ARTWARZ

Last year in august, I had the privilege of being a contestant in a drag art competition downtown.

As a #Scalie and a performer, there aren't very many outlets for me.

With an open mind and some dedication, however, and with the help of artist collective, #SNATCHPOWER, I found a community that, when I'm seen in full cosplay(green skin optional) on stage, dancing and singing about partying with space aliens, they at least "get it".

During Artwarz last season, I lost my father. We had already been quite estranged and hadn't the best relationship growing up and into my adult years, but he always inspired me to continue to perform. I just hadn't the outlet. Then I met Judas Joe Manson, a Lady Gaga embodier.

"Judy" was throwing a "little monsters" Lady Gaga themed party at the club formerly known as Rasputin in West Hollywood. At the time, I was working at Puzzle Zoo in Santa Monica, but the bus stopped right where the famous street intersects with Robertson blvd, so of COURSE I would go! "What's the best that could happen?" That night I was wearing my green lantern jumpsuit, with the TeeRex Emblem and teal afro wig I had acquired from #SNATCHPOWER and decided to leave all my energy on the dance floor. Until I had seen Judy perform. This was during Gaga's Artpop era, so in tradition, Judy performed hits from ARTPOP, including Venus.

I proceeded to loose my mind. Judy was soo...good! Like, I've never seen Gaga in concert, but after seeing Judy, That was just fine! Being a dinosaur from complex background, the idea of having money to "throw away" on the pleasure of enjoying someone else's concert, and not being paid to play my own, was absolutely ludicrous. But seeing Judy embody Gaga, inspired me to continue pursuing the course set ahead of me. After meeting Judy, finally(as I had been openly stalking her on Facebook), she posted a call for all artists after the incident at PULSE nightclub in Orlando. I sang my original songs and may have gotten a little bit of rise out of the audience, but only enough for them to go, "huh, thats interesting. next?" Then, another post.

ARTWARZ.

500$ cash prize, wigs and costumes.

As an aspiring DinoStar(pop star dinosaur), this could benefit me greatly. I entered with hopes of winning the competition. Right before the contest was set to take off, my rooming scenario began to implode, something I knew was going to happen, but did not account for time during the competition. This pushed my father and I further apart as he felt hurt that I wouldn't turn to him for help. My experience with this situation in the past pointed me to do something different, but with out a stable cashflow, it was inherently harder than I predicted. So I dove into the competition head first and hoped for the best. I stayed with a friend of a friend with financial help from a former neighbor the first couple of weeks of the competition. During this period, I was also borrowing a computer from a Comedienne I met through SNATCHPOWER. That was the most helpful thing to have happened during the competition even if I was staying in a friend's closet. Then, I got my wisdom tooth removed, stayed with another friend of a friend. During this time, I was promoting a go fund me to help me accompany my father and step mother to back to Australia to witness my step brother get married...and to play his reception.

I found that my father was saying some pretty negative things about me "ruining another living situation". After finding out how my father was speaking about me, coupled with my living scenario being, for lack of a better statement, for shit, and my health hanging in the balance, I canceled the Go fund me by releasing a video statement laden with tears and sniffles.

After the second week of artwarz, I fled Los Angeles and stayed in long beach with my aunt for Labor Day. Given a moment to reflect, I had a dream about my father. We were in our family living room, I was on both a stage and the tv, but the point of view was from my step mother's office nook. I could see my father, then I blinked and I could see his chest, open. Ribs, lungs heart, everything. Then I saw him collapse. I awoke in a cold sweat. It was 3am.

I couldn't get back to sleep. I went outside and smoked a cigarette. With a freshly removed wisdom tooth, you are not supposed to smoke and this was a bad. I had been bad and had been smoking both weed and cigarettes to stabilize through yet another stumbling block in my life. Luckily, the challenge set forth to me by the judges was to lip sync more. With my wisdom tooth missing and dry socket developing, this was not a hard task.

My father had a heart attack and went into a coma in the middle of the competition.

...The show must go on....

I got all the way to the final 5.

It was not the end. Losing to me meant a new beginning. Even though I did not win any of the challenges, I did enough networking to maintain a show a month since the end of ARTWARZ and, since she's found out I am an film editor and music producer, I have been working very closely with Judy on multi media projects.

I background dance on occasion and have edited footage for her reel.

Including commercials for ArtWarz: season 3.

I even teamed up with one of the contestants for their Saturday morning cartoon challenge.

Midnight Desire, aka Kaela, is a BioQueen of Color as well. Thanks to ArtWarz and my media consulting on other projects for her, I've felt a kin and a sort of mentorship bond with her. Adding to my already huge ArtWarz/Drag Family

I'm really glad I entered the contest last year, and though I did not win the grand prize, I won something greater, a passion reinvigorated, connections with really cool people and a refinement on >all< of my skills. This Monday is gonna be cray cray as it is an homage to Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga, with the contestants duking it out in a challenge dubbed "Night of 1000 Gagas". Judy got me to edit yet another promo for her. And though i was swamped, with rehearsals, driving, and a performance in San Diego, I did it with a smile on my face and a bong in my hand! LOL.

All I can say is since ArtWarz season 2 has ended, I've been cooking up something fun for you guys to share with me.

I hope to see you guys there at the season finale!