• Why I enjoy modeling nude for figure drawing groups + classes

    November 1, 2022 /

    Why I enjoy modeling nude for figure drawing groups + classes:

    • I get to be naked in a non-sexual setting
    • I am encouraged to be creative
    • It’s a challenge for my body + mind (sitting still for 20 minutes at a time is hard but also rewarding!)
    • I get to meet + build connections with local artists
    • I have the opportunity to see how people perceive me based on their drawings/paintings
    • I get to set my own schedule

     

    Virtual Live Training on Zoom

    We will cover:

    • practical considerations
    • important safety information
    • how to prepare for a figure modeling session
    • how to pose
    • interaction with artists
    • how to find figure drawing groups/classes
    • how to book figure drawing gigs

    Tickets are sliding scale $5 – $44

    Recording and slideshow will be sent to everyone who registers, so you don’t even have to be there live!

    I want to learn! Sign me up!

    read more

  • How to be a Nude Figure Model

    October 24, 2022 /

    Figure Modeling 101

    Virtual Live Training on Zoom

    We will cover:

    • practical considerations
    • important safety information
    • how to prepare for a figure modeling session
    • how to pose
    • interaction with artists
    • how to find figure drawing groups/classes
    • how to book figure drawing gigs

    Tickets are sliding scale $5 – $44

    I will likely be doing another round of this live training at some point in the future, but it won’t be this low of a price again!

    Recording and slideshow will be sent to everyone who registers, so you don’t even have to be there live!

    REGISTER FOR FIGURE MODELING 101 HERE

    read more

  • Why I Don’t Model Much Anymore

    July 23, 2022 /

    Click here to watch the video in another window (now with embedded captions!)

    CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:

    Hi, friends! Today I am excited to talk about why I don’t really model much anymore. 

    I have not officially retired, but I am super extra incredibly picky about who I will pose for and honestly, it’s not very many people. So I don’t really model much anymore for a few reasons, but some of them are… I feel like I have kind of… 

    Posing for other people has kind of run its course for me. I used to super enjoy it, it was a really fun adventure. I really liked meeting new people and helping them create art in whatever way that they were excited to create and posing for them. But now, it doesn’t feel as exciting for me anymore to make art for other people. I’m much more interested in making art for myself, which is why I prefer self-portraiture. 

    Another reason is, I’ve had my gender realization and I’m agender. I’m like, I’m a trans person. I’m non-binary, agender. I’m not a woman, and I feel like most photographers that want to hire me see me as a woman and are not really capable or willing to see the full spectrum of who I am. And kind of want to push a feminine idea and feminine imagery on me, which I’m no longer willing to participate in. It was okay before, I was never really comfortable with it, and then, when I had my gender understanding it became a lot more clear that, yeah, I’m just really not willing to feminize myself for other people’s art.

    So that’s probably one of the main reasons why I basically only model for women and trans people now because I feel like they see me more as who I am instead of who they want me to be. It’s not that there are men who can’t like… there are men who can see me as me, but I feel like the majority of them are just kind of guys with cameras who just want to take photos of a naked woman and that’s not me. I am naked but I’m not a woman. Posing for other people is not as exciting and fun for me as it used to be. And that’s the primary reason why I don’t really model much anymore. I’d rather take self portraits. 

    If you would like an opportunity to take self-portraits with me, we… me and Lior Allay and Roarie Yum are hosting Conscious Creativity in Ypsilanti Michigan, in person on a permaculture farm. I’m so excited, August 27th and 28th. It’s a two-day workshop. I have a lot of information about it in other vlogs and on the Eventbrite that I’ll link below. But if you are curious about self portraiture, and if you would like to take self portraits and have all of my tips and tricks for those, and also the opportunity to take self portraits in a group with me and Lior and Roarie, join us! Buy a ticket, come to Ypsilanti and pose with us, take self portraits with us! I’m very excited. I’ll put all the information below, but I don’t want to ramble on about Conscious Creativity because I have more information about that in other places, but if you’d like to join us, I’ll link it below.

    More info about Conscious Creativity

    I hope you enjoyed this video. And if you’re a cis male photographer who would like to hire me as a model, I hope this helps you understand why I probably said no. Not that I have anything against cis males, like cis men, but I just feel like women and trans people can see me as who I am. And yeah, it just feels more fulfilling to create art with people who can understand me, than people who want to like, push something onto me. I love you so much and I will talk to you soon! Bye!

    Join me, Lior, and Roarie for Conscious Creativity on August 27 + 28! All the details are here 💖

    read more

  • Some videos, just because!

