I am a mermaid

Olivia De Berardinis’ Sexy Pin-Up Mermaids

So legendary pin-up artist Olivia De Berardinis has painted a zillion gorgeous bombshells over the years (she’s been doing it since the mid-70’s and has been contributing an original painting every month to Playboy Magazine since 2004), and is not averse to the occasional bombshell mermaid. Her Bettie Page in a black latex tail is one of the most striking mermaids out there, and she has a few pink-tailed Marilyns and a host of other ultra-glam half-fish half-ladies in her oeuvre, too (not to mention a few other be-tailed Betties). I recently emailed Olivia to see if she’d talk mermaids with me, and though she noted at first that this isn’t the work she’s most known for, she did let me send her some penetrating questions and responded with this charming note:

Hi Carolyn,

I probably first painted a mermaid in the 80’s. The tail is very expressive—they’re fun to paint! It’s a great fantasy. I always found mermaids to be more pretty than sexual, though. I figured they were seals or manatees that only looked like women to lonely, horny sailors centuries ago. I honestly don’t understand their sexual appeal since they’re not built for human copulation.

After “The Little Mermaid” came out (I loved that movie), quite a few of the girls from Playboy who modeled for me seemed to have a great interest in being painted as a mermaid. I found it curious that the mermaid image was such a big part of their lives. They had mermaid avatars, art, entertainment, and I know all of them had a mermaid costume. By now mermaids have become a strong vein in popular culture. One model, a few years ago, brought her Little Mermaid music to pose by. Mrs. Hefner is one of the latest women who asked me to paint her as a mermaid. Her painting is in my last book (Malibu Cheesecake) and will be in 2014 calendar.

Most of the time I use a lingerie version of a tail. Bettie Page was the fetish queen, so I chose a latex fin for her. It made a perfect bondage implement.

I think the beautiful Ariel changed a generation’s focus toward mermaids. It was a great movie, and a beautiful story. I also loved Splash!

Olivia

We went back and forth for a little bit as I tried to find the right images to post (I’m only including ones I could find online that contain her signature) and to clarify a few things (the Bettie mermaids were her idea), and at one point she noted, “I guess I did a lot of mermaids.”

She did!

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Francesca Lia Block’s Magical Creatures

28 Jun

So I am a huge fan of Francesca Lia Block. I first read her classic YA novel Weetzie Bat in 1995, when I’d just moved to Los Angeles from New York to attend grad school at UCLA and wasn’t totally happy to be in that weird, glittery city. But those opening lines made that whole city come alive with magic and seem like some kind of wonderland, and from then on my heart burst with Angeleno love:

“The reason Weetzie Bat hated high school was because no one understood. They didn’t even realize where they were living. They didn’t care that Marilyn’s prints were practically in their backyard at Graumann’s; that you could buy tomahawks and plastic palm tree wallets at Farmer’s Market, and the wildest, cheapest cheese and bean and hot dog and pastrami burritos at Oki Dogs; that the waitresses wore skates at the Jetson-style Tiny Naylor’s; that there was a fountain that turned tropical soda-pop colors, and a canyon where Jim Morrison and Houdini used to live, and all-night potato knishes at Canter’s, and not too far away was Venice, with columns, and canals, even, like the real Venice but maybe cooler because of the surfers. There was no one who cared. Until Dirk.”

It’s not every writer who can make you see the world in a brand-new way and/or seek out hot dog/pastrami/cheese burritos on Pico Boulevard (which I totally did).

Francesca has written nearly three dozen books by now, full of all kinds of magical creatures (technical and otherwise) and the occasional mermaid. Here’s a random mermaidly quote from her novel Echo:

“Maybe I would become a mermaid… I would live in the swirling blue-green currents, doing exotic underwater dances for the fish, kissed by sea anemones, caressed by seaweed shawls. I would have a dolphin friend. He would have merry eyes and thick flesh of a god. My fingernails would be tiny shells and my skin would be like jade with light shining through it I would never have to come back up.”

And from Wasteland:

“You asked me who I thought I was before. I said maybe I was a fish because I love water and you said, you thought a mermaid, maybe. If you were a mermaid, you said, if you were a mermaid, I was the sea.”

Do you see what I mean?

Francesca also, by the way, contributed to the not-yet-published Mermaids magazine I’ve told you about, and which will come out soon I THINK (watch this space!), and one day recently she emailed me a link to these

which officially makes her the best author with the best taste in sunglasses ever.

Our illuminating Q and A follows:

So can you tell me about your fictional mermaids? When and where do they appear in your books? What do they do?
Weetzie grows up, goes to a pink hotel and rescues one here:

And I have an erotic mermaid tale here:

Are you yourself a mermaid?
No, I am a wood nymph. In my system, outlined in Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur, mermaids are beautiful, warm, maternal, challenging divas. Wood Nymphs are wild, loving, somewhat neurotic artists.

Why do people love mermaids so much, do you think?
What’s not to like? They are like us and yet completely foreign and inaccessible. They also echo our origins from the sea.

And:

Do you have any future mermaid plans, in your books or outside of them (or both)?
I have one coming to visit me next weekend from Manhattan. She has red hair, does yoga and writes poetry and stories.

In my new book Love in the Time of Global Warming, there are some sirens. The book is based on The Odyssey by Homer with a female protagonist named Penelope (Pen) who has to help save the world after an apocalypse.

Do you have any favorite mermaid art/fashion statements/books/movies?
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson.
The Odyssey by Homer
Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman [interviewed on this blog here]
The Secret of Roan Inish. (film)
As I think more about this, I would like to write one!

