Today we’d like to introduce you to The Contaminator.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As an artist with an energy phenomenon called a “chaotic imprint” caused by various devious traumas, it feels as if I have been running from an invisible tornado that seems to always strike at the calmest hours. My art started as a way to cope with my loneliness, intense emotional energy, and being a target from bullies waiting around every corner.
I was a spunky child, one people would call a “ham”. That wild energy that I still let play today needed an outlet. At four, I started dancing on my own ecstatically teaching myself how to ground my beast. To this day, dancing is my release.
Starting to draw from copying anime at age 16, I watched on Adult Swim, there was a safe feeling that would happen when I would sit alone and watch these magical worlds. For years I never realized how unsafe I felt from the people I was forced to be around. Luckily I found within me a never-ending stream of ideas and creativity that would lead me to create bright colorful worlds like I used to watch in my youth. That quickly led me to channel characters in combination with my fine art, wild energy, and love for interpretive dance.
After years of creating raw multimedia art that was non-cohesive, I finally took the advice of many mentors to organize raw style into a brand. Five supernatural, ethereal strong female-based alter-egos in one team I call “The Contaminator Crew”. These five parts of my soul are helping me piece back the missing components of “Self” I lost during dark encounters.
From a singular artist participating in fine art shows, drawing groups, and classes, my energy works so much better flowing into this hybrid style (Performance and Drawing) allowing a balance between tediousness and chaos. People have reacted well to the live shows I’ve done in various parts of the country and I am continuing my process of combining fine arts and moving art for a one of a kind raw style seen LIVE.
When my recent past years struggling with a 16-year misdiagnosis while drugged out to my eyeballs were based on shadow work and healing, I am now focusing more energy today on being present and happy. When I, The Contaminator have led “The Crew” for some time, I think it’s time to take a short break letting Crew Member “Cotton Candy” play and to continue forward with creating our soul mission The Chaos Gate Project (a series of dreamlike installations) until a permanent home for the project is established.
Right now is all about play and having fun doing what I love. Today, I just want to be free without anything to show but love for myself and human life.
WE ARE ONE!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In spring 2018, I was sitting at a park in West Hollywood working on my installation series “The Chaos Gate Project” when a shaman came up to me stating how she felt I was in the right place to do my mission, but the experience wasn’t going to be easy because many were going to try and take advantage of my kind heart. Within a few days, a man came up to me when I was finally free to work on my project again. He offered us dinner at an East Indian restaurant nearby, and I stated I’d attend as friends. Shortly after, he started making inappropriate requests on what sounds he wanted me to create while eating. I excused myself to the restroom, took a deep breath while looking at my reflection. I was very low on money due to my new rent being much higher than my last, but I would rather pay for my meal than sit with this man who refused to respect my boundaries when I stated that I wanted to go “as friends.” I thought to myself, “here we go again.” I realized that I let myself be taken from the love of my craft by another violating person just after I was warned by the shaman. Despite my apprehensions, he tried to force a kiss on my lips in the parking lot. If that wasn’t enough, he tried once more when he was dropping me off, causing a distraction of leaving my $500 plus dollars of professional art supplies in the back of his car, which cost a night of loss work and happiness. I honestly just wanted a new friend, to enjoy a meal and talk about life, because that’s how I am.
L.A. has taught me more red flags, how to say no, and to protect myself from this repeating pattern (Chaotic Imprint) of men coming into my life when I feel peaceful. In the last years, I have had men lead me around telling me I was going to be featured in an all-female art show then abandoning the project without a word to me where I had to borrow money just to attend a coffee meeting. I have had a failed business collaboration where I designed the brand image for a show from scratch from my own divine channel not receiving any money. Luckily I had him sign a contract stating he would not touch the concept or image but that didn’t stop him from going on with the project behind my back without attempting to release my shoe two years later without my consent. Currently, I am looking into a free lawyer to retrieve the $1,000 dollars I stupidly paid in full to my ex web developer who gas-lighted me and refused to finish the work because he’d rather drink and take on new clients. I was so eager to have this site done due to the web developer before him I bartered with, giving $400+ of my original work for him to run me around for over a year that I didn’t even stop and think to NEVER pay in full for the new guy who knew I was just played stating he could do better and faster. As an artist, I don’t even accept payments in full! After almost two years, I have no site and art galleries work a year ahead putting me back even further from showing. I am down $1000 + and that choice cost me finally having a vehicle this year. I invested in the long dollar so I could reach more of an audience with an online shop where buying things like a truck wouldn’t be such a hard thing for me. Now I am back to square one.
Those few instances are a TINY amount of what I have dealt with being a female artist with no manager or team who puts on performances with little to nothing who is constantly cleaning up messes while representing myself in a world of men. I have gotten better trying to establish my gut feeling by making sure I am not saying “no” out of fear of missing out on a good opportunity. I truly believe I’d be a lot further if I didn’t have to keep cleaning up these messes, but at least I have full creative control of my craft and stay true to who I am as a creative without owing anyone sh*t.
