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Hey, my name is Thanos, or Step 9. I was born on the 8th of February in 1997.

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Aesthetic:

My aesthetic is mainly characterized as dark fantasy, fantasy in general and sometimes atmospheric.

Talking about my style is weaker than directly showing my artworks though, which vary in aesthetic and speak for themselves.

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Works:

I like illustrating books, drawing character portraits, designing creatures and world-building/loremaking.

As you can see through this site I am also fond of other ways of creating as well.

 

Timeline:

1997-2015

In the beginning:

I have been drawing since before having my first memories (you know, a whatever marker in hand on a crumbled piece of paper) and it's grown on me quite a bit since.

In my younger days I used to make sketches of my own gods and pantheons along with my cousin, â€‹being both highly interested in mythology, while burning away hours on Age of Mythology.

2015-2019

The dark ages:

During my high school years I was mainly copying stuff I liked with pencils, being overly attached to an ideal of "perfect realism" (in whatever way that was in my mind at the time).

That got me fed up and I went on a hiatus for the next 5 years or so. During that time I was only making doodles or silly things just to be in touch with it while never committing to something more than that.

2020

Rebirth:

In 2019-20 I went through some thought processes, redefining my expectations, standards and general relationship with the art of drawing.

An age of rebirth ensued through this healing phase.

2020-2025

Step 9:

Having reevaluated my wants and needs I have since become active as an artist outside the confines of my own home. I strive to make this my main income and always feel passionate about drawing, even when the project seems daunting and my spirits waver.

I plan and hope to keep on doing the thing that I love despite being forced to work ordinary jobs at the side because life happens too.

You can find me and approach me on my social media or on some of the big festivals of Greece.

What does Step 9 mean?

Step 9 comes from the theory of the Great Filter.

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I was listening to the song The Great Filter / Type III by post black metal band Mesarthim when in the beginning some Morse code caught my attention.

Being in the reworking phase of my alias I was thinking 'ok, that's cool and quite unique so whatever let's go with that'.

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The Great Filter theory proposes that in the evolutionary path, beginning from abiogenesis all the way to an interstellar expansion of a species, there is a filter that blocks further technological development.

The evolutionary path is divided in 9 steps:

  1. The right star system

  2. Reproductive molecules (e.g. RNA)

  3. Simple (prokaryotic) single-cell life

  4. Complex (eukaryotic) single-cell life

  5. Sexual reproduction

  6. Multi-cell life

  7. Tool-using animals with intelligence

  8. A civilization advancing toward the potential for a colonization explosion

  9. Colonization explosion

Step 9 thus derives from this broad list of evolutionary steps.

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