Also:

What do you think makes mermaids so cool?
I am fascinated with all half-human, half animal creatures but there is something especially enticing about the ability to live under water, to swim like a fish, to sing on the rocks, to charm the object of your desire into your hidden realm.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing a sequel to Love in the Time of Global Warming and a new adult book for St. Martin’s Press called Beyond the Pale Motel.

And finally,do you have any advice do you have for aspiring mermaids?
Wear sunglasses (I just had cataract surgery at an early age) while you bask on rocks. And wear sunscreen.

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Artist David Delamare and His Many Many Mermaids

28 Jun

So artist David Delamare is kind of a big deal, mermaid-painting-wise, and you’ve probably seen one of his mermaid masterpieces whether you know it or not. At least in your dreams or drunken wanderings (or here). I mean look:

He’s got tattooed mirror-holding mermaids hanging out on rocks, and steampunk Marie Antoinette mermaids sitting on metal horses

and streamy-haired mermaids hanging out around bathyspheres for possibly nefarious purposes

and poker-playing mermaids about to cheat pirates out of valuable loot

and well coiffed mermaids pressed against seahorses in questionable manners

and plenty more mermaids besides, many of which you can gaze upon in this glittering gallery.

Obviously, I had to ask David some questions at some point, lest I be remiss in my mermaid duties and leave this blog somehow eternally incomplete. Our enticing Q and A follows.

When did you start painting mermaids? What was the first inspiration?
The first mermaid I painted was for ready money, nothing more. She was part of a very fanciful wooden sign for a restaurant called Buttertoes. At the time I had no idea that this seemingly simple sea creature would ultimately provide so many interesting conceptual and compositional possibilities.

How has your mermaid art evolved over the years?
My mermaid art has changed dramatically because my approach to making paintings is so different. For many years I painted using an air brush for areas of continuous tone (both on the figures and in the backgrounds) then added details using a traditional brush with water-based paint. Several years ago, I switched to the most traditional of media—oil brush on canvas. Using a brush rather than a spray gives the areas of continuous tone a much more organic and less mechanical effect. With oil painting, I start with a layer of opaque paint which will become the shadows and continuous tone, then glaze over this with transparent washes. The result is that the light bounces off of lighter areas while being absorbed by darker ones. This creates a depth and luminosity that my earlier paintings couldn’t have. You can’t see this in the photographs of the art. It’s really only visible when looking at the originals. If you’re curious about how the individual elements of the paintings are added, you might view the progressive slideshow on You Tube of my Alice painting titled “Beware The Jabberwock.” There are also some progressive albums on my Facebook page.

Has your idea of them changed at all—over time and/or as a result of mermaids’ increasing popularity, etc.?
At first, my narratives were influenced by Greek mythology or the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Later, my interpretations become more personal, primarily driven by the desire to create more complex and interesting compositions, settings, and features. I experimented, of course, with different anatomical elements such as gills, fin shapes, and scale styles. Then, in the last ten or twelve years I began interpreting the writings of my partner and publisher Wendy Ice, who has written a field guide describing a mermaid world of her own invention. We occasionally have late night discussions about the symbolic or metaphorical significance of the mermaid, usually taking a fairly psychological approach having to do with the conflicted (divided) self or the division of the conscious and unconscious.

Can you talk about what continues to inspire you? How/why do mermaids continue to interest you?
Artistic genius never stops inspiring me. Painting, music, live theater, film, and literature are all favorites. If I find myself at a temporary impasse, certain artists never fail to jump-start me. Reliable touchstones include Mozart, Django Reinhardt, Orson Welles, Harold Pinter, Caravaggio and Monty Python. Mermaids continue to interest me because their conceptual elasticity is endlessly encouraging as a source of engagement.

What’s the most challenging part of painting them?
The challenging part is to keep reinventing them so that they remain vital.

Do you have an interest in or fascination with mermaids outside of your art? Are you, for example, interested at all in mermaid culture and/or have a particular love of the sea?
Wendy and I have both carefully avoided reading any contemporary writings about mermaids because we don’t want to be consciously or subconsciously influenced by the material. Also, we don’t want to feel as though we can’t use an interesting idea just because someone else happened to use it. The odd result is that we’ve been creatively immersed in the subject matter for many years but are almost completely ignorant about how it has been handled by others in the last century. For the same reason, we know next to nothing about contemporary mermaid imagery. Like anyone else, we occasionally stumble upon a mermaid painting online, but we don’t go looking for them. (The downside of this approach is we miss out on what is likely a wide variety of interesting literature and imagery.)

Can you share with us one of your favorite mermaid paintings you’ve done—and why?
My favorites are the most recent. I particularly like a newer series that we’re calling the “Victorian Mermaids.” It features Victorian carnival portraits that depict a caste of mermaids described in Wendy’s writing. In these images mermaids are posing as humans posing as mermaids. I like the fact that they have a psychological quality about them, akin to something found in traditional oil portraiture.

And finally, do you have any advice for aspiring mermaids?
Beware of the undertow and always bathe in moonlight.

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Joy de Vivre’s la Vie Sirene magazine

6 Jun

So I’ve been aware of Joy de Vivre and her Siren School for a while, and was even set to visit one of her San-Diego-area camps last year that involved irresistible swan maidens and a whole lot of white feathers. Siren School hosts fantasy-based camps, parties, tours and even cruises centered around romantic, magical creatures (including, of course, mermaids) that every woman might want to be for a day—or longer. You can see a list of upcoming events here. More recently, she’s launched a cool online magazine called la Vie Sirene and this month its focus is mermaids. Check out the cover and click around to read, among other things, Joy’s awesome interview with one of my favorite mermaids, Weeki Wachee’s Barbara Wynns:

I ask Joy for further gorgeous illumination below.

