I can't believe it's already fall! I had an amazing summer: I toured LA & DC for the first time, opened for a Peaches show during Pride, saw lots of rad bands, and mingled with my community at classes and events.
One class in particular that stood out was a CBT Piercing class, taught by Selina Raven. As some of you know, I adore CBT and sharps, so the combination of such knowledge was right up my alley. Selina's teachings were passed down from Fakir Musafar, which was really exciting for someone such as myself who has an express interest in body modification and performance art. I intend to post about it more, but I am eager to pierce more masochists and expand their experience with CBT and sharps.
I really enjoyed my trip to LA this summer! I finally got to shoot with Michael Vegas for Peghim and do a photoshoot with Nat Austrich. I also shot content with (and for) Courtney Trouble and Saira B.
My East Coast tour was greatly successful and life-giving! I toured Washington D.C. for the first time and became acquainted with some lovely clients, who I look forward to seeing again when I return in the spring! (Stay tuned!) I made my long-awaited return to New York City and Philadelphia as well. While I mostly saw clients and frolicked around NYC being a tourist, I had the pleasure of shooting with J. Isobel De Lisle again (see photo below) and got to shoot with Ile de Kink while in Philadelphia between seeing clients.
I try not to be impartial to one city, but NYC is always a pleasure to tour. Not only do I have some excellent clients there, but also I get to experience a bustling city life (very different vibe than San Francisco), go to unique stores like Trash and Vaudeville, Search & Destroy, and Purple Passion/DV8, eat yummy food (I got some killer pizza at Scarr's Pizza), and I even got to attend a couple of shows! I have always wanted to see Gorilla Biscuits play and I managed to score a last-minute ticket to a sold-out Gorilla Biscuits and H2O show in Brooklyn! Such an unforgettable experience! I also got to see Midnight play at Saint Vitus, and Midnight always puts on a great show. I also landed at the right place at the right time, as I ended up right next to Ludlow & Rivington just in time for the unveiling of Beastie Boys Square. Though punk & metal are my go-to genres of music, I admire hip hop culture and definitely fuck with legends like Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang Clan. I felt very lucky to be able to witness such a historical moment in NYC hip hop history.
October has been a bit of a whirlwind. Just as I was settling in to home life and my usual schedule, on Friday the 13th (quite fitting), I got into a bike accident, landing me in the ER for the second time this year. I sustained multiple injuries, such as a broken arm, sprained wrists, laceration on my chin that needed multiple stitches, got a CT scan (I believe I had a concussion, as I was dizzy and almost passed out after the crash, but there was no internal bleeding thankfully), a black eye, and road rash. I'm offering sessions on a case-by-case basis, pending the activities (sadly no impact play for the time being), but otherwise I am on hiatus so I can rest and heal. I am so appreciative of everyone's well wishes and support during this time. It's been humbling to see this level of mutual aid and community after an unexpected scare, and I could not be more grateful for my clients, fans, friends, and fellow workers.
Despite the hiccup of a few injuries, I am not letting it get the best of me, as I am still enjoying Halloween. I'm hopeful that with some PT, I will be able to follow through on my plan to tour LA once again this winter.
Now more than ever you can show you gratitude for my existence by sending gifts, paying for my dinners and grocery deliveries, or paying my rent while I'm unable to work.