• Why Diverse Nude Art Is Important

    August 20, 2022 /

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    Hello friends! I’m here this week to talk about why I think it’s important for us to be able to see more diverse people naked.

    Obviously, I am of the group of people that has some of the most privileges in this world. I’m white, able-bodied, thin, “conventionally attractive”, whatever the fuck that means. So it’s easier for people who look like me to be naked and be accepted for their nudity, but for people that have more intersections than I do, people that are Black, Brown, Indigenous, people of color in general, people with disabilities… are less visible in art because of many reasons, racism, sexism, like all of the things.

    If more people made art of people that look different than me: people with bigger bodies, people with darker bodies, people with visible disabilities, if more art was made of people like them, then I believe that people would be more accepting and understanding of a wide range of human experiences. And I also believe that if more people of intersecting experiences are able to see art of people that look like them, then it’s probably going to be easier for them to feel like they are accepted and like they are important and like they are art.

    I believe that all bodies are good bodies and that all bodies are model bodies, and I really would love to see more art of people that look different from me. I think it’s very important. I believe that the more diverse models that can be seen by society, the better off society will be. Obviously, like diversity equity and inclusion is kind of the thing right now, for a bunch of reasons. But it’s true. We need diversity. We need equity and inclusion. We need people to make art that is of a variety of different humans, and not just people that look like me.

    Because if it’s just of people that look like me, then all of these, racism, sexism, fatphobia, ableism. Those things are going to continue to run rampant because it’s just going to be compounded on itself.

    We need people to make art and share art and see art that includes people that look different from me. I am like “the norm” in art and I’m fucking tired of it, it is boring. I want to see more diverse people in art, and the more diverse art can be, the more incredible the art community will be, the more stories we’ll hear and the more we’ll learn, and the more we’ll understand other people’s experiences. I think art is kind of a universal language. And if we can see art that includes a variety of different people, then we’ll all be better off for it.

    Please make art if you are anybody that looks different from me! Please make art! Please make nude art! Please make self-portraits! Please make something that is different from me! I’m tired of seeing people that look like me in art! I want to see something else! Obviously, people that look like me in art are still good things, but I’m tired of it being the only art that is accepted and the only art that is seen as important, because that is not true. Art is for everybody. 

    If you would like to make art with me and Lior Allay and Roarie Yum, we are hosting a workshop in Ypsilanti Michigan on August 27 + 28 called Conscious Creativity. We’ll be creating self-portraits and also creating self-portraits in a group. Come and join us! If you can’t afford it, fill out our application for a scholarship. We would like to have you come! All the information is on the Eventbrite, I’m going to link it below.

    Art is important and the more diverse it can be, the better off humanity will be! Thank you.

    I want to be a part of Conscious Creativity! I want to learn more!

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  • Why Nude Art Is Important To Me

    August 13, 2022 /

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    Hello friends! Today I am talking about why nudity, specifically, is important to me in art and why I think it’s important to have nude art and participate in nude art and make nude art. 

    So, obviously there’s a bunch of kinds of art and I know that social media has kind of suppressed nudity and nude art specifically for probably a lot of reasons that I don’t agree with, but I believe that nude art is extremely important partially because it is literally the oldest form of art. The oldest art that has been discovered is of a nude body, it’s a statue and… you should check it out, go on the internet and search for oldest art. Since the beginning of art, since humans have been making art, they have been making art of nude bodies.

    I think that it’s important to show that nudity is not inherently sexual. That nudity can be for any variety of reasons. I mean sexuality can be part of that, but if that’s not an inherent part of nudity. Having nude art, to me, shows that our bodies are good. These are good bodies, no matter what your body looks like, no matter what shape size color ability. All bodies are good bodies. To me all bodies are model bodies. And if you’re able to be nude and create art and share that, then people that look like you can see that they are art too. 

    Our culture really tries to make us feel like we have to buy things and do a bunch of things in order to make our bodies better and in order to make our bodies “good”. They just want to sell us shit. They want us to have low self-esteem and buy all their things so that we can try to be better people, but being a good person has nothing to do with external visual things. Being a good person is what’s on the inside. 

    I feel like when I’m naked, I can more easily share what’s inside of me, on the outside. I don’t have anything to hide. I’m not covering my Self. I’m fully me and I feel like I can be more fully present when I’m nude. I feel like when I’m nude, I can feel into my body more, in a sensual way, and if I have clothes on it numbs that. Because my body is like, “oh it’s clothes. I’m just going to ignore the feeling of clothes because they’re there and it’s going to be a long time that they’re on.” So my body stops sensing as much. But when I’m nude, I feel like I can feel the breeze on my skin. My own touch. I can feel the sun, the warmth of the sun on my skin. I can feel if “oh, hey there’s an ant crawling up my leg”. I just feel like I’m more able to be in my body and feel in my body when I’m nude and to me, that’s a part of art, is if I can be fully myself and create art in that way, it’s that much more powerful than if I was pretending to be something else.

    Yeah, I think nude art is really important. I think the more people that can see nude art and understand or experience that nudity is not inherently sexual, then maybe we’ll have less traumatic experiences. Maybe we’ll have less shame. Maybe we’ll be less self conscious. To me nude art is really important, and the more of us that can make it and share it and look at it, the better. 

    If you would like to make a nude art with me, me and Lior Allay and Roarie Yum are hosting a workshop in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on August 27th and 28th in person, and we’ll be creating self-portraits individually and as a group, so if you would like to be a part of that, I have all the information below in the Eventbrite. If there’s anything that you’re curious about that is not answered by the Eventbrite, please let me know. I’d be happy to answer your questions. 

    Yeah, please join us! We would love to have you there. I’m so excited to make art with you! Yay, and we can be naked and outside! And yeah, we’re going to be on a farm, it’s like a permaculture farm / sanctuary, and they are fully cool with us being totally naked. We have permission to be naked in this space. So if you would like to join, the information is below. I hope to see you there. Bye!

    This sounds wonderful! I want to be a part of Conscious Creativity!

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