About Me

Rather than normally doing a list to explain little bits and pieces about myself, I am going to write a fully biography instead. I will list different sections of bits and pieces about myself including political views, religious views, basic information, and the history of my career as an artist. 

Basic:

My name is Whitney Michele Ratliff, but you may call me Whit or Kazu. I will respond to either one online. I was born on February 21, 1988 at 12:13am. I know that is a little specific but you did click this page to learn more about me. As of 2013, I will be a quarter of a century in age. I usually tend to look younger than I actually am which was a problem when I was teenager but now as a young adult, it is a blessing. 

I grew up as a fairly quiet and shy person who in my view was raised right. I was never forced to think a certain way or to act a certain way. I had my own mistakes on my own path and yet always believed to be a good person and to use common sense to find my way. As a child, I grew up in a Christian private school up until the end of 6th grade. At the time, I did not understand why my parents were forcing me to switch schools and although I was completely devastated about leaving all my friends from that very school I grew up, I truly feel it was for the best to switch schools because in truth, I never really went to that school to follow God and in most scenarios, questioned his very existence. I went there because my friends were there and I enjoyed the day care system there and all the wonderful day care teachers who made my childhood rich in entertainment and compassion. 

When I transferred schools to a public middle school for two years, I was at first deeply uncomfortable in a new environment. I was afraid of many pre-teen worries such as unable to make new friend, feeling completely alone without my original friends by my side, and having to get acquainted around new people and new environments. I then met a new friend in home room who became a dear friend of mine throughout middle school and high school and without him, I probably still would have been a loner. My shy and quiet nature left me a little vulnerable and even more so cautious of the people around me. I never cared about fitting in or following the in crowd and was always strong in individuality and being myself, but it was sometimes to at least speak up in class and make my opinions known without feeling like I have made a mistake and thankfully because of my first school, I was able to do a few things already like cursive, typing, and doing fun little inquisitive puzzles where words and symbols were marked down on the board and it was suppose to represent a phrase like the alphabet without a u and it means "missing you" or cat and dot writing multiple times and looking like they are falling and it meaning "raining cats and dogs". I was thankful I could show that witty and creative side to me and figure things out before everyone else. I felt proud of myself and it helped me gain confidence to speak up in class, but not by much.

After middle school, I graduated on with my friends I met in middle school and through our clique, I made more friends who were dear friends I enjoyed having. I grew up with them and stayed strong with them and our relationship. However, I was suffering greatly through the severed ties of one original friend I made in my first school who was the dearest person to me at the time. We had our falling outs, our ups and downs, and only by maturing within ourselves did we get pass it and finally over countless years of on and off relationships, we came to a point where we could stay strong together even with our differences. We grew up. We learned to be more aware of others rather than selfishly seeing only our own side of the story. It was a drastic turn for the worst but because of my motto "things happen for a reason",  I truly believed it was for the better because without all of those negative outcomes, we would have never grown into the mature, compassionate, and accepting people we are today. I have learn how to forgive and forget and to move on from negativities and to seek a compromise with that friend to a point where we are able to talk about differences without putting the other person down and learn how to be less self-absorbed and more aware of the other person and their feelings rather than just our own. I am glad things worked out the way they did but during those times, I had a hard time surviving and had a great deal of depression and because I never told my parents my personal issues or problems, I only had the other few friends left to keep me going even when I felt so alone without that one special friend by my side.

Currently, I am still at UNT in my last two semesters majoring towards New Media Art. I have learned a great deal from college and have matured even more. I have progressed in art, improving in anatomy and proportions and been working really hard in my college career. I have also had a lot of stressful moments and have been struggling greatly through classes and personal affairs. However, I have been enjoying life and working hard. I hope the future provides more for me to come.

Also, over the years I have come out of my shell more and become a more out-spoken and out-going person. I am still shy and quiet like my zodiac (Pisces) says I am and how extremely creepy how accurate it is to how I am naturally. I have opened up and become a much more well-rounded and open-minded person, acceptant of others and respectful to my fellow humans. I have gotten rid of any petty grudges and have opened my heart to forgiving and forgetting. I don't try to let things get to me as easily as they have in the past yet if something does, I quickly get over it so it doesn't control my common sense and take it for a joy ride. I am long sense abandoned any ill will towards others regardless of what they do that may annoy me. They are entitled to do what they want with their lives or artwork or mindset, I only ask that they stop all ill will towards me in exchange if can. If not, all I can gather is that they either still have a grudge against me and can't get over me or they are just hateful people who don't know the meaning of moving on. If so, I pity them for having to spend so much time thinking of me and constantly comparing me to them as a clutch to explains why their life is so shitty when I haven't done anything wrong to them. 

Religious Views.

