joy rebel interview:: dancing mermaid

So, ya'll know Mccabe right? Better known as the Dancing Mermaid, she is leading an art revolution that involves play and laughter and authenticity. I am so pleased to share her with you guys today on my blog!

1. Okay Chica! Please tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
i paint rocks. i take pictures. i make little movies. i encourage little girls to make art and be themselves. i write love poems. i seek magic.

2. How did you get started making art?
fingerpainting was my first love until i fingerpainted a little boy's face in preschool i had a crush and was banned from fingerpaint for the rest of the school year...

art drifted away from me around middle school and it was not until my early 20's that we reunited. i tend to dip into a myriad of mediums and believe just playing is the most productive way to make stuff. i just do it. if i don't i get sad, snarky, and snarly.



3. What are your art inspirations?
my students, topics i am passion about, my friends and favorite artists/writers, love, the ordinary, a random statement or word said at the right time, crickets and frogs chirping at the same time, fog, the way the sun hits the sea late afternoon, past lovers, a fantastic giggle, sea glass/shells, film, music, and people who dare to live outside of the lines...

4. Can you talk about your mermaid art classes for young girls and what they entail?
sure! i have had a core group of little girls for the past two years who i do art with. my number one rule (well maybe only rule?) is that the girls self-esteem and overall happiness come first. the art is secondary. we make art journals and also collaborate on canvas and film, which they love! basically they come over and make stuff and leave feeling good.

5. What about the mermaid warrior e-course?
i will be running my third mermaid warrior e-course starting february 22nd. many people have asked over the years how i do what i do, which inspired the course to begin with! through video and blogging, i will take my students with me to my own classes (i use all my actual students! which makes the videos fun to watch) so they can see our interaction and how i conduct a class. the blogging part is new. i wanted to do that so i could take it a step further and elaborate on the topics i am sharing. (and also form a supportive community) i am very excited for round three! i get so much inspiration from my online students! there are now mermaid warrior type classes all over the world. :)

6. Why is it important for you to share art in these ways?
because i was a kid that was overlooked creatively. i desperately needed it and believe my life would have been a lot easier if i had had it! we know so much more now than we did then. :) my goal is to be the teacher i always wanted to have. nobody cares if my art is good or not. what people remember is the way i help them feel. so i may not be the best artist in the world, but i do not think that is my mission. my mission is to "be the change."

7. If you had one piece of advice to give a starting artist what would it be?
look at what you are already doing. don't dismiss it as silly! do what are you most happy doing, and find a way to elaborate on it...



8. What does joy mean to you and how do you stay connected to it?
i love joy! to me, joy is finding the beauty even when everything else sucks. without joy, i would surely be a cynic and an unhappy person. joy is a practice and a celebration of things that remind you of your best self.

i stay connected to it by intention. joy does not always fall in my lap. it is often a decision to be love no matter WHAT life hands you. its a feeling inside that no one else can crap on. it is YOURS and yours only!

9. Anything coming up that you'd like to share?
my warrior class! come join in if you feel a calling to help empower little girls, or have your own little girl, or want to heal the little girl inside of you.

THANK YOU brandi! this was so fun! i am honored to be a joy rebel.
:)

Thank you Mac! I am so glad you stopped by. I know I was so inspired by your answers and appreciate how you share art with the world.

all photos credit Mccabe Russell