    July 17, 2021 /

    I’ve realized I haven’t shared a lot of videos with the public, probably because I want to share them on social media but CAN’T because they’re nude.
    I’ll just share them here instead, where I don’t have to censor them.
    It brings me a lot of joy to be able to look back at these moments, to experience them again + again.
    Enjoy this random assortment of behind the scenes videos from photoshoots throughout the years! ❤

    First up, me + Mommy taking self portraits in the shower to recreate my earliest memory.
    (Click here if trouble viewing)
    And my favorite photo from that shoot…

    Next video is from a creative day with AnaloguePapi + Rhivnnun
    (Click here if trouble viewing)
    My favorite image from that shoot:

    This video is from the nude gathering I facilitated outside of Portland Oregon in July 2019!!!

    Angie Marie, Sura, Ambivalent Ann, Liana Pilar, Shawnna Lee, Jitterbugflutterby, Kayla Webster, Jacob Webster

    (Click here if trouble viewing)
    My favorite image from that day:

    From my most recent photoshoot (in June 2021!), with Rachel + Hendrix, where I double exposed them with landscapes from Zion.
    (Click here if trouble viewing)
    My favorite image from this shoot!!!
    Members of my website have access to all the full length videos + photosets.
    Members are the reason I’m able to create in the first place! THANK YOU!

    read more

  • Menstruation memes!!

    April 24, 2021 /

    I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.

    I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!

    Original caption:

    Started bleeding yesterday during the full moon so HERE COME THE MENSTRUATION MEMES!

    Almost any time I’m in a group of people with vulvas, at some point we end up talking about menstruation and I LOVE IT. I realize that a LOT of menstruators didn’t have a positive education or role model to teach them about their cycle so I want to normalize menstruation and discussions around it.

    I’ve heard some horror stories about how folks first learned about menstruation and I don’t want anyone to have to go through a traumatic experience their first or 30th or 100th time having their period. Our bodies do this wonderful magical thing every month and we all deserve to be able to AT LEAST talk about it with each other and have resources available to us ABOUT OUR OWN BODIES!

    Do you have a menstruation story you want to share? I’ll go first and share my story of my first time bleeding in the comments.

    My first period: I was in 4th grade (yeah I started really young) and I was at the park with my mom and sister. I went to the bathroom to pee and when I wiped I saw BLOOD. At first I was scared but then I remembered that Mommy bleeds sometimes and that it’s a normal thing for some peoples bodies to do. When I left the bathroom I told my mom about it and she told me this was a special time in my life and that it means I’m growing up. After we went home, she took me out to eat, just me and her. She made me a bracelet to commemorate that time in my life, and she helped me with period products so I’d be prepared and not accidentally make a mess in my clothes. I realize that not everyone has positive “I just started my period for the first time” experiences, but I am so thankful that I was able to have these conversations with my mom.

    Photo: Liam Woods / Portraitmami
    Model/meme: me, Bunny Luna

    Original caption:

    It’s important for me to talk about gender in conversations about menstruation, because I’ve seen a lot of transphobic discourse around this topic.

    There are women who do not menstruate (for a variety of reasons), and there are menstruators who are not women (myself included).

    An incomplete list of women who do not menstruate: trans women, women who have had hysterectomies, women who have gone through menopause, some intersex folks.

    An incomplete list of menstruators who are not women: trans men, some non binary folks, some intersex folks.

    Menstruation is something that impacts people of many genders, so when talking about menstruation please make sure you’re doing it in a way that’s inclusive.

    Photo: Liam Woods / Portraitmami
    Model/meme: me, Bunny Luna

    Original caption:

    I have more to say about this than there is room in an ig caption, so here’s a list of thoughts…

    -menstrual blood has healing powers
    -menstrual blood is not “dirty” or “gross”, it is literally used to GROW A HUMAN BABY. If that’s not powerful magic then I don’t know what is
    -abortion is a human right
    -folks with vulvas aren’t solely here to procreate, and not everyone with a vulva even wants to have children
    -every person has the right to choose what they do with/to/for their body
    -menstruating humans have the ability to harness the healing and creative power of their menstrual blood
    -I love using my blood for face masks and blood baths, the stem cells in my blood were MADE BY ME FOR ME and are excellent for my skin (you can do the same with yours too!)
    -my blood connects me to the Earth and to myself, reminding me that I go through my own cycles of death and rebirth

    Do you have anything to share about menstruation? I’d love to talk about the power of our bodies in the comments!

    Photo: Liam Woods / Portraitmami
    Model/meme: me, Bunny Luna

    read more