Talent Jaeda DeWalt

Channels:

Photography, Art, Unique, and Writing

Genres:

Artistic Nude, Black & White, Digital Art, Erotic, Erotica, Fantasy, Figurative, Figurative, Fine art, Glamour, Nude, Poetry, Portrait - Self, Self Taught, Surrealism, Unique, Visionary Art

Roles:

Photographer, Unique Artist, Artist, Poet

Specialties:

self-portraiture, survivor art, photo constructs, digital manipulation, visionary artography, figuratives, poetry, the spoken word

Hometown:

Augusta, Georgia

This self taught artist discovered her passion of photography, back in 1995, while writing her first book, "Haunting Hands". Initially intended to be a collection of poems she had written about surviving incest. She decided it would feel more personal if she created the cover for the book herself. Shortly thereafter she purchased a camera and turned her living room into a makeshift studio. She did a series of self-portraits and then another and another. The process of creating and putting herself in front of the camera felt cathartic, liberating and healing.

The photographic medium opened up a whole new world to her and ignited a kind of passion within that she didn’t even know she was capable of experiencing. Her book transformed into a photographic essay and that started her down the path to becoming a photographic artist.

In her early years, photography was a safe place to store her pain, to express it, try and make it pretty . . . it was a way to continually feed her need for validation . . . and, in some strange way, to prove her existence. Her early years were full of abusive relationships, self-destructive behaviors, severe/chronic illnesses and living a very unstable life as she tried to find her way out of perpetuating the role and label of "victim". She created from a place of destruction and chaos.

In more recent years she turned to holistic medicine, stopped her destructive behaviors and adopted a stable, healthy lifestyle to include veganism, yoga and spiritual connection. She credits Beauty for Ashes for renewing her Spirit with the peace and good health she now enjoys. Her most recent work comes from a stable place and a desire to create art for purposes of inspiration, healing and connection.

Her primary passion will always be to create from the depths of her heart, soul and spirit.

1. Do you consider yourself more of a photographer or digital artist?

I consider myself a combination of the two, a photographic artist. I started out doing traditional photography and then my father gave me a digital camera and introduced me to the wonders of Adobe Photoshop. I then fused digital and traditional together. Eventually the digital camera and darkroom came to be my preferred way to create images.

2. Most of your work revolves around self-portraits. Why is that?

I originally did self-portraits because of the content of my book, "Haunting Hands". I felt it necessary and appropriate. After that, it became a matter of convenience as I was always available for a shoot and there were no limits or boundaries when using myself as a model. Everything I wished to express felt personal and intimate. I wasn’t sure how I would use someone else to express my vision. As time went on, I developed a desire to fold others into my photography. However, I discovered that I still needed to be the main focus of my images. Or I would inevitably pick a model who photographed like another version of me. I also cherish my privacy and solitude. It is difficult for me to open up my little universe and invite someone else into my creative process without it feeling intrusive or overwhelming. Even though photographing other people has always proved to be a richly rewarding experience for me. The struggle has always been getting to the point where I commit to doing a shoot with someone, as part of me always wants to back out and cancel. Most of the models I have photographed have been friends, the shoots unplanned and spontaneous. The other models were people persistent about working with me. They nudged me enough to make the shoot happen.

3. Much of your work tends to be either very stark or very surreal. Why do you think this appeals to you?

I feel like a wanderer between worlds most of the time. One foot barely in reality and the other foot placed firmly in the land of dreams and nightmares. I think the starker more surreal aspects of my work appeal to me because these images mirror the way I experience my world. It is kind of stark, isolated, dreamlike and marked with intense highs and lows. The images feel like the world in which I choose to live.

4. When you start working on an image, do you have an end-result in mind, or does it evolve as you work?

There are times that I have an end result in mind. My ideas are planned out, well-crafted and defined. Other times the idea pops into my head and I will do a spontaneous photo-shoot and see what develops. Either way, the end result never matches my original imagery or vision, but it makes for a wonderful starting point.

5. How do you know when something is done?

When in the processing stage of an image it is a feeling I am chasing after. When I look at an image and it “feels right” I know I am done.

6. Where do your ideas come from? Do you ever suffer from “a creative block?” What do you do to keep yourself creatively charged?

Inