Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Adventures with Merman Jr.

Hello my fishies!

It's been about a week since I've blogged. But this past week has been one of the biggest adventures in my life! I spent the last weekend with Gary Antol Jr. (Merman Jr.). He's one of the owners of Merpalooza and a close friend. It was wonderful to be able to show him around the city and swim for hours on end with him. I can't give you details on the plans of Merpalooza. But I can say that we spent lots of time talking about it and there are big plans in the works! I can also say that I've been asked to help and be a part of it this year (and hopefully for years to come). And I'm dying for things to get rolling and for August to be here.


We spent all day Friday swimming. My legs hurt so bad by Saturday morning! We literally spent like 8 hours in his hotel pool, talking, swimming, catching video and pictures (hopefully we'll have some to upload very soon). I also got to get a close look at his Mermaid Creations LLC tail. It's amazing. His dorsal fin is a work of art. I don't know how he swims with that weight though! The tail actually would change color in the light. It was very similar to my tail in that manner, only much more dramatic. We also had a surprise encounter with a large birthday party that came in. It was a lot of fun to swim with those kids. I learned so much about my tail in the process too. First, a Finis Competitor monofin isn't necessarily better than a Finis Foil. Gary beat me in all our races. I can say that Mermaid Creations' tails are extremely agile, despite the fiberglass fin. I'm able to do hairpin turns, twists, and everything else in that tail. I also gained quite a bit of strength over the past few swims as well. I'm now able to lift my tail (even water logged) above my head, without help. That did lead to a problem on Friday night. I thought I would lift my tail over the railing to slide down the stairs........but I slipped on the wet concrete, lost my balance, and fell head-first into the pool. Hitting my left hip on each stair as I went down. Luckily I just bruised myself badly, and didn't cause any permanent damage (or hit my head). Okay, I lied. Permanent damage was done to my ego.

Saturday was a whirlwind of touring the city. We saw Temple Square and City Creek, and had a great time at the Disney Store (I stocked up on Villians gear, and an Ursula doll!). And then back to the pool for more swimming. Both evenings of swimming we spent with Dottie and Janelle as well. There was a pool full of mermaids! I was also able to try on Dottie's tail (and she tried on mine). Since there has been so much snow here, the pool has been freezing! We spent so much time racing and talking and playing. Having multiple mermaids makes swimming so much more fun. Poor Janelle though, was freezing! We ended the night with hot cocoa and pizza.

Sunday was a lot of fun since we spent the afternoon at a go-kart racing place. Gary treated (he's so sweet), and then lapped me like 3 times there. It was a little terrifying to speed through hairpin turns at 30+ MPH. Mermaids are not made for speeding! We had a blast. Here's a picture of us (with legs!) all geared up for the races! (You can't tell, but I'm actually smiling in the photo!)

 Now you can say you've seen a mermaid in a go-kart. (Well, sorta...)

Monday evening was especially fun. I treated him to Training Table (he thought I was crazy, but looooved their burgers and cheese fries!). And then we spent a few hours at the rec center where I do my swimming. He kept raving about how awesome that facility is (and it really is a great facility). We took some underwater video too that I hope to get up soon! At the rec center we met so many darling kids that just loved meeting us. One little girl kept coming over to the deep end to say hi. We even gave mermaid (and merman!) rides in the shallow ends. The kids thought that was great, and they loved swimming with us in the lazy river and being splashed with our tails. The best part of Monday was getting to talk to THE Thom Shouse on the telephone with Gary. Gary is actually related to him (he's his uncle). What was fabulous is that Thom asked me to friend him on Facebook even. It was a dream come true to be able to talk to him, the father and king of mermaids! I hope to meet him at Merpalooza this year.

