Figure Isms

I talk with The Inertia Creeps about being raised by her immigrant mother and grandparents, physics, how she has come to love modeling, her photography, and more.

Click the links below to listen in!

• Connect with The Inertia Creeps: modeling Instagram, photography Instagram, Patreon

• peripheralvision

I talk with Lobbiaz about the existence of God, trolling, the lingerie concept store Les Rituelles he runs with his wife, his photography, how money changes relationships and more. This is a particularly philosophical discussion so buckle up for a heavy conversation.

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Stay tuned for show notes!

• Connect with Lobbiaz: website, Instagram

I talk with Johanna Stickland about the intimate and feminine nature of her photography and paintings, her badass mom, the freedom nude modeling gave her, and how she ended up living in Portugal.

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I know I’m behind on creating show notes, but things have been a bit hectic lately. They will happen, so stay tuned.

In this episode I talk with Portland based painter and printmaker Dan Gluibizzi about his process, themes, growing up in Lancaster, PA, and much more.

I know I’m behind on show notes, but they will come even if it’s a slow process.

Follow the links below to listen in on the real substance though.

I’m able to have a follow up interview with Ingvild (aka Ine). We talk more in-depth about the turning points and reasons she started modeling as well as the reasons she continues doing it.

Click the links below to follow along!

My guest for episode five is Shona McAndrew. I’m able to talk with her about her sculptures, paintings, the difficulty of being other bodied, wanting to talk to all women, the joy of sexuality, and much more. We cover a lot of ground, so buckle up and follow along! Also, don’t hesitate to reach out let us know what you enjoyed over the course of our conversation!

Subscribe and follow along by clicking the links below to listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, or SoundCloud.

I haven’t had time to make show notes yet for this episode, but they will be coming, so stay tuned.

My guest for episode three of Figure Isms is Ingvild. As we discuss her journey of being a nude art model, we touch on a range of topics that include her role in the movie business, her diorama work, getting over shame, being in a supportive relationship, and more. Throughout our conversation it's easy to get a sense of the importance creativity has been to Ingvild. To learn more about what this looks like to her follow the links below.

Show notes below!

• Connect with Ingvild: Website, Instagram 1, Instagram 2, Instagram 3

• S Magazine

• Julie Loen

• Gilles Berquet

• Loved to Death

• Don't Look Now

• Fire Walk With Me

• The Changeling

• Mark Sink

• Gary Breckheimer

• Sergei Romanov

• Frederic Fontenoy

• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

• The Cider House Rules by John Irving

• If You Could See Me Now by Peter Straub

• The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

• Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

• Ingvild talks about being a costume designer for movies, an art nude model, and how she introduces her work to others. [2:04]

• She describes how she grew up on the coast of Bodo, Norway; North of the Arctic Circle. [4:40]

• As a child in the North she dreamt of modeling in the bigger city, which eventually led her to meet with Eileen Ford. [6:18]

• Ingvild talks about when she was a teen, not feeling like she fit into the fashion world [10:06]

• How did a science fiction convention play into Ingvild pivoting her creative outlet from movies to modeling? [11:05]

• Ingvild tells us when she had her first artistic nude shoot. [13:10]

• Among her many talents, she tells us about creating an erotic comic book. [13:40]

• At the age of 38, she began her nude modeling work. [14:05]

• How did Ingvild start exploring erotic art? [14:26]

• We discuss why we keep our nude work separate from our families. [16:42]

• Ingvild gives us a peek into her childhood diary. Can you guess who she wanted to be? [18:21]

• Find out about her book collaboration, Polafornia, with Julie Loen and other projects. [19:50]

• Ingvild talks about how fun it is to explore different sides of herself and to communicate real emotions. [22:04]

• Unlike many, Ingvild is not interested in just taking pretty photos; she talks about confidence in doing more emotional and experimental modeling. [24:40]

• Ingvild discusses how she maintains a level of artistry in her graphic work, being emotionally present, and her work with Gilles Berquet. [25:17]

