it was everywhere i
connected to. i had pretty much learned all there was to know about being
a bbs user, now it was time to move on to something else. i wanted to learn
more about these images i was seeing all over the place. in early 93 i
downloaded my first ansi pack not knowing what to expect. little did i
know that that pack would have such a dramatic impact on my life.
it was the most amazing thing in the world. i was absoloutely astonished
by what i saw. i couldnt believe the types of things these artists
were doing with these odd sized blocks and limited number of colors. i
downloaded pack after pack, taking in as much as i could, leaving no file
unviewed. i decided that night that i was going to be a part of it. i
was going to draw ansi.
ill never forget the excitement.
do you remember the excitement? do you remember seeing your first ansi?
do you remember downloading your first pack? do you remember proudly
showing off your first pic? where did those days go? whats happened to
the excitement?
its been forgotten.
what has happened to us? we have forgotten what its like to be artists.
we have forgotten what its like to have passion. we have forgotten what
its like to push ourselves to be the best. we have forgotten what its
like to be astonished. ansi is not dead and as long as im still
drawing it will always be alive in my heart, because thats where i draw
from. its not about bulletin boards, its about art. its about
making time to sit down in front of that computer and draw because you
want to and because you love to. the once great computer underground art
scene known to us as the ansi scene has changed because we have changed.
were all guilty and instead of wasting time pointing fingures why dont
we do something about it?
do you understand that we have all helped in one way or another to keep
this legacy alive? thats right.. a legacy. thats what we have created.
a bunch of people, most of us teens, from all over the world have
united with one common love.. ansi. a silly 16 color graphic thats
probably not important to alot of people, but its important to us. i dont
want to see that legacy die. i dont want to see the excitement forgotten.
its time for a new era. its time for a change.
like anything in life, the scene is what you make it. you can make it
great again by bringing back that personal enjoyment you once knew. you
can bring back that level of excellence that once existed by putting
your heart into those blocks and having some pride in the art you release.
all it takes is a little effort.
in the ansi scene, wanting to be one of the best is what makes it so
exciting because that attitude is reflected through the images we all see.
i wanna be the best! i want to outdo you and i want you to try and outdo
me! i want my group to be 1! i want peoples jaws to drop when they
take a look at my pack! and i want my jaw to drop when i take a look
at yours! i want to see some competition damnit! whether youre in my group,
your buddies group or your own group, you can make a difference.
its time to draw.. its time to be the best.. its time to inspire..
join my legion and help me keep this legacy alive..
- maestro egod@berkshire.net
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