Can you tell us something about yourself?
I am a confessed siren! I don’t use my gifts or talents to lure men to their doom; but I do appreciate being a woman and all that it entails.

I have always known I was cursed with the entrepreneurial bug, but before I struck out on my own I worked in film production and marketing in the performing arts. I’ve owned a few small businesses I absolutely loved, including a tea room, fine dining garden restaurant and a theater company. But my latest venture, Siren School, looks to be the most fulfilling as it inspires and buoys women to find and express their true selves.

How did you become interested in mermaids?
My favorite story as a child was Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, which, as readers know, has a different sensibility than the Disneyfied version. My mom forbade me reading it cuz I would be late to dinner, crying in my room while pouring over the especially heart-wrenching parts

Have you long been involved in mermaid culture, etc?
I flirted with the culture from the fringes for ages. When the movie Splash came out I was nicknamed Madison because of my long blonde hair. And as a SoCal beach girl I have always had a very personal, passionate and altogether primal relationship with the sea. In fact, I am convinced I have salt water coursing through my veins. I am most alive and at peace and ‘myself’ when I am in the ocean.

What is La Vie Sirene?
It is a grass-rootsy online magazine “of the sirens, by the sirens, for the sirens.” In my dealings with members of the mer community I have run into scores of talented artists, authors (you may have been my first!), jewelry & tail designers, rabid enthusiasts, etc., who deserved to be showcased for their dedication and artistry. Unfortunately, many of them feel they have nothing to offer. La Vie Sirene is the place where they can not only be in the spotlight, but share their thoughts and expertise.

The magazine’s logo is made from photos of all its contributors.

I relish and encourage contributions from those who are terrified at the thought of writing anything for the public, but who secretly yearn to. While the magazine will feature topics of interest to its primary demographic, women with a penchant for fantasy, dance and esteem-building, it will do so by focusing on a single theme per month to the extent that readers will be so deluged by the theme they will beg to move onto the next issue.

June’s premier issue is about Mermaids, and every single article and ad involves something mermaidy, from mermaid artists, authors, performers and shop owners, to recipes, bath products and even mermaid-specific hotels and pubs. Instead of providing the month’s content in one chunk, the information is rolled out and posted daily, with at least one article and one attendant ad, chosen to complement said article. I wanted to make both the main content as well as the hand-picked ads stand out and give readers the chance to savour each morsel proffered. At month’s end, the issue’s contents will be compiled into one publication available in PDF, Epub, Mobi and possibly even print formats.

It just launched a few days ago and already we are getting incredibly heartening feedback. People are finding it not only entertaining, but highly informative! It’s what I worked for, but dared not expect. So I am thankful, to say the least.

While it’s exciting to get involved in new projects, and try formats that reside just beyond the envelope, by far the best part about the entire enterprise has been the connections I’ve made with some incredibly soulful and talented people. It is such a gift to see them work their magic, and to get to showcase it.

What inspired you and what can we expect in the future?
I actually just posted an article about the mermaid/belly dancer who inspired Siren School to begin with, if any of your readers are brave enough to take a gander.

As for what the future holds, specifically as it applies to the magazine, we have a list of themes in the offing through 2014, though we’re open to requests.

I know you also run mermaid camps (and other fantasy-based camps) and have mermaid-themed cruises in the works. Can you tell me about all that?
Siren School grew out of my desire to stop swimming just to train for a triathlon, and to get back to doing “water ballet” as I had in my youth… only this time, with a tail! I searched the net for a “mermaid camp”—not knowing if there actually was such a thing—and found the grandmama of them all, wonderful Weeki Wachee. But I lived in California and they are across the country. Additionally, I wanted to delve into the lore and mythology of the legends in something of a roleplay environment. Next thing I knew, I was creating my own camp experience, which is not surprising given that I’ve been involved in theatrical interactive event creation since I was a tyke.

Once I got started with the idea for mermaid events, my inner genie, flapper, geisha, naiad, Venetian courtesan, Parisian showgirl and so on began complaining that they were being neglected. That is when I realized that I wanted to offer a variety of ‘siren’ archetype activities and experiences.

I sat down and created a slew of events all based in coastal Long Beach, CA, and thought I was done. But immediately, I started receiving messages saying, “I love your events but they’re too far away. Let me know if you ever do one in my area.” What to do, what to do… That is when the idea for a tour first germinated and the result is l’Experience Sirene, i.e. Siren School’s 2013 tour with events in cities all over America—each city chosen specifically to best fit the theme. Our Vampire Hunt will be in New Orleans, Pirates Caribbean Cruise & Treasure Hunt in Cozumel, Dryad (wood nymph) event at a Treehouse resort in Oregon, the 1920’s Speakeasy Die Hard gangster melee in Chicago, etc.

The aquatic events include two mermaid cruises with optional dolphin swims in the Bahamas, a Pacific Paradise mermaid getaway with dolphin encounter in San Diego, CA, and our naiad retreat which includes a manatee swim in Florida’s fresh water springs.

Do you yourself slip on a mermaid tail and/or identify as a mermaid at all?
I was over the moon when I got my first tail!!!! Being a major introvert and not liking to attract attention, I do most of my mermaid swimming and water dancing in secret, far from ogling eyes. I am in the throes of designing my first custom tail, which is fortuitous since I gave my original tail away to someone who was unable to get one for herself.