• She talks about her comfortability with nude work and how it allowed her to understand herself, explore more, and gave her a sense of confidence that she didn't possess as a teenager. [29:35]

• I give a bit of my own back story and mental shift in accepting what photography I wanted to shoot. [31:06]

• In exploring her erotic side she found her "playground," "I didn't think I had the courage to do these kinds of things until I started doing it." Ingvild talks about her shift to erotic expression. [32:46]

• The beginning of her modeling work and how quickly it snowballed. [35:50]

• The world of modeling for Ingvild includes: asylums, nude shoots in the snow, road trips ato America, and stalking a photographer in France. Her world is far from typical. [37:16]

• She talks about the different aspects of what she loves in the world of modeling, including travel, and meeting like-minded people. [40:59]

• To get an understanding of her passion for this work, she began turning down movie projects to facilitate her modeling pursuits. [42:35]

• She talks about the culture of shame with sexuality, protesting that shame, and the process it has been in confidently owning her sexuality through her modeling work. [43:19]

• Ingvild likes playing with the line in her erotic work, and some people misinterpret it. Find out here, why that doesn't bother her. [46:00]

• Find out her response to the incredible photographer George Pitts (RIP) when he asks her about her moral take on porn. [47:50]

• The difference between art and porn (hint: it's not the lighting!) [48:15]

• "It's more important than ever to create art," Find out what demographic, surprisingly, responded positively to more explicit images in Ingvild's published book. [48:55]

• Find out Ingvild's philosophy on life and how she would love to be a role model of it. [50:36]

• My take on the importance of seeing sexuality in a more dimensional way, gaining a better understanding and confidence in it. [52:12]

• The past ten years have been the most important in her life. Nothing limits her; she is more confident in who she is and the contributions she has as an artist. [53:19]

• She discusses some of the mental difficulties she had to overcome in modeling over the years. [54:47]

• Ingvild talks about her husband and the pride he has in her and her work, and the emotional support he has been, as not only her husband, but best friend. [58:09]

• Ingvild talks about new artistic directions and possibilities, her travels to Moscow, and her miniatures. [1:01:32]

• Find out how taxidermy and Beatrix Potter fueled the amazing and intricate artistry of Ingvild's dioramas. [1:03:03]

• Everything with mice! Here we find out more about her interests in horror movies and mice, and how they influenced her diorama sets. [1:06:25]

• Learn through her words, the artistry and skill she has developed with her dioramas, and the creative visions for them, which include a little mouse with a chess board on it's ass. [1:08:00]

• What is it about horror films that comforts Ingvild? Find out here! [1:10:37]

• Ingvild explores the dark themes of her diaromas which are set in the late 1800's, her homage to Frederic Fontenoy's photography, and her love of post mortem photographs. In her words, "I would have loved to see these [dioramas] when I was little, and love to see them as a grown up as well. " [1:11:47]

• She talks about the future possibilities for her dioramas. [1:13:39]

• The dioramas fulfill a lot for her in regards to self expression, and she sees the importance of finding different outlets to express different sides of oneself. [1:14:17]

• She talks about the joy in the creative process and how she has a need to persist in it because it is her source of happiness. [1:15:04]

• My reflections on life, and about responding to the mystery of it. [1:16:18]

• Ingvild talks about her love for the unknown and finding something unknown in everything you create. [1:17:00]

• She talks about wanting a rich life and how she sees that being attained. "I want to see how far I can take things, in directions I haven't gone before." "Everything you do is adding to you as a person, all of your experiences are making you a more full person." [1:18:00]

• Ingvild talks about a bad experience with a photographer and relying on her intuition to avoid something potentially dangerous.[1:20:02]

• Ingvild discusses aspects of her culture that have influenced her art and her connection to nature, and of course, other people's fascination with Vikings! [1:22:53]

• We discuss nudity, sexuality, sex, and if nudity can exist without sex. [1:24:48]

