Friday, May 23, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Love Is Queer!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Bodies Of Work Interview
Morty Diamond is doing wonders for the transgender, genderqueer, and queer artist community by publishing a magazine featuring all transgender and gender queer and gender fluid people!!! I am so happy to be a part of this community!!!! Check out the Mag HERE and on Facebook!
Morty: Hi, Apaulo! I just spent some time on your website
and really love the work you’re doing. When did you begin as an artist?
Apaulo: Thank you! I started drawing when I was wee high to a chicken thigh. A bit later in life I started drawing dirty pictures. One I can vividly remember is a dragon boy with a huge dick. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household with no TV or radio. I was also born and raised as a girl, so you can imagine how shocking it was for my family when I was caught drawing sex pictures… let’s just say I became convinced I was possessed with demons or something. That captive feeling and the lack of words I had at the time to explain my gender truly led me to the art I do today. My art has a lot of creepyness and colorfulness because that’s how I deal with mortality and myths we believe are true about life, sex, and death. I believe my art is activism and therapy. I also perform as Puck Goodfellow doing burlesque, porn, and circus. I love using performance art to poke and prod at our society and morality and sexuality.
Morty: You’re also doing amazing signage work. How did you get into doing it?
Apaulo: I got into sign work because I need to make the money any way I can. Also, I think hand crafted signage is a dying art that I would love to keep alive … with a bunch of recycled parts like Frankenstein. HA HA HA HAH! *sinister laugh*
Morty: Are you involved in any Bay Area art scenes?
Apaulo: Honestly I know very little about the Bay Area art scene, or any scene for that matter. I have always found scenes confusing… unless I am creating them from my mind… with lots of mythological creatures and zombies. … or a BDSM scene, yeahhh!!! I know a little about the queer porn scene and the burlesque seen, but not so much the whole bay area art scene. Really, I’m in my own little fantasy land most of the time. I do love the Center for Sex and Culture and Counter Pulse, I love all the scenes there!
Morty: How would you describe yourself - with gender and beyond?
Apaulo: I simply identify as an animal and a dandy. I have found that when I am broad or creative in my identity it encourages curiosity and evolution in myself and other people and when I narrow it down to job, gender, or sexuality it encourages assumption and I get stuck in an ego box. Identifying this way makes my art hedonistic and childish and iconic and I feel free to just let my instincts do the work and not try to over think everything … I can just live in the moment and enjoy every second of my life!
Morty: I love that! Would you ever call yourself a “trans/genderqueer/gender non-conforming artist” or does that feel too limiting?
Apaulo: I guess I could call myself a trans artist because I am always growing and changing and learning about myself. I am always in some sort of magical transition. I was diagnosed female at birth and now I have more testosterone in my body, so… I guess that we humans have created a symbol to sum all this up. Like I mentioned before I identify as an animal because I think I am bigger than the word trans… it’s like I’m a nudest or a dog and people keep putting me in clothing they want to see me in because it makes them feel more comfortable.
Morty: What are you up to lately?
Apaulo: I am working on my rope (Circus performance), xxx burlesque performance and a stained glass series called “Holy Perversion”. Also, since there seems to be a need for a kinky queer art and play space in the East Bay my lover, Jay Very, our friend Becka and I are putting together a queer artist collective and kinky/xxx performance/play space called The Velvet Rope. I’m so excited!
Morty: Please send the details when things are up and running! Lastly, who do you feel inspired by?
Apaulo: I like the photographer David LaChapelle and Leonardo da Vinci. But really I feel inspired by my fellow artists and queer family that are always pushing the boundaries of our society and art. People like my lover Jay Very, my girlfriend Poppy Foxheart, my tattoo artist friends Tanya and Monster, performance artists Ben McCoy, Sadie Lune and Dave End, and photographer Ryan Donahoo. I could go on an on and list all my friends who have been working their gay asses off for art but it would take a lot of time! Thank you for reading and getting to know me!
Get to know the art and life of Apaulo Hart even more here:
Apauloarthart.blogspot.com and Puckplay.blogspot.com
Apaulo: Thank you! I started drawing when I was wee high to a chicken thigh. A bit later in life I started drawing dirty pictures. One I can vividly remember is a dragon boy with a huge dick. I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian household with no TV or radio. I was also born and raised as a girl, so you can imagine how shocking it was for my family when I was caught drawing sex pictures… let’s just say I became convinced I was possessed with demons or something. That captive feeling and the lack of words I had at the time to explain my gender truly led me to the art I do today. My art has a lot of creepyness and colorfulness because that’s how I deal with mortality and myths we believe are true about life, sex, and death. I believe my art is activism and therapy. I also perform as Puck Goodfellow doing burlesque, porn, and circus. I love using performance art to poke and prod at our society and morality and sexuality.
Morty: You’re also doing amazing signage work. How did you get into doing it?
Apaulo: I got into sign work because I need to make the money any way I can. Also, I think hand crafted signage is a dying art that I would love to keep alive … with a bunch of recycled parts like Frankenstein. HA HA HA HAH! *sinister laugh*
Morty: Are you involved in any Bay Area art scenes?
Apaulo: Honestly I know very little about the Bay Area art scene, or any scene for that matter. I have always found scenes confusing… unless I am creating them from my mind… with lots of mythological creatures and zombies. … or a BDSM scene, yeahhh!!! I know a little about the queer porn scene and the burlesque seen, but not so much the whole bay area art scene. Really, I’m in my own little fantasy land most of the time. I do love the Center for Sex and Culture and Counter Pulse, I love all the scenes there!
