We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Queen Ultima. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Queen below.
Queen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
The height of the COVID pandemic was a trying time for a number of reasons. I think most people went through a process of reevaluating relationships, and struggled with sustaining a sense of optimism. My drag persona, Ultima, became dormant after experiencing a rough falling-out with my drag mother a few months into the pandemic. While she had pushed me to start drag in the first place, supporting me as a mentor and patron, even helping me find my name, my drag mother lost touch with reality when the country went into lock down. She ended up lashing out at me and imploded our relationship over literal delusions of betrayal. The whole process was incredibly disillusioning, especially since such a big part of my identity was tied into our relationship and the legacy I was able to be part of through our collaborations in community building, yoga teaching, and artistic expression.
I went through a period eschewing Ultima based on the association I had between her and my drag mother. I had just transitioned from being Florida-based to living in Boulder, and in the absence of night life in a new city, it was easy to let Ultima die. I started working full-time as an addiction counselor, and convinced myself that the drag phase of my life was over and that I had squeezed everything out of that experience that I was meant to get. Part of me was able to acknowledge a sense of grief I felt over letting go of those dreams, but I suppressed that part of myself, having lost my sense of legitimacy and validity as an artist. Despite this, I was never able to get rid of the fantasy of being a queen. I kept in the back of my mind the vision of an alternate drag persona named Madama, who is righteous, just, mysterious, and untouchable. Dreaming of Madama was like planting a seed of inspiration within myself that made me curious to sample the thrill of performing on stage again. I decided to put it to the test at Burning Man 2022. I carried all my drag accoutrement into the desert with me, and decided that, if after performing there that it seemed like more effort than it was worth to pull a queen out of myself, that I would put my drag to rest for good. In the heat of my performance there, the exhilaration I had missed after so long of feeling bad about myself gave me catharsis from so much of the trauma, self-doubt, and loss that was tied to my identity. I was seen by my community, and not only that–I was damn entertaining. I was powerful again. My voice became amplified, and I was bigger than myself.
That experience helped me reclaim my legitimacy as an artist. I learned that everything I had done, as an artist and as a human being, came from myself making those things happen, and not for any other reason. This revelation helped me feel proud of myself and my accomplishments, which I had never allowed for before. I was able to set aside the mantel of Madama, who protected me when I felt lost, and reclaim my identity as Ultima, guardian angel of the universe. I was reborn as a self-made, self-sanctified artist. With Ultima inside of me everywhere I go, every experience, holds the potential for creation, excitement, and joy. When I channel her, I feel like nothing I do is ordinary or regular, because between the cracks of everything I do, her divine presence permeates. I feel that my days of questioning whether or not I should let go of the fantasy of my artistic vision are over because now I understand that the pursuit of that fantasy fulfills me like nothing else. It is who I am.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I have been doing drag for a little over three years. I started out in Sarasota, Florida, performing alongside local personalities and elder queens, some of whom had been performing drag for more than 50 years. From there I moved abroad to Taiwan for two years, taking Ultima with me. There I was exposed to entirely new flavors of drag and became a founding member of In Your Face, a drag house for queens in the south of Taiwan. Since then I’ve relocated to Denver, and now moonlight as a performer at private bookings, parties, and other events.
I got started with drag because I loved the glamor and attention. My original name was Eleanor Sparklepuss. She was a sweet, silly, simple chick. As my drag evolved I began to develop a new drag persona meant to be a leveled-up super heroine version of myself, blossomed from the foundation laid by Eleanor. As time went on I began to envision this persona, Ultima, fighting against the forces of destruction, ignorance, and evil in the world. In a time when the earth is threatened by environmental disaster, school shootings are commonplace, and our country is taking steps backwards in terms of equality, just by using my voice and existing as a drag queen I am able to counteract these forces and actualize my super heroine persona. What Ultima will bring to you in her shows is hope, upliftment, truth, purpose, levity, reprieve. She’s not just a normal drag queen, she’s the guardian angel protector of the universe, saving the world one lip-sync at a time.
Ultima is available for booking as a drag hostess and emcee, performer, makeup artist, actress, and model. Her other skills include space holding, harm reduction, and mental health counseling. She is down for artistic collaboration of any kind, and is always open to overthrowing the patriarchy.
Ultima is currently writing a queer dystopian fantasy novel, entitled “Gay New World,” featuring Ultima as the main character. Think battle royal meets drag queen reality television with 1984 vibes. Check out www.queenultima.net to stay updated on the release of the book.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The goal of my mission as an artist is to achieve world peace. It probably sounds like naïve idealism to say that, but the thing that always draws me back to Ultima is the need to use my voice to speak out against the oppressive forces of the world. While Denver and Colorado generally feels safe for me as a queer person, seeing the wave of new legislation in different states across the country I feel scared that my rights are threatened. If Roe v Wade can be overturned, who’s to say how much our freedoms can regress? States are literally banning drag and healthcare for trans kids. I have to worry about my future children being shot and killed in their classrooms, and for the safety of my black husband when he is walking on the street. I believe that most Americans are good people and want what’s best for humanity, but there is a disconnect between that and the status quo of our country. Things can be different, but it takes changing the systems we subscribe to and interdepend with, and we must all work together. That is Ultima’s message.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is how I get to feel connected to other people. There’s lots of ways this can manifest. When I perform on stage with an audience watching, there are moments when a kind of resonance activates; an expanding reverberation that comes from our energies bouncing off each other and amplifying. In these moments of connection, my message of joy and hope is received experientially by the audience. It is an empowering and joyful feeling. The same thing happens when someone reads something I have written or sees one of my paintings: we become connected (although for myself the most powerful connection and resonance occurs on stage). It’s spiritually fulfilling, because it is a way for me to transcend myself as an individual and be part of an interconnected network of human minds.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.queenultima.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queen_ultima/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenultima
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbr_yuRuiKCnJk-XxuJujwg
Image Credits
Sabrina Finn Irie Givens