I dropped off on updating this substack - well blantantly because I got too overwhelmed with everything going, so this will be a long one. Let’s jump right into it:
Before diving into recaps of the last year, I want to share my newest drops for the new year - Steamboat Glitchy + Moon Worshippers on Emprops.
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Steamboat Glitchy is a 72 hour timed edition on Manifold to celebrate the long awaited and battled for Steamboat Mickey to enter public domain. Can't wait for the other Mickey's to follow.
Manifold Link to Mint Steamboat Glitchy
Moon Worshippers 100 piece curated medium form collection now on Emprops
These works are created in Midjourney v6 alpha, which generally does not allow for nude forms, and edited in Photoshop then upscaled to 4048x4048px for max resolution. I did not intentionally try to generate or circumnavigate filters to create these, I used my standard prompts from previous versions and got the nude form consistently which I thought for a moment was a feature and not a bug.
Conceptually, I am exploring the energetic connection between feminine bodies and the moon while also pushing against the censorship and skewed models in many standard commercial AI models by creating these in a normally heavily restrictive and skewed model. As a survivor of sexual and physical abuse, I gravitate towards creating nude feminine bodies as a form of healing and seeking confidence and joy in my own body and feminity - and when AI models restrict these expressions it feels like another control point over woman's - and my own - bodies.
I was going to copy and paste this, but decided to just link to X/Twitter thread recapping Miami <3 It was an amazing time
Everything that happened in 2023 was beyond anything. It definitely had it's ups and downs as I focused on another healing level of trauma ghosts and demons while in tandem navigating my career taking off in ways I couldn't even comprehend most the time.
I moved to CDMX to stop being a desert/beach hermit and try to be comfortable around people again fighting deep agoraphobia at some points to always be victorious at the end of the bouts to emerge to participate in life. Adjusting to a new country was intense at points, but worth it for the new perspectives.
Keeping a pace of almost 50 irl exhibitions (almost 1 a week) that I had work in with all the virtual things I participate or organized was a ride I will never forget. My work was across the world in NYC, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Melbourne, London, Germany, Paris, Italy and many other places I probably can't even remember.
I had many interviews and panels this year - which is an major accomplishment for me as someone with pretty bad stage fright. The biggest for me was at Creative Commons Global Summit here in CDMX to discuss copyright from the perspective of an AI Artist (I was the only one present), CC0 and Crypto Art culture on a panel of brilliant people also advocating for artists rights.
I got to travel to NYC 2x - both to see my work exhibited in venues I never imagined they would be - Sotheby's HQ, Oculus Center w/SuperChief and even being projected behind Pussy Riot performing at Lume Studios.
I got to go Miami for the third time in a row for art week - causing trouble with Toter, speaking on panels, seeing my work larger than life with Permissionless Gallery and Scope and meeting so so many people - all while spending time with those I love dearly and breath life into me and who remind me why I fight so hard to not completely shut down on humanity and sink into the void.
I posted ATH in sales multiple times and participated in many landmark drops - like collabing with Ozzy Osbournes CryptoBats, my artist in residence at Makersplace, Pixel Generation with Unit London, and being part of Digital Disobedience month with ClickCreate.
With my trash fam, I pushed #teztrash not only to keep going but thriving with finally crossing 10k trashart mints on objkt this month - a benchmark both Rob and I were watching for - officially making all our collective artistic efforts larger than any 10k collection, being a decentralized artistic movement and community that keeps being fertile ground for inspiration in many offshoots of movements and interpretations. Best of all, trash shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
I'm being mindful not to call out too many people who have helped along the way because the amount of people who I have worked along with, collected and supported me through all this is in the hundreds if not thousands, and I don't want anyone to feel forgotten or overlooked.
Everyday I wake up and cry, partly letting go of the past, partly relief to be in a safe and comfortable living situation and mostly with gratitude for everyone and everything while also wrangling the fears this will all disappear at any moment.
I calm the fears by getting one foot out of bed and telling myself as long as I keep having confidence in myself and my steps - and sprinkled with what I learned this year is to have at least a little faith in those around me to have my back and be there when I need them.
Idk what 2024 has in store, I have a hard time even thinking of goals because I'm both fearful of not being able to meet them and also recognizing that whatever I dream probably 100x better things will happen if I keep my mind open.
Many blessings to everyone going into 2024, thank you and love you <3
Thread of current available 1/1 work
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Empress Trash