The weekend went by in a flash it was so much fun. We made so many future plans, and have so many exciting things in the works! I can't wait to share more, but I've been sworn to secrecy for the time being. A lot of what is going on with Merpalooza is under wraps until it gets closer to the actual date. So these fishy-lips are sealed!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Performing Arts

As many of you may know, I have my Bachelor's degree in Art. Like any artist, my art form has changed over the years. I went from focusing my art into painting and drawing, pottery, and mixed media arts. Mainly two-dimensional to moving into performing art, which is what I do now. I still draw and do pottery, but it isn't my main focus anymore. To be honest, if you had told me I would move into performing art two years ago when I was starting my senior semester in college, I would have thought you were crazy. But here I am.

The problem that I have always felt about performing arts is the fact that so often they have to have a point, or be ridiculously outlandish or unique, or had to be defended by photography and essays. And it's the problem that I still have, and the reason that I've decided to write this. I'm not always a performing artist. A lot of times I'm more of an actress or an entertainer. But regardless, I always try to keep more of the performance part to my art. And yes, I still document. (You're reading this right? I've just documented it then!) There are photographs, blogs, posts, and stories that I've written. I have personal essays (no, they aren't ready to be shared yet) waiting to leave the pages of my journal. And like all performance artists I'm misunderstood. I get categorized as an entertainer, as someone whose hobby is excessive, a dreamer, an actress. And to some degree, I am all of the above. But what I do is more. It's more because being a mermaid is my life. I don't act like a mermaid. I don't entertain like a mermaid. I AM A MERMAID. Secondly, I have a message to my work. I do what I do for a reason. I don't just don a tail and swim because it's fun. It's so much more to me than that. And finally, there is pain and sacrifice to my work. One of the ways that I have always felt that art is different is because there is some kind of sacrifice (monetarily, emotionally, physically, intellectually, time-wise). It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's necessary. Take for example the person that knits a simple scarf. That's not necessarily art. And knitting is an action, not art (just like painting is the action, not necessarily art). However, the girl that knits a gorgeous sweater that takes hours and has an intricate pattern or design...that's art. Or making a blanket. Simply sewing a blanket together isn't art. But quilting would be art. Sewing can repair pants, or can create a gorgeous costume or dress. The difference is the sacrifice. The time, the effort, the emotions, the cost. And that's where what I do becomes performance art as opposed to just entertaining.

First of all, being a mermaid is my life. I think mermaid, sleep mermaid, dream mermaid, act mermaid.....It actually consumes the greater part of my life. And it goes beyond the pool. Everyday I'm working on something to advance my skills as a mermaid. I work on my mission statement, goals, image. And sometimes, like lots of artist, I stare at my bathroom ceiling and try to remember some long forgotten past-life. I choose mermaid-inspired things when I go shopping (like opting for Goldfish crackers instead of Ritz or choosing the blue makeup bag because it reminds me of the ocean). I have even tried to develop my own personality to be more mermaid like. Sure, some of my tendencies are natural...but most I had to teach myself. I wasn't always confident, outspoken, or comfortable with myself. And every mermaid that I've seen has those qualities. I had to spend so much time re-training myself to be that way. Even my house is full of mermaids. In fact, my entire bedroom has mermaid and ocean themed things from floor to ceiling. (At some point in time, I will take and post pictures.) I chose that room to transform since I spend most of my time here.

Second, I have a message. Personally I am trying to remind EVERYONE that you can truly be what you dream. It doesn't matter what size you are, what you look like, what people say (or think), or what society says is right. According to some, I might be too fat to be a mermaid. But that's their business, not mine. I can say that I have been just as successful as many "thin" mermaids in the community, so I have achieved that goal.  I want to remind people that magic still exists. That the world is still full of wonder, dreams, and all of those things we believed in when we were 5. They still exist, we just chose not to see them anymore. Dreams are real. Your imagination is real. Magic is real. And I'm living proof.

