This month's interview takes us inside the mind of one of the most innovative skinners around, The AVMan! He was the first artist to ever attempt and successfully pull off 3d graphics in a WindowBlind. His work includes categories such as DX, icons and wallpapers. He was part of our Skinartistry2 team SKIN-FU in the 2008 GUI's and is a good friend of mine, ladies and gentlemen.....TheAVMan!

First off let me just say "thank you" for taking the time to do this.

For the record, please state your name.

-Harley Myers

Tell me about your nickname and how you came to be known as the A/V Man?

-In 1997 I open my company AudioMasters and trough the years I have been called...the stereo guy....the radio guy...The TV man...The....well you get
the point.Since it was a professional interest that brought me to skinnig I thought hmmmm....ahhhh .. I got it The A/V Man.

Any other information (age, gender, occupation, family, etc.) you wish to divulge?

-I am 33 ,although sometimes I dont feel it.I am married and the proud father of 3 beautiful intellegent girls who keep me on my toes!

Can you tell us something about yourself that no one knows?

-Well of course but then someone would know!!

How were you introduced to skinning?

-When I started doing audio/video work if you knew red was + and black was - you were golden.In 1998-2000 I competed all around the country in IASCA ( I nternational A uto S ound C hallenge A ssociation )
this is what sets the standards for car audio! A very competitive industry everyone is looking for away to "one up" the next guy! One slow but Inspired day I thought hey lets use a PC in a car instead of a
CD player!...Well it was on from there! With all the recent changes in technology I began to see that PC controlled A/V systems were the wave of the future.
At this point I could not stand the UIC for a customer it was uuuugly!So after more research
I found Windowblinds and made my first skin!(not so hot but hey my first attempt)It was in '06 called Next Gen GUI [http://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=5926&libid=1]

What motivated you to start making your own skins?

The need for a better looking UI for my customers.

What's your favorite thing to skin and which programs do you use to create them?

-Windowblinds,Macromedia Fireworks,3DS Max,SkinStudio

Where do you find your inspiration to create new skins?

-Everywhere ,1 skin I started with only a name Silex!(yes Proctor-Silex an iron)

Which skin do you believe to be your best work and why?

-Covert Ops or BBK (UNTILL MY NEXT RELEASE wink!) they were just very clean and usable.

Would you share a link to the very first and last skin that you've created so we may see how you've grown as a skinner?

-1st....Next Gen GUI link
-Last..Covet Ops link

Do you have anything in the works that you wish to share with us?

-3 current projects (Tracer,Excalibur and RPM)
....Tracer.....http://audiomasters.net/host/TracerSS1.jpg
....Excalibur....http://audiomasters.net/host/exss4.jpg
....RPM....http://audiomasters.net/host/rpmss1.jpg

Who are your favorite skinners and why?

-Shewww..scared to say so many friends I wouldn't want to hurt anyones feelings!
...vStyler,IRB,PoSmedely,Skinhit,NightTrain I have worked with these skinners for a few years now but there are a bunch more .

Do you have any advice or wisdom that you would like to pass on to new skinners?

-While we each develop our own styles I think it is always important to do or try what you want ,do not be discouraged by anyone push forward
with your own ideas.The 1 sentence you should never say"Thats good enough."

Any thoughts on the future of desktop customization?

-Everyday we become more dependent on our PC's.Human nature is to want it your way (usually not Microsoft's or Linux's way).As long as people
own PC's they will want to change them and I hope I am here to help!

What sites do you visit on a regular basis and where can we find your work?

-SkinArtistry,Wincustomize,Skinbase.org,DeviantArt,Skinning.net

Have you ever had an encounter with our mascot SAM that you wish to or are allowed to talk about?

-I am not allowed to talk about it!

Thanks for allowing us into your world and letting us get to know you a little better Harley...