Joy’s alter ego: “mermaid’s perch” by dashinvaine on deviantart

Why do you think so many people are so drawn to mermaids?
Oh gosh, I could write about that for pages and ages. I think this topic is best left to experts like.. well… you! But I will say, that to me mermaids represent confidence, freedom, grace… a lack of hangups and inhibitions… all qualities that are incredibly attractive in a woman. If the movie Splash imprinted you as it did me, then you may equate being a mermaid to being genuine, beautiful, sweet, loyal, loving, bright… so many qualities I would love to foster in myself!

And finally, do you have any advice for aspiring mermaids?
I feel it is absolutely vital to be one’s self without in any way comparing to other mers, their accomplishments, or their tails! Like any budding subculture, mer-dom has its own set of growing pains to contend with, and will find its balance, I have no doubt. While it does so, I feel it is imperative that mers act in a cooperative effort to embrace and promote this unique activity and lifestyle they adore. Like the Little Mermaid’s sisters, we too must twine our arms around each other and rise up out of the water, singing our siren song, not to induce others to wreck on the rocks, but to praise and share our gratitude and love for the mermaids we are—and more important, for one another.

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Artist Caroline Waloski’s “Flights of Fancy”

5 Jun

So this Friday evening you might want to transport yourself to Greenport, New York, to attend the opening reception for artist Caroline Waloski‘s brand-new mermaid-themed exhibit “Flights of Fancy,” which will be showing at at The Siren’s Song Gallery until the end of July. Here is the sparkling invitation and relevant info:

I talk to Caroline below, about fishy ladies and Siren’s Song (which she also runs and directs, and which features mermaid art from a variety of sea-loving artists), but first, check out her own magical creations:

So what is the Siren’s Song Gallery?
I created the Sirens’ Song Gallery to lure folks into discovering the arts. The gallery is located in a historic maritime village. One can’t ignore the sea, bays, rivers and streams surrounding the area. It is natural for an artist to record what is seen, but there is more than meets the eye. Many local galleries feature paintings of the sea, but I thought I’d feature what was less obvious: the mysteries of the depth in spirit and psyche. After thousand of years evolving we humans are still connected to the sea. The waters of the earth can be benevolent or malevolent. The tides and the moon have a strong pull on our lives, and emotions, and the Mermaid Goddess is still there as intermediary. From ancient Mesopotamia until today she is our protectress. The mission of the Sirens’ Song Gallery is to focus on the beauty and power of this ancient deity, and her relevance in sustaining and preserving our world.

What kinds of artists have you featured?
The gallery has exhibited mid-career and established artists from the around the world, all of them focusing on water and sea themes. Water, the sea, and our natural environment has been the major focus of all art exhibited at the Sirens’ Song. The very first exhibit in 2006 was titled “Creatures of the Deep & the Shallows.” Artists from the Manhattan Graphics Center exhibited both fact and fantasy images with mermaids and other sea life bestiary. “Water Works,” a solo exhibit in 2008, featured limited-edition reduction linocuts, etchings, and collages by Cynthia Back focusing on the beauty, magic, patterns, and texture of our waterways and how they stay recorded in our memory. “Ebb & Flow” in 2011 featuring Shelly Haven and Cynthia Back dealt with large and small waterways and what possibly lies under the surface, and remains forever in our memory and fixed in time.

As artist in residence I have begun to focus on exhibiting my own work. The women’s issues that have always been the focus of my art have taken on a mythological approach using the Mermaid as Muse, the giver and protector of all life on earth, the ancient Goddess presiding over an “Amniotic Sea.” It is from prehistoric primeval seas that all life emerged. We are the evolved creation of those primeval cells. We are made up of water, depend upon it to sustain life, and the pull of the tides still moves and controls us. Our children in embryonic fish-like state are carried in a salty pool inside our female bodies until birth.

After thousands of years this Goddess of the sea is still very much an intermediary between us and the ocean’s force. Spirits and demons have always been present in my work, but since moving to this historic maritime village the Sea Goddess or Mermaid has insinuated herself as the dominate spirit. My new work in “Flights of Fancy” contains some book arts in the form of Ditty Boxes. Sailors in their long sea voyages during the whaling era often worked on art projects to pass the hours, and sometimes years on board ship. Mermaids were a favorite subject. These scrimshaw inspired objet d’art focus on the sirens of mythology, and life givers. “The Odyssey” a carved surface of the egg shaped box shows a Siren perched on a rock while 2 other Sirens float in the air. Upon opening the box a small imperiled boat is revealed. “The Beginning” is a doll shaped stacking box. The outer box is a Mermaid in her element. The inner box reveals a human swimmer with flippers, the final inner 3rd box reveals a tiny MerBaby. I am happy with where this series is going. As an etcher I have always worked in 2 dimensional layered work, now I am working in 3D. This gives me the opportunity to reveal only one layer at a time. Just like the mystery of the sea.

Can you tell me about your own background? Have mermaids always inspired you?
After years of living in New York City, born in Brooklyn near the waterfront, I moved to Long Island in 2005. But I was always surrounded by water, wherever I lived. Prior to moving to Greenport I lived and had my art studio in Harlem’s Hamilton Heights area. Situated between the Hudson and Harlem Rivers in a house built above underground streams I always felt the protection of water spirits. I was familiar with Long Island’s East End because my parents, and extended family always vacationed there. My parents were first generation Americans, their parents immigrating from Warsaw. The symbol of Warsaw just happens to be a mermaid. Greenport was a natural choice because it is a historic maritime village with a deep water harbor. Whaling and rum running are part of the local history, as is aquaculture and agriculture. My best days as a child were at the beach, swimming, fishing, collecting sea shells and sea glass, boating, or day dreaming about Mermaids. I haven’t changed much; the sea still preoccupies my thoughts and mesmerizes me.