• I ask Ingvild if she ever had any issues feeling comfortable nude; she answers here. Also, I give a story of my wife and her nude games she played as a kid. 1:28:37]

• Ingvild talks about some difficult topics from her youth and how she was able to get over the shame of nudity as an adult. [1:30:32]

• Through years of struggle with eating disorders, Ingvild talks about what ultimately helped her move past them, and how. [1:32:14]

• She talks about her struggles as a teen, how getting past it created a comfort in nudity, and finding her place it this world after a lot of loneliness. [1:34:28]

• Ingvild talks about her restlessness in the movie business and how modeling was where she found peace. [1:36:25]

• Find out here the books that have impacted Ingvild. [1:37:28]

• Who are her favorite directors? (hint: both are named David) [1:39:58]

• Last but not least, her favorite music. [1:40:10]

• With final words Ingvild talks about being present, always being curious, loving animals, and being kind to others. [1:40:27]

• Visit Ingvild at her IG's @ingvildeiring @ine_model [1:42:16]

• Thank you Ingvild!

• Eileen Ford

• Milo Manara

• Guido Crepax

• Julie Loen

• Gilles Berquet

• Eroticolia

• Pixel Studio

• Velvet Scars

• Ed Ross

• Mark Sink

• Gary Breckheimer

• George Pitts

• Sergei Romanov

• Beatrix Potter

• Frederick Fontenoy

• Ray Bradbury

• John Irving

• Peter Straub

• Brett Eastin Ellis

• John Steinbeck

• David Lynch

• David Cronenberg

• Depeche Mode

My guest for episode two of Figure Isms is María. You can find her under the name Ofelia here on my site.

In this episode I talk to her about her struggles as a nude art model, her perspectives as an artist, motherhood, feminism, her life in Ecuador and Germany and much more. 

Follow along and subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, or SoundCloud by using the links below.

Don't forget to reach out and let me know how you enjoyed the episode by emailing me at [email protected].

Scroll down for the show notes! 

• Connect with Maria: Instagram

• Sodapop Magazine

• Sally Mann

• Alejandra Pizarnik

• Dengue Dengue Dengue

• We open up with how modeling was always an experimental journey for Maria, and how, when we met, she was at the peak of that. [2:28}

• Maria talks about the difference between a typical photo shoot and ours, and how it was a turning point for her. [3:38]

• Find out the unusual way in which Maria and I met in, and the pivotal role someone in Tokyo played. [5:20]

• We talk about how rare it is to sincerely connect with people and how important that connection was during a difficult time for her. [6:24]

• I express how special our shoot was to me, the trust and friendship created, and how it allowed us to create more meaningful work. [7:58]

• Find out through Maria how our photo shoot shows the evolution of trust and experimentation during that session, and why she wants others to see this work. [8:54]

• I talk about why I revisit this shoot and what it represents to me. [10:07]

• How Maria went from being single in Ecuador to being married, with a baby, in Berlin. [10:29]

• Maria, Russian artists, and Sex mit Dingen (sex with things). She explores what this is and what it means in our virtual world [10:50]

• Why did this project appeal to Maria as a new mom in a new country? [12:38]

• She discusses how she is re-learning everything she thought she knew. [14:20]

• Maria asks "why? why? why?" and how this question led to nudity as a form of liberation for her. [15:25]

• Maria opens up about her youth, popularity, bullying, rejection and how this made her question what she was doing different. [18:50]

• The many questions Maria had to ask herself in exploring her sexuality, and whether or not it was wrong. [20:42]

• We talk about the context of her environment during this time in both Ecuador and the United States. [21:45]

• Why Maria finally felt relief after moving to Berlin. [23:44]

• Maria explores the cultural contrasts between Ecuador and Berlin. [24:36]

• Why does Berlin appeal to her, and how has the culture responded to her lifestyle? [25:50]

• Emotional baggage, social pressure, bullshit, deception, and how Maria handles her own insecurities as a statement of self-empowerment. [29:47]

