Today we’d like to introduce you to Preciosa Janae.
Hi Janae, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I originally got into kink on a dare from a very attractive dude at a singles event. Once I realized this person was just trying to smash (and was such a “Domly Dom” aka misogynistic and pretentious af), I decided to seek it out on my own. I found a 101 night at a dungeon 10 min away from old place and thought why not slide through and see what’s up? So I went over (solo) and met some cool peeps and learned the basics. Honestly, I didn’t expect to become so taken and involved in the lifestyle. I was a late bloomer and romance wasn’t high on my list of things to seek out, but this wasn’t about that. It was really about me finding a new way to express my creativity and create authentically intimate experiences with others. So I watched a lot of people do their thing, took some classes, found platonic play partners and ended up getting scouted by a Domme House. There, I learned the professional side of the BDSM and Kink and it was vastly different but fun in a new way. While I was exploring, learning and honing my skills, I still kept a pretty active social life outside of this world.
After being in both the local & professional scenes for a while, I started to notice that I was usually one of few minorities and being a Domme & Sadist, it made the obvious more glaring. Don’t get me wrong, most of these spaces were very welcoming and as an extreme extrovert, I can make new friends anywhere cause I love people. It’s just that I run in a lot of different circles and I’m used to seeing more melanated folx on the daily. That’s when I had a small idea that maybe I could get more of my peeps to join me. I had a lot of curious friends, colleagues, and even tinder dates ask me about the lifestyle so I figured it would be fun. When the pandemic hit, it presented an opportunity to try to bridge the gap in a bigger way. It was during that time that Kink In Kolor was born. I wanted to give more newbies, especially kinksters of color (and other marginalized groups), resources to explore fearlessly, thrive authentically and build community in kink. We just launched and it went so well!
I received so much support in so many ways and I can’t wait to see where it goes. I love my city and I love my community; I’m just trying to balance the scales not so much as reinvent the wheel. I think there’s space for everybody, you just gotta get them all in the same room…maybe even give them a shot and really fun ice breaker too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had to learn a lot and research so much! All while working two day jobs, school, and trying not to let the mental, physical, and emotional toll of the pandemic encroach on my vision. It was a lot of hours and insomnia figuring it all out and slowly building a support group. I had to redesign my website about three times after trying to code it myself. Rewrite my books and workbooks a bajillion times (don’t even get me started on formatting, my headache never went away). I also tend to make things even harder by attempting everything myself before outsourcing to those that are actually better at it. I need to see how it all works before I can admit defeat and say “damn, I have no idea what I’m doing haha.”
I would say that the biggest challenge was that, even though the pandemic offered a lot for small business owners and minorities (aka people of the global majority), my business model was cut out of almost every grant and loan. I didn’t have a brick and mortar, my business was built around taboo subject matter and I haven’t been a business long enough to be impacted. Nobody was looking to help a business like me and as a gig worker, things were already tight so a lot of my capital was my own. I didn’t ask others because a lot of us were/are still struggling to get back on our feet. So yeah, that’s probably one of the biggest obstacles. It wasn’t until I decided to have an in-person launch party that I gained the courage to ask for support from friends. As a queer woman of color, asking is HARD.
Though I am still waiting to drink a Gin and Tonic on a white sandy beach somewhere.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Kink In Kolor is a Los Angeles-based company that does two things: One, it provides access to kinksources (kink resources) for newbies, PGM, and other marginalized groups. This is done through books, workbooks, podcasts, and local events in a way that’s fun, informed, and relatable.
The other half acts as a consulting space and hub for writers, producers, and filmmakers. This was created to add more authenticity to their respective projects surrounding BDSM, Kink, and Alt Relationships.
As the Founder, I wanted to create a safer intro for people of the global majority to get their kink on without having to code switch, dim their light, or diminish their uniqueness in this subculture. It is also for people who wanna try it out but are not sure where to start, who to start it with and be assured that when they do, they can still be themselves. Kink In Kolor is here to provide access and opportunity without fear.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
They can connect with me at www.kinkinkolor.com or on IG, Twitter, and Facebook.
Pricing:
- EBooks & Paperbacks rang from 5-12 dollars
- Workbooks range from 10-20
- Consultations from 40-60
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.kinkinkolor.com
- Instagram: kinkinkolor
- Facebook: kinkinkolor
- Twitter: kinkinkolor
Image Credits
KamKam Photos Tiffany Kyees J. Matayoshi