As I mentioned before, I grew up Christian yet questioned most of the Christian beliefs because I was a strong supporter of science, astronomy, and common sense. At first, because I did not technically believe in God or a God, I considered myself Atheist but realized over time I was just an Atheist. It didn't fit me quite so well and I was mainly doing it because I was rebelling against what I thought was fake. However, as I matured, I realized that Buddhism fit me quite more because it focused on a philosophy towards the human condition and how to treat others and how to view the world through compassion and consideration to others, the world, and living things. I realized that internally, I was always a Buddhist, however, because of my open-minded nature, I was more than just that. I also believed in Toaism, Feng Shui, Paganism, and Wicca. I saw many logical truths in these belief systems and still to this day believe in them. 

I have been questioned many times about what I am and the only way I can explain it is, open-minded. I do not see any religion as being wrong. If I find some truth in it that relates to me internally, I will believe in it. I don't have to traditionally become a religious follower to where I act consciously and obsessively over one religion or the next and practice the beliefs accordingly. I believe that religion is a mindset, a way of a life, a philosophy to follow. One does not have to practice in it to believe in it. Religion has two parts: To believe and to act. I choose to believe rather than to act and to keep my beliefs to myself without forcing them down other people's throats or to constantly bash someone for believing one way and acting negatively about it simply because I associate negative attributes to it because of the people who represent it or have come into contact with people who show a negative side to that religion. I don't see Christianity as wrong, but there are always going to be two kinds of people in the religion who either make it look good and those who make it look good. The religion has nothing to do with it being good or bad, it is the people who follow it who make it seem one way or the other. Every religion has people in it that make the religion look bad. There are two sides to every coin. It is how you view those people in that religion based on stereotypes or negative attributes that determine what kind of follower you are. So, believe what you want and show a little respect, understanding, and open-mind otherwise you are no better than the people you feel put you down in the end.

Political Views

I am not politically active and for the most part don't partake in voting or expressing my views to the public. I am an Open-Minded Liberal. I support Gay Rights, Gun Control, and to some degree Socialism. I don't fully support a lot of the things in politics and not always keen on the people representing the parties. I believe a woman should have every right to choose what she wants to do with her body but I know I have no right to tell her what to do. Therefore, I choose both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. I believe depending on how much you make, you should give a percentage back in taxes. I don't get why people think that is wrong. Everyone should pay the same amount regardless of class. If you make more, you give a little more. I don't think a person in low-middle class to pay the same taxes a person in high class should pay when it is decent for the high to pay but too much for the low-middle to pay. I think we should try our best to end poverty and negativity towards social, racial, and gender groups.

I don't particularly care for getting into the business of others. Who cares if someone makes more than i do. I also don't care for big government, but do care who is going to run our country. I would much rather have someone who is interested in supporting and defending gender equality and social groups without seeking to rage war or taxes. Someone who understand the value of common sense as well as how to handle the country accordingly. I don't like Conservative talk shows like my parents do and really only care for the news when it comes to events, accidents, and weather. 

If anyone has an issue with the GLBT Community, I don't take kindly to that. I also don't like all of the talking over one another to get a point across or pretending like the other person is wrong if they don't believe the same way you do. I believe to "agree to disagree" which I can do easily with certain friends who may be completely 180 to my own views. I don't try and point out the flaws in what they believe or say that their side is the wrong side to believe. They are entitled to their view just as I am, and I expect the same respect from them as I give to them. It is how they view it whether ignorantly and misguidedly that I won't tolerate. If someone thinks one way is the right way and possibly the only way when in truth there are multiple ways to believe the same thing. I have even had friends who would say stuff without really knowing what it is they are talking about or simply gain information off the internet and call it facts just as my parents think FOX is all facts. It is opinionated and one-sided. That's all. I believe in wisdom, learning, and understanding. To treat others as you would want to be treated and to always believe that nothing is black and white or boy and girl. That just because someone believes something different than you, to say, "Okay, you are entitled to your beliefs. However, I don't see it that way." But to explains why they don't see it that way or to back it up with sources and facts rather than just always assuming this is the right and only way to see it. 

Art

I have been drawing since I was four-years-old. I have always took a passion to animation with Disney and to draw figures and characters, people and animals. My first style I really tried to improve in was Lion King, and until I went to middle school is when I started to truly follow the passion in anime. My first anime style was Dragon Ball Z and honestly, I did trace or copy to try and get the hand-eye coordination down for basic shapes and figures. And yes, I did try to find a style by using other styles as clutches but slowly grew out of that habit the more I aged. Now, I have my own style, one I am proud of and use without fail. I am able to draw at any given moment, but mostly to improve in anatomy and proportions. I have lately only been interested in proportions and anatomy. I want find a basic foundation before truly growing within my own style. I know my level right now isn't perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement, which is fine with me. I am happy to know I am room to grow and mature from where I am today and hoping can become even more proud and happier with my art as I grow. I only ask that you, as the viewer, provide me with constructive critique to help me progress rather than trying to put me down for how I draw or based not he content I draw. That is all I ask of you as a viewer.