Heidi.
(that’s me!) I am a cis-queer-white-educated-woman-kinky-poly-artist.
So if you read the manifesto you know all about how I work and view my work. This is important, and it’s equally important you know who I am (well, assuming you’re reading this!).
So who is this person? Is honestly a question I have been trying to answer since - forever!! I consider myself to be compassionate and quirky, I laugh readily and swear a lot at what I find unjust. Some say, very quirky and overly compassionate.
Starting to sound like a dating profile. Anyways!
I think this is important, because if nothing else is true about my practice: what you see, is what you get! … this quirky-coloured-intense-compassionate human.
Someone who tries to be as authentic as I can be.
Why Art Therapy?
This is going to require a story. I have been a creative person from the word go; as a child I was always making something. Art Attack! was my most favourite show of all time, I would get lost in the creations.
As I grew, the desire to create never went away. Add in the desire to be helpful, turns out as a teen I was the listener friend, the one everyone knew they could talk to. I didn’t have a group of friends, I floated to where felt right for that day.
At 16, my dad died and I was gutted - so what did I do? I made, and made, and made. I processed a lot through my art.
Then I was working at a local gallery where they had a guest speaker come in, an Art Therapist. A what now!? To say I was hooked would be an understatement, but I knew in that moment that what I would do one day.
My Art
If you’ve been on this website for more than a nanosecond you’ve seen some of my art. I am a flowing artist, who enjoys playing with texture, colour and generally experimenting with images.
I broke away from attempting to make something when I found the possibility of controlled chaos using a pallet knife. The way the colours and textures move, seemingly independent of my attempts to create never ceases to amaze me.
I will play with anything! From recycled materials to really fancy watercolours and everything in between. Exploring is what I do best, and I just let the art flow from my soul.
Kink, BDSM, Marginalized Sexualities ….
In my work as a Psychotherapist I was more ignorant of peoples’ relationships than I’d like to admit. I learned SO much from the people who came in, shared their stories and eventually their unique relationships with me.
It became apparent to me that not having the language to talk about sex, gender, relationships especially those outside the cis-het-normative perspective was hindering not only my work, but my clients’ possibilities.
I found two ways of being that I never imagined would be possible: BDSM and Polyamory. And oh boy did I dive in! I learned the things I enjoyed, found pleasure in, and desired were not weird or nasty. They were normal. They had communities, of the SAME kinds of folks!
Working out my own internalized Kinkophobia through awareness and learning has been life altering. Accepting that I don’t have to limit my expression of love for people is soul enriching!
The Dream
(aka why are you putting this on the internets?)My dream is where I can thread pleasure into all the things: art, work, play, learning…..
Where I can take my lessons in life and share them with others, so they may be inspired to try something new, to grow in a new direction, or throw it all out the window and know “this isn’t my thing”!