To quote Anais Nin: “I must be a mermaid…I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living”.

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Mini Mermaid Tails from Applejack Apparel

31 May

So I recently heard from one Kaycee Militante, mermaid aficionado and proprietor of the ridiculously cute Applejack Apparel, where you can buy super inexpensive, handcrafted tails for the little mermaids (and mermen) in your life. Here’s their Facebook page, which you should probably follow because everyone’s day gets brighter when looking at squawking moppets in mermaid tails. I mean look how cute these things are (they even come with requisite flower headbands)!

I know. I have now solved your what-to-bring-to-the-baby-shower dilemmas forever, and you can thank me with fan mail and ca$h. In a further act of selflessness, I recently asked KayCee about her company and those shimmery-tailed creatures generally.

So why did you start Apple Jack Apparel? What inspired you?
I started Applejack Apparel when my daughter, who was three at the time, saw some videos of girls in mermaid tails on YouTube and begged for one of her own. I saw there were several shops that sold tails, but they were very high-end and I thought I could make her one for a lower price.

Have you always loved mermaids?
I’ve loved mermaids since I saw Peter Pan! The jealous girl mermaids were so cute… Later I loved The Little Mermaid, which came out just when I was still a kid, and I’ve had a blast watching that movie with my daughter, who prefers Ariel over the rest of the princesses..

Pretty ridiculous, right?

Do you identify as a mermaid in any way?
Well, I love swimming! And I have long hair, and I like to sing.

What has the response been to your tails (from kids and adults)?
I get uplifting emails from customers regularly, and that is the best part of owning this kind of a business! When I hear that one of our tails made a birthday dream come true or that a little girl doesn’t want to take hers off, it really makes my day. The best responses often come to us on Facebook, where people submit some amazing pictures of happy girls posing in their mermaid tails. I also take pride in the craftsmanship—we have a lot of positive reviews that mention the craftsmanship and the fabric.

Why do you think little girls love mermaids so much?
Mermaids are elusive and beautiful! They live in a part of the world that is mysterious, and the idea that they are separated from our world can be both tragic and intriguing.

I know you have a daughter/mermaid of your own—what does she think of them?
Nina wore the first tail I made to bed the first night, and cried when having to decide whether she would take it into the tub or to bed for the first few days… like so many interests she’s had, the mermaid obsession was urgent and intense for awhile, but now she’s more into Monster High and drawing. She still agrees to model whenever I have something new to share, and she and her brother play in the bath tub sill (he has a shark tail!)

Any exciting plans for the future? Have you considered making more swimmable tails and/or making tails for adults?
We have made tails for adults! We can do custom orders for babies and grown ups. Making the grown-up top was a bit of a challenge at first! Also, my son has a shark tail that I’ll be listing in our online shop, too. We could make a tail to fit over a mono-fin at some point, but for now I’m enjoying making affordable things for little girls.

What advice do you have for aspiring mermaids, young and old?
Indulge your imagination! Write and draw your adventures, or video them so you can look back someday and remember. Be playful in life and have fun with what you do and who you are.

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Raina the Halifax Mermaid’s Extremely Helpful “Fishy Business”: How to Be a Mermaid

31 May

I last talked to Raina the Halifax Mermaid for this blog a couple of years ago (here’s the inimitable interview), and she’s been up to a whole lot of mermaidly stuff since. She has even proven the literary-ness of mermaids everywhere by writing a book, “Fishy” Business: How to Be a Mermaid, which came out two weeks ago and which aspiring mermaids everywhere can order here. Yours truly even wrote the foreword, so it is obviously the best book ever and will very likely change your life.

I talk to Raina about her gorgeous tome below:

So tell us about your book. What prompted you to write it?
My book is called: “Fishy” Business: How to be a Mermaid. It’s 1 part autobiography, and 1 part How-to. You can learn how I became a successful mermaid performer, and how to create your own mermaid company too. In the book I have it broken into 4 Parts: Fins, Persona and Image, The Working Mermaid, and Resources.

There were a few reasons behind writing the book, and I’m embarrassed to say that one of them was stress! As an active mermaid I get 100s of emails from all over the world, from mermaid hopefuls looking for some information. At first I’d always give detailed replies. I’m a teacher, I enjoy educating others! Before I knew it, it got to be too much. I looked for other outlets to educate others about the mer-world and started posting tutorials about professional mermaiding on mernetwork. After a few posts I realized I had quite a lot of material. After complaining a few times to friends and family about some of the not-so-nice, more demanding emails, it was suggested to me that because I was using my professional skills in teaching, that I charge a fee for my advice. I didn’t really feel comfortable with that idea, but it did eventually dawn on me that I could write a book! I put some feelers out there into the community, to see if people would be interested in something like that. I got back a mixed response that people either wanted a how-to-guide, or an autobiography. I decided to combine the two. I spent a few solid months doing nothing but working on the book, while doing mermaid work on the weekends. It was wonderful and a great growing experience.