Morty: How would you describe yourself - with gender and beyond?
Apaulo: I simply identify as an animal and a dandy. I have found that when I am broad or creative in my identity it encourages curiosity and evolution in myself and other people and when I narrow it down to job, gender, or sexuality it encourages assumption and I get stuck in an ego box. Identifying this way makes my art hedonistic and childish and iconic and I feel free to just let my instincts do the work and not try to over think everything … I can just live in the moment and enjoy every second of my life!
Morty: I love that! Would you ever call yourself a “trans/genderqueer/gender non-conforming artist” or does that feel too limiting?
Apaulo: I guess I could call myself a trans artist because I am always growing and changing and learning about myself. I am always in some sort of magical transition. I was diagnosed female at birth and now I have more testosterone in my body, so… I guess that we humans have created a symbol to sum all this up. Like I mentioned before I identify as an animal because I think I am bigger than the word trans… it’s like I’m a nudest or a dog and people keep putting me in clothing they want to see me in because it makes them feel more comfortable.
Morty: What are you up to lately?
Apaulo: I am working on my rope (Circus performance), xxx burlesque performance and a stained glass series called “Holy Perversion”. Also, since there seems to be a need for a kinky queer art and play space in the East Bay my lover, Jay Very, our friend Becka and I are putting together a queer artist collective and kinky/xxx performance/play space called The Velvet Rope. I’m so excited!
Morty: Please send the details when things are up and running! Lastly, who do you feel inspired by?
Apaulo: I like the photographer David LaChapelle and Leonardo da Vinci. But really I feel inspired by my fellow artists and queer family that are always pushing the boundaries of our society and art. People like my lover Jay Very, my girlfriend Poppy Foxheart, my tattoo artist friends Tanya and Monster, performance artists Ben McCoy, Sadie Lune and Dave End, and photographer Ryan Donahoo. I could go on an on and list all my friends who have been working their gay asses off for art but it would take a lot of time! Thank you for reading and getting to know me!
Get to know the art and life of Apaulo Hart even more here:
Apauloarthart.blogspot.com and Puckplay.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Good Vibrations Interview
Behind the Good Vibrations Counter: Apaulo
Our Sex Educator-Sales Associates are the
folks you see on the sales floor or on the phones here at Good
Vibrations. They’re full of amazing information, useful suggestions, and
helpful tips & tricks to make your sex life better. And since I get
to meet all of them, I can tell you that they’re some of the most
awesome folks you could meet! So here’s what Apaulo had to say about
being a SESA!1) Being a Good Vibrations SESA isn’t like any other job. What inspired you to become one?
I want to “Be the change I want to see in the world.” I had negative experiences growing up being queer and transgender. I was not taught important things about sex and gender and I think it prolonged my growth and self discovery and self love. Therefore my uncomfortable and limited sex education in middle school, and the depiction of sex, body image, and gender in our media and culture has all inspired me to become a SESA. I believe if I learn and help myself I will be able to help others who need my expertise.
2) What’s one of the best things about being a SESA?
One of the best things about being a SESA is all the light bulbs I see turn on above people’s heads every day. It feels good knowing I can help someone love them self or help them love someone else a little more or even better. I love seeing people’s creativity.
3) What are one or two tips or ideas you share with people a lot? Tell us a couple of your favorite sex toy tricks.
I believe there is not a magic tip or trick that will work for everyone but I do like to give three recomendations:
- Loving and knowing yourself really leads to good and an all-round healthy life. So get to know yourself by reading Urban Tantra or going to a therapist.
- Lube Samples! It can be fun to experiment and be your own sex scientist. Since lots of folks have more fun with more lube – having a sexperiment date with a lover or yourself can be a great way to learn what the best lube will be for your body.
- Ask more questions! It takes courage to ask and confidence can be so sexy! Ask your lover what they really REALLY want! If you don’t have a lover then ask your self! You might think you know what your lover wants because you asked a year ago or you have known them for so long, but we are all growing and changing all the time. There could be a new fantasy, new toy, or new interest you both could connect with!
Since I am transgender, meaning I was diagnosed female at birth but I now identify as male, I have experienced a lot about sex and gender. I am always discovering new things and nothing really surprises me anymore. Though it is hard to surprise, I am still so very excited about the beautiful wide world of sex and gender. There is such a grand spectrum of gender and as long as sex is between consenting adults there are so many ways to have, give, and perform sex.
I do have to say that it is a new thing for me to have people think I could not really help them with specific questions because I look male and they have a female related question. They might think I could not know how to help them because I do not have personal experience with certain anatomy. I usually reassure people by saying I have gone through many hours of sex education and training. … Even though I want to say “Just because someone looks like they have male or female anatomy doesn’t mean they do and this fact doesn’t mean they are less human or less able to assist with a specific question about the g-spot or p-spot.” I would never tell a customer this in the store because it might come off as rude but since we are doing personal interviews here I thought I would let it all hang out.
5) Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
I also perform as Puck Goodfellow and you can read my blog at Puckplay.blogspot.com.
Hope to see you OUT!!!
Photo by Dave Naz
Dr. Charlie Glickman
Charlie Glickman is the Education Program Manager at Good Vibrations. He also writes, blogs, teaches workshops and university courses, presents at conferences, and trains sexuality educators. He’s certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, and loves geeking out about sex, relationships, sex-positivity, love and shame, communities of erotic affiliation, and sexual practices and techniques of all varieties. Follow him online, on Twitter at @charlieglickman, or on Facebook.More Posts - Website
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