Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Reina POWERVIOLENCE. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Reina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?
I’ve never gone through an official publisher/agent/company. I would love to share how zine culture influenced me to feel more confident never having gone through a big publisher and to feel proud of my roots in small press.
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.
Although I have been drawing and illustrating since I was young, I have only recently started to hone my focus on kink culture, incorporating my surrealist influences into work to bring visibility to my community. I love working with pastels and lighthearted colors; I once had someone say they were fascinated by how I used such bright color schemes in my BDSM work, a community that is often defined by dark aesthetic. I strongly feel like kink culture is simultaneously oggled at, yet misunderstood and shunned by the greater world. Kink is such a big part of my queer upbringing that I cannot look away and I cannot stop illustrating it. At first, I was a little nervous to make it the main focus of my page; but then I realized, that it is impossible to hide who I really am. Just like my works about eating disorder, I want to highlight the reality of how human kink is: and how it encompasses more than just a sexual practice. It encompasses how someone can live through daily life, love, and self-compassion itself.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a creative is illustrating the ugly and having someone feel seen in it. For some people, my works may be a little too intense or taboo; but for the right audience, it is just perfect and what they need. I don’t need a big audience or adoration, but I do thrive off making someone feel seen. I once had offhandedly given a zine to a friend at a gathering. A few days later, they called me, emotional. They confided in me they had been going through a very difficult time when I’d given them the zine. That night, they flipped through it and felt like the imagery in the zine was exact to what they were going through. You never know how someone may interpret your work or what they’re going through when you give someone art. They might love it, hate it, or not understand. What matters to me is that someone strange, even if just for a moment, feels not so alone in their strangeness.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I am still unlearning that I don’t need to go to art school to have a career and fulfilled by art. Once upon a time I went to art school for 2 semesters; it quickly became a detriment on my money and mental health. I felt like I had no future in art whatsoever until I stumbled upon zine culture and small press. It was only then I realized that commercial art is not the only way to develop and go through a discipline.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/monopink.dream