What can aspiring mermaids learn from it?
Hopefully everything and anything they need. A lot of research went into this book. It isn’t just my knowledge and experience, but the collective knowledge of our community, things I have learned through my two degrees working with children and educating, and things I have learned from interviewing mermaids who worked in fields different from mine (like in aquariums). I start with the very basics of how to get a tail, get the funds for a tail, learning to swim, and discovering the mer-community. Then I explain the things that need to be in order before starting a company, like your persona and image, networking and promotion, a few legal things, and gear. From there we go to life as a working mermaid, with the very basic logistics that apply to all mermaid work, to the specialized steps involved in both getting and working very specific gigs and events. All along these three parts I’ve included personal stories—some never before shared—that are both embarrassing and hilarious, of how I figured things out the hard way. There are some photos, and then there is a resource section with links, phone numbers, information, books, and more to help out the mermaid enthusiast or professional mermaid.

The book is intended to be for all levels, all ages, and those who are either only interested in hearing my story or those only interested in setting up their business. I don’t just tell you the info, I teach it to you using a variety of strategies.

Can you share a tip or two here?
Sure! I think the best tip I can tell anyone is that they need to advocate for themselves! Our profession isn’t well known at the point in time, and even within the realm of performers we’re on the outskirts. Businesses aren’t just going to hail you down all the time for work, or even understand what you’re trying to do. It’s up to you to put yourself out there, provide people with examples of what you do and why you’d be a good hire, maybe even go as far as to submit a proposal or give a presentation! In my book I try to give you all the tools you could possibly need to do that, and I feel that much of the material can be applied to many businesses within the performing world. To us our mer-world is so much a part of us it can be hard to grasp that someone may have no clue that mermaids can even be hired.

I think the second best tip I can give you is that it doesn’t happen over night, no matter how easy some of the real pro-mermaids make it look. Everything takes time. You don’t need the perfect expensive silicone tail to start your company- I made mine work with a fabric one and then a falling apart latex one so I could get my start. If you’re always waiting for the perfect conditions, you’ll never get started. You just need to start!

What has the response been?
Much better than I could have ever expected. Within my first day of sales I’d sold fifty books. Within the first ten days of sales, I’d sold a hundred. I’ve gotten nothing but positive reviews that have pretty much made me cry, because total strangers were able to easily pick out all the important points I was trying to make. I’ve gotten so much fan mail because of it, and so many people have told me it has given them the courage to follow this dream. I really felt like we were such a small community and a niche market, but the majority of the people buying my book are total strangers to me, and not even in my country! (My poor friends and family members haven’t even gotten their copies because everything has been going to everyone else, hah!) I had a few very vocal nay-sayers when I first presented the community with this idea and asked for feedback on what sorts of things they’d like to see covered in the book. I’m just very very happy I didn’t listen to the nay-sayers, because writing and publishing a book has helped me grow, helped me pay for some much needed dental work (lol) and brought me happiness and closeness within the community.

What’s next for you, mermaid-wise?
We’re using the remainder of the book funds to purchase my baby sister, Mermaid Ama, her own merbellas studios inc tail. Currently she is borrowing one of my tails, and she’s very excited to have one that is made to fit her. My company has quadrupled so I’ll be spending the majority of the summer doing many parties, events, parades, and performances with Mermaid Ama, Mermaid Mimi, and Mermaid Naida. As always, we’ll be participating in many environmental events like World Ocean’s Day.

We’re going to focus a lot more on our video and photo output using some of the tips from my book, working with the media on some pieces, and hopefully getting our ducks in a row for a potential children’s show later this year. We also plan on publishing a photobook in the fall, hopefully with an accompanying account of this upcoming summer 2013 (Think A “Fishy” Summer: Journal of a Mermaid) and video documentary. I tend to come up with big projects for myself, but I break them into obtainable goals and somehow they get done.

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Sexuality Activist Lana Fox’s Mermaid Voyage

30 May

So Lana Fox is an erotic author and sexuality activist who runs a course on erotic self-love entitled “The Mermaid Voyage: A Two-Week Journey of Erotic Self-Discovery.” Admit you want to take that immediately. She’s also written an erotic novel called Confessions of a Kinky Divorcee and is working on a non-fiction self-help book that is in part themed around—what else?—mermaids. Everyone knows that those half-fish half-humans are sexy, but I obviously had to ask Lana about how mermaids can help you and me perform some erotic self-discovery. You’re welcome.

So what is “The Mermaid Voyage: A Two-Week Journey of Erotic Self-Discovery”?
Thanks for asking, Carolyn! “The Mermaid Voyage” is a two-week spa for your sexual self and it is themed around mermaids. I designed the course because we are so often shamed, as women, for feeling sexual or making love to ourselves, yet I think solo lovemaking and romance are two of the most breathtaking ways of connecting with and caring for our deeper selves. The course will include daily audio visualizations, erotic meditations, and inspirations for connecting with your inner mermaid. It will also include a gift box with aromatherapy products, a sex toy, and enticing little sea-themed luxuries.

How does the image of the mermaid figure into what you’re doing?
Great question! I’m so inspired by the grace of mermaids. They are often portrayed as being absolutely comfortable in their bodies, and for me, mermaids’ movements are so sensual, expressive, and self-accepting. Yet we women who walk the earth too often receive the message that our bodies—particularly when we are feeling or being erotic—are ripe for criticism, shame and cruel objectification. We’re taught that our bodies should be about other people, when actually, other people should be inspired by our bodies, and honored by them, just as they are. I believe we learn this, in part, by truly knowing and celebrating the depths of our erotic selves.