Finally, there is sacrifice that goes into my work. Money, time, and effort only scratch the surface. As many of you know, I'm a type 1 diabetic. Although my doctor wouldn't agree, I can honestly tell you that MANY times I have gone without eating or without testing my blood sugars in the name of my art. Why? Because I don't want to take time away from my art in order to do so (oh yeah, and going to the bathroom is extremely hard in a silicone tail!). And then there's the sacrifice of comfort. If you think being in a silicone tail for hours is comfortable without being able to walk or go to the bathroom....think again. It's hot, usually sweaty, my toes get all pruney, I have permanent scars on the tops of my feet from where the monofin rubs since I'm always bruising them. And to perform it requires a great deal of physical strength. The tail is 35 pounds. But even before I had silicone, binding your legs is restrictive and makes things more difficult. When you add the weight to the equation, it has taken a lot of time to adjust to wearing it. Often when I perform (especially at dry events) I'm often in some pain. And that's okay. Because its all part of the sacrifice I make for my art form. Without the pain, I wouldn't be a real mermaid. In the Hans Christian Anderson story, Ariel feels like she is stepping on knives, and it's the same to transform from a woman to a mermaid. Except for I'm swimming (or hopping or crawling) with weights and pins and needles. No pain, no gain. And without it, I don't think this would truly be art.

So I'm not here necessarily to make everyone smile and to make all the children happy. I'm here to share a message. I'm here to perform, but I'm also here to push the envelope. I'm here to remind people that beauty is more than skin deep and that dreams are possible. When someone encounters me, I don't just want them to see a girl in a costume, I want them to see a real mermaid. And that's what I strive for every day. Because that's what I am on the inside. A mermaid.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Mermaids! Fairies! and Princesses! Oh My!

Birthday parties are one of my favorite events to perform at. Because the number of guests is limited, I get to spend individual time with each child (or adult!) and get to know them. Usually I'm comfortably sitting on a couch or chair, inside a temperature controlled location, and I get a piece of birthday cake. The kids love watching me eat cake, and no, it's not because I'm a fat mermaid. I always say that I've never had cake before, since we don't have it in the ocean. So usually I make a small scene of excited faces and exclaiming that the texture is like eating a sponge. And sometimes I poke at the ice cream or frosting, and put a dot on my nose.

This most recent party that I did I actually went with my mother. I didn't have a regular mertender as my husband has been with his mom in the hospital this week. My mom dressed up as a darling Fairy Queen. Complete with glitter hair, brilliantly designed wings, and plenty of pixie dust. Her costume was designed years ago for a Halloween party, and the seamstress did her wings brilliantly. They are able to fold and compress when she sits, giving them the appearance of being real, because they move with her. The unfortunate part of this party is I've been having some bronchial problems related to allergies this week (and probably residual from being sick last week)....and I have laryngitis. I was able to push my voice at the party to talk to the kids, but I wasn't able to be quite as outlandish as I normally am, and I couldn't sing. And now, sitting at my desk with a mug of tea, my voice is almost completely gone. I need to dye my hair red (and I guess lose like 100 pounds, since I'm shaped nothing like her) and be Ariel, because a bronchial-sea-witch has stolen my voice. To quote Ursula, "No more talking, singing, zip."

But it was still a delightful party. Let me start with the funniest parts of the party.The home that I was entertaining at was a split level. Which means that I had to dress on one level, greet guests on another, and sing happy birthday on the third level. Stair climbing and mermaids are not exactly a perfect fit, but I did have my workout for the day! You can imagine this mermaid, scooting around in a computer chair, hopping across the carpet, army crawling and bum scooting up the stairs....you get the image. I think my mom might have had a heart attack. It was delightful to meet and interact with all the darling little princesses that arrived at the party. They took such good care of my tail (spraying it with water) and even explained to me the intricacies of a fork (which is not for use in your hair apparently). And I was reprimanded by the birthday girl for wanting to eat her fish. It just looked so delicious sitting up there on the shelf. She would furrow her brow, slap my fluke, and say "Bad Mermaid! You can't eat the fish!"

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from the party before I go back to searching for my lost voice!