To M., art is a deeply personal, political, meditative practice, a site of play and self-expression, and a coping mechanism that helps them navigate Bipolar Disorder and connect to their inner child. M. did their first watercolor painting in 2017 on a piece of white computer paper using a $5 Crayola Watercolor kit from Dollar General, while working a reproductive justice internship at the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center on Yankton Sioux Land. Around that time, M.’s political consciousness developed under the wisdoms of Sioux teachers Elizabeth Blackbull, Charon Asetoyer, Shavonne Thunderhawk, and Gail Hubbeling who taught them about the impact of colonization on our minds, bodies, and souls, and the mentorship and teachings of Dr. Kaila Story, whose Black Lesbian Feminist course and teachings challenged them to unpack their relationship to gender, race, class, and sexuality, examine their privilege, and take responsibility for their role in dismantling racism.
Their connection to watercolor resurfaced in 2019, while struggling to finish a Women’s and Gender Studies Master’s program where they had fallen into patterns of elitism, perfectionism, and individualism. To cope with feelings of isolation and the pressures of academia, M. turned to art as refuge, upgrading to watercolor paper (but still using cheap pallets) to paint portraits of their beloveds and the beauty all around them. They also began painting inspirational quotes from creatives Audre Lorde, Frida Kahlo, Octavia Butler, adrienne maree brown, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Marilyn Buck, whose work they turned to for wisdom and help seeing the possibilities. They dropped out of grad school without a real plan and moved back home to Kentucky, where art and writing naturally emerged as their clear focus. Around this same time, they also began using recycled magazines, old books, and photographs to collage love notes for their coworkers, family, and friends.
Since then, M. has experimented with many styles, and they continue to delight and surprise themselves as they explore new techniques and play with new tools and colors. They currently love working with stamps and painting with soft muted greens and bright pinks. M. enjoys working in collaboration, and is currently co-creating an art-infused collection of leather harnesses and collars, and a medicinal plant oracle deck with beloveds and comrade Seven and EarthSol collective. and In addition, M. is illustrating and authoring an independent tarot deck set to release in October.
M.’s work exists because of others. They create in honor of ancestors, in gratitude for queer, trans, Black and Indigenous, People of Color, poor, disabled, sex workers, elders, and women creators, teachers, and liberators, and in conversation and relationship with beloveds who make their life and work possible.
In addition to art, M. is a facilitator of white anti-racism spaces, podcast host with beloved comrade Desta Cantave, and an anti-oppression consultant with creative and spiritual partner Billie Alexandria at Rooted Rains LLC, where they help individuals and organizations align with liberation. They are a contributing artist to the EarthSol collective, co-founder of Truth Publishing Press for radical abolitionist voices, a tarot intuitive, sappy love poet, writer of essays, fiction, non-fiction, and everything in between, an abundant lover, a nude enthusiast, an indulgent taurus, cat parent to Booboo, and a student of life.