How do you incorporate mermaids into your course?
Mermaids are part of the audio visualizations that are central to the course. I also encourage those who sign up for the Voyage to think of themselves as mermaids as a way to open the channels of erotic self-love and freedom…in fact, this is why the gift-pack is also mermaid-themed (natural shells and all!).

People ask me all the time about why mermaids are so sexy when they don’t, in fact, have genitals. What do you think?
It’s so interesting that people ask you about this, Carolyn. Yes, I can see why. I think we have been shamed into believing that our genitals are somehow “dirty.” Society would too often have us believe that sex is about our genitals—not our minds, hearts and souls. Yet mermaids embody the very opposite! I love seeing how sensual and erotic they can be simply by being at one with themselves. And, in my imagination, I like to think that when mermaids sing they can climax from the sheer joy of it. Sex can involve genitals, but it isn’t about genitals. It’s about enjoying our very selves.

Do you identify as a mermaid at all?
I do! I have a lovely “Oracle of the Mermaids” deck by Lucy Cavendish and and Selina Fenech, and I use it on a daily basis to really connect with myself. When I see the beautiful mermaids on the cards and read their messages, I feel that I am very much tapping my own inner depths, my own inner mermaid. I also love the sea—really love it!—and I like to dream that, in a past life, I came from the ocean.

Why do you think people (especially women) like them so much?
I think that women who identify as really feminine can feel very freed up by mermaids. Mermaids are often seen as strong and independent, but they aren’t afraid to be pretty and femme—in fact, they celebrate it!

Do you have any advice for aspiring mermaids?
For me, identifying as a mermaid is about learning to be ourselves and to shed any shaming that we have experienced. So I love to sing in the shower, to dance when I’m alone (as well as with others!), and to enjoy my body erotically, my rhythms, my self. In other words, my advice would be to find ways of expressing yourself with your voice, emotions, and body, in purely inspiring ways. That’s how I really feel my own self as a mermaid—so that would be my suggestion.

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Tiffany’s Mermaid & Myth Month

30 May

I have many fascinating things to post and will ATTEMPT to do so while being holed up in a cottage in rural Pennsylvania finishing a very bleak and unmermaidly crime novel, but I will start by pointing you to this Vulture article, For Your Consideration: Mermaids are the New Vampires. Of course this and many other articles are hollowing on the heels (fins) of that new Animal Planet show Mermaids: The New Evidence, which apparently a gazillion people watched. You and I have both heard that “mermaids are the new vampires” claim before, at least for a couple of years now, but let’s hope that it sticks this time because really, vampires are kind of lame and way less glittery (oh, wait).

ANYWAY, another cool mermaidly event has been happening all month at one Ms. Tiffany’s blog, Escaping… One Book at a Time, where she’s spent the month of May reviewing mermaid novels and featuring guest posts and interviews with a whole bevy of mermaid authoresses, all of whom I would have featured myself on this very blog had I been less lazy. Said mermaid extravaganza is called Mermaids & Myth Month, which is less a month and more a way of life.

Here is the schedule of all reviews and posts. I have generously provided links so that you can go purchase all of these books immediately. Also, in July, Bonnie from the book blog A Backwards Story (whom I interviewed last summer) will be doing her Splash Into Summer extravaganza again, so if Tiffany’s mermaid buffet leaves you wanting more you’ll know what to do.

May 1
Kick Off Post with Schedule & Giveaway (sponsored by Tiffany and a friend)

May 2
Review: Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper

May 3
Guest Post & Giveaway with Karen Amanda Hooper

May 4
Review: Fury by Elizabeth Miles

May 5
Review: Envy by Elizabeth Miles
Guest Post & Giveaway with Elizabeth Miles

May 6
Review: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

May 7
Review: The Savage Blue by Zoraida Cordova
Guest Vlog & Giveaway with Zoraida Cordova

May 8
Review: Evergreen by Brenda Pandos

May 9
Interview & Giveaway with Brenda Pandos

May 10
Review: Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

May 11
Interview with Aimee Friedman

May 12
Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

May 13
Review: Of Triton by Anna Banks
Author Post by Anna Banks

May 14
Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnette

May 15
Guest Post by Mindee Arnette

May 16
Guest Review of Promises by Amber Garr, by Jessica Baker

May 17
Review: Betrayal by Amber Garr
Guest Post & Giveaway with Amber Garr

May 18
Review: Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

May 19
Review: Above World by Jenn Reese

May 20
Review: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

May 21
Guest Post & Giveaway with Laura Howard

May 22
Review Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs

May 23
Review: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Author Post & Giveaway with Tera Lynn Childs

May 24
Review & Publisher Giveaway: Starling by Lesley Livingston

May 25
Review: Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

May 26
Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

May 27
Review: Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown
Extra Scene & Giveaway with Anne Greenwood Brown

May 28
Review: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

May 29
Review: Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

May 30
Review: Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

May 31
Guest Post by Carolyn Turgeon
Finish Post

That is right: Mermaids & Myth Month ends tomorrow with a guest post from yours truly, writing about my inspiration for Mermaid. I asked Tiffany why she loves mermaids so much, and here’s her response:

“I’ve been fascinated with them since I was little and saw Disney’s Little Mermaid. Everything just expanded from there and I was only pulled more in when I learned of the not so sweet mermaids/mermen. They live in such vivid worlds and no matter their shape, size, colour or personality, they all hold a certain allure that just calls to me. May also have something to do with the fact I am a serious water baby and refuse to live anywhere that is not near a body of water and have joked about being part mermaid. You know it’s possible, right?!”