Luckily not all the people I have trusted have done me wrong, but it’s extremely difficult as being an attractive woman and trying to get opportunities while being treated with respect. All these were hard lessons, but luckily are leading me to a rebirth of transforming into a businesswoman that I love. My fear of speaking up and calling out wrongs to stand up for myself is diminishing more and more and man, am I shaking up some egos!
I talk about my circumstances not to b*tch or say “You. You. You.” My intention in documenting my processes is to help artists around me understand their worth and what to look out for. As a kind and giving person, it is difficult to understand why or how individuals would want to use artists like this but it is very common due to a lot of people wanting the rewards without having the creativity or the work ethic.
I get targeted because of my kindness and my talent which lead me to lose so much time and money making it impossible to not taking public transportation, which is another three books of woes. Now I am scaling back the projects I do, saying no more to people who can’t afford my work and leaving room for something big. And I truly can’t wait to find out whatever that is.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a full-time multimedia artist and creator of “The Contaminator Crew” a collective of five art personas represented as individual artists with different aesthetics, personalities, and stories.
I specialize in drawing with my 16 years of oil pastels and other mediums in combination with dance and performance whilst storytelling but am not limited to murals, gallery shows, installation, poetry, short films, modeling, songwriting, and fashion design. As the leader of The Contaminator Crew, I choose what ego to use depending on the type of event and clientele to maximize the number of souls reached while healing them with “our” art.
I am most proud of my installation art series “The Chaos Gate Project”, which is a mission I continue to sacrifice everything to build. Our latest accomplishments include donating our 28 x 8-foot oil-stick mural to an L.A. performing arts; school Fernando Pullum Community Art Center in Leimert Park. I hope to continue the success and expansion of the project which is all about healing those that choose to enter “The Gate”. This is the direction I want to continue in, building immersive and interactive realms to perform in that bridge a connection to the soul self.
I believe my vulnerability and current path to destruction of ego allows me to stand out because I no longer fear what others think about how I express myself, my happiness comes first. To create raw art in public oftentimes nude or with no permission has taken years (and therapy) in the making to accomplish. I am happy to know that my risks sometimes inspire others to let go too. That is why my work is becoming more and more interactive. I am most happy helping others grow.
The individual pieces of work aren’t the actual art. My entire career is a performance, I am the art.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I’d like to acknowledge the importance of having access to a safe, creative space that is yours and how to set healthy boundaries that put your art and goals as a priority. Many artists move away from their families due to the sacrifices it takes to commit to the craft. This space will give you the freedom to explore who you are without the pull or guilt of leaving to please others.
On the other hand, you can find yourself overworking like I have been these past years now that I got my independence. That sadly resulted in the breaking down of my health and mental state while still being in poverty. But at least now I know who I am as an artist and can create the work in my head that I wasn’t able to prior due to lack of discipline.
I find being present and being happy leads to more opportunities because peoples’ energy is much more beautiful and infectious when people take time to rest. As creatives, our egos often glamorize overworking as success. I know exactly how an artist feels inside as they are smiling at their opening but their eyes are black from days without sleep living on caffeine and I don’t want to live my life like that anymore. When I have an opening, I want to be present and happily rested.
I have been overlooked for so long that I wanted to prove as a single female force that I could take these crazy ideas of mine and make them happen, that I wasn’t all talk based on days when I couldn’t finish a damn thing. It’s been like running on a hamster wheel when you are on empty. There’s nowhere to go because there’s no room. After all, you already gave it all away.
Now that I have a pretty sturdy portfolio prepared for the next phase up in my career, I am letting the energy come to me rather than chasing it, focusing on my health and a potential mate to have a family. I don’t want to live my life with something to prove. I lost so much time lost in a race I was never going to win. I am sure life is more enjoyable with someone to create and share it with. And I plan to still make innovative works of art while creating a happy, stable, and abundant life. The past is in the past I am only focused on moving forward making choices based on love, not fear.
Pricing:
- Fine art Commissions- Flat fees based upon $75 per hour
- Performance plus Installation- Flat fee based $100 per hour
- Festival/ Corporation Live Drawing Rates Including Performance – $150 per hour Min of 4 hours per day plus travel. Small Buisness/ Basic package $75 per hour. Flat fee to be agreed on if necessary.
- Installation-a Flat Fee based on $75 per hour
- Murals- Flat Fee Based on $75 per hour Min of $1,000 + travel
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Ello.co/TheContaminator
- Instagram: Instagram.com/thecontaminator
- Facebook: Facebook.com/TheContaminator
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgK2CbYJyAOw5RswsGgzptA
- Other: Instagram.com/Thechaosgate
Image Credits
All photos by Marc Kay: @bymarckay