• Find out what content she is trying to generate, why, and her appreciation for the critics as well. [32:57]

• How people leverage shame to keep women, especially, in line. [34:20]

• Here I talk about some of my views on what sexuality is. [35:49]

• How Maria views sexuality, including its role in motherhood. [36:46]

• Delving into the nuanced nature of sexuality, and how it is about being more conscious. [39:00]

• I add to her reflections of being present, the importance of meditation, and the unfortunate elimination of the complexity of sexuality.[41:05]

• In the words of Maria, "for me sexuality is passion." She explores what this means here. [42:42]

• Is she aware of when she is connected to her sexuality when she creates? [45:16]

• Fun Fact: Find out why I was once disinvited to a wedding! [46:18]

• Maria talks about the difficulty, paranoia, distrust, and lonliness she felt in Ecuador and how she realized she needed to expand her life. [47:32]

• Nude art started as a personal thing, and along the way it became a message to others. [50:50]

• How did she mold her ideas of nudity and art? [52:11]

• Maria's first real life encounter with nudity in an artistic context, and the lasting impressions it made on her. [53:32]

• Maria talks about her love of Sally Mann, and how her work changed her own perspective on nudity in art. [55:30]

• Why Maria's family responded negatively to her interest in the nude world and how that impacted her. [56:22]

• How the love of art made her push through the resistence she felt from others. [58:26]

• I talk about when I decided to openly commit myself to my work. [59:11]

• Maria shares with us how she realized her committment to her work and who influenced that. [59:59]

• How feminism and gender theory profoundly affected Maria and helped her realize her connection to it all. [01:01:46]

• She explores the diversity of sexuality and its richness in the world, the unbalanced treatment of women vs. men, and what she desires for her daughter in this world. [01:04:50]

• What is the difference between porn and nude art? Maria discusses her thoughts on this. [01:06:48]

• How does she handle people objectifying her work? [01:10:19]

• Maria answers a common misconception for those not involved in nude work. [01:11:55]

• I confront and discuss the misconceptions surrounding the reasons for creating with nudity and the difficulty many have with the process vs. the end product of creating nude art, e.g. the Sistine Chapel. [01:12:37]

• Maria discusses the difficulty in navigating people's intentions who contact her for nude work. [01:14:25]

• How Maria relies on her intuition with who she works with, because in the nude art world, there is a dark side. [01:16:35]

• I reflect on when we met, the struggle to be in a vulnerable place with someone creatively, and how much we have to go through to accomplish that vision. [01:18:00]

• What is Utopia for Maria? [01:20:28]

• Find out what keeps Maria going when she just wants to say "fuck it." [01:21:33]

• We discuss our struggles with art, feelings of inadequacies, being multidisciplinary artists and the

• pressures to commit to one thing. [1:22:31]

• Find out more about Maria's endeavors, how she started a market in Ecuador, her thoughts on being an multidisciplinary artist, and what she thinks is most important as an artist. [01:26:54]

• Maria questions what is art, what isn't art, and who decides? [01:30:30]

• What is next for Maria? She discusses being reborn and having new goals. [01:31:00]

• She discusses nudity and fashion and what that has to do with her future projects. [01:32:14]

• Books Maria loves, including her favorite Argentinian poet, Alejandra Pizarnik [01:33:35]

• Maria gives us a list of her favorite music, (and I might brag about seeing one of them in concert.) [01:34:40]

• Fun fact about Maria and the band Dengue Dengue Dengue, and a lesson on perfectionism. [01:35:55]

• Maria leaves us with what she feels is unique about her contribution to the world, and her desire to inspire that in others. [01:38:16]

• Visit Maria's IG @reinadelaguacate [01:39:55]

• Thank you Maria!

• Edwin Monico

• Man Ray

• Sally Mann

• Carlos Castaneda

• Alejandra Pizarnik

• Radiohead

• Pink Floyd

• The Doors

• Jimi Hendrix

• Janis Joplin

• Dengue Dengue Dengue