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Bambi the Mermaid and Saving the Coney Island Mermaid Parade

21 May

So there are 13 days to go of Coney Island USA’s Save the Coney Island Mermaid from Extinction! Kickstarter, and they’re three-quarters of the way there.. but they still need a ton of support. So I figured I’d go right to Mermaid Parade Queen Bambi the Mermaid and let her use her mermaid wiles to convince you to give up some more clams. Photographer Dan Howell sent over some gorgeous photos of Bambi and other paraders to make things that much more irresistible. PLUS there’s a benefit for the parade this Saturday eve at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom with Ms. Amanda Palmer, PLUS there are all kinds of other wonders floating about on the Mermaid Parade’s Facebook page and Twitter, including info about this year’s king and queen (a Real Housewife! who writes books!) and other sea-loving celebs and mayors and, well, celebrated and mayorial mermaids.

Here is my Q and A with Ms. Bambi herself, sprinkled with and followed by some deeply irresistible photos:

So why should we save the Coney Island Mermaid Parade?

photo by Dan Howell

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is the world’s largest art parade and by far the largest gathering of Merfolk and their admirers anywhere on land or beneath the sea! It is the most colorful joy-filled EXUBERANT parade you could ever imagine happening, with complete creative self-expression for everyone, participants and attendees. It’s a HAPPENING! It’s the most inclusive contagious love fest for people of all shapes, sizes, persuasions and ages. All diversity is non-existent, it’s just a mass of people and great energy sharing a really special and beautiful day. I have never seen so many SMILES! Everyone there is smiling the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen. Smiles of wonder and pure joy, smiles of appreciation and gratitude for the spectacle of it all! I love that all ages are welcome to join in and be uninhibited and just STARE. On that special day you can’t be too weird or too much of a show off, everyone just lets their mermaid freak flag fly. I’m so very glad to see the funds coming together but we have to keep SHELLing out a few more clams, I mean it’s incredible that it is a FREE event for all those people who come to enjoy it and take pictures. If there a was a way to charge even $1 admission the money would be raised 10 times over so I hope everyone who has ever come and been enchanted will give back so we can keep on celebrating mermaids, Coney Island, the sea, the beach, freedom, creativity and sparkly togetherness!

Can you tell us about some of your awesome past costumes?
Of course some years I’ve gone more overboard than others and honestly some of my favorite costumes were also the ones I made myself early on out of saran wrap and tape and safety pins!

What do you have planned for this year? Are you working with Garo Sparo [who’s designed many of Bambi’s costumes in the past] again?

Photo by Dan Howell

This year I’m doing something pretty fishy… I’m giving a new costume designer a shot. I’ve been so thrilled with Garo Sparo for many past years, he’s made all my mermaid costume dreams come true by making me mermaid tails in leopard print, see-thru plastic, mirror chips sewn onto hotpants, stretch sequin bell bottoms with giant fins, fully boned full body tails, as well as gold fish, Siamese-fighting-fish and Geisha-inspired tails, not to mention shrimp, lobster giant crab, and clam costumes! But this year I’m going to be a Naughty Nautilus! I’ll be completely inside a nautilus shell! I guess if there is no parade, I’ll have to wear it to work!

You also run Coney Island USA’s Burlesque at the Beach, right? What’s coming up this summer?
This year will be the 17th season of Burlesque at the Beach, another great art show produced by Coney Island USA and Sideshows by the Seashore. Burlesque at the Beach is the crown jewel of the Neo burlesque revival, it is the nation’s longest running and oldest burlesque show. Burlesque for me evolved as a way to be a mermaid year round and the show was certainly influenced by the joie de vive and creativity of the mermaid parade. You can come down to Coney and see a little of the feeling of the parade in show form every Thursday and Friday night, from May through October!

How else can people support Coney Island USA?
Donating to Coney Island USA is so worthwhile because it supports so many artists in their creative endeavors and lifestyles as well as the audiences whom they entertain. Also The Coney Island Museum is growing rapidly and is an incredible source of New York City and amusement park history. I think this parade is going to be the biggest ever, there is so much awareness right now for perseverance after Hurricane Sandy and the value of Coney Island, America’s playground! It makes perfect sense that mermaids and sea creatures are the custodians of the long tradition of summertime memories and FUN!!

What do you think about the response so far to the Kickstarter campaign?

Photo by Dan Howell

Kickstarter is going so great but we’re slowing down since the initial anouncement so we have to dive deep into our treasures and Shell out a few more clams! I think it’s so FINtastic that everyone is rallying and expressing their love and support of the parade! It’s like no other parade or festival in the world and it’s time EVERYONE knew about it! There are so many mermaids and mermaid lovers all over the world; I really hope more and more of them will find out about the parade and come to Coney Island! We can’t take it for granted that this gift of community and spectacle has been given to us by Coney Island USA, and if everyone keeps pitching in we can surpass this immediate money-raising goal and have reserves for the following years. A half million people come to watch the parade each year so if each of those people could donate $1-5 dollars just imagine! It feels really amazing to realize the parade is ours. We produce it, everyone all together, just for the sheer joy of it! It’s a great time for people to REALLY be a part of the parade not only by enjoying it but by supporting it! Even if some people can’t make it all the way to the parade maybe they will still donate a couple bucks, just to know they were able to help facilitate the huge job of producing an event like this! I know I would, that’s a really great thing about Kickstarter… it just makes it really easy and effortless to be a part of someone else’s dream. It always makes me feel great to support an interesting effort I see out there, knowing that just a couple dollars from me and many others adds up to such a worthwhile outcome! It’s like magic too and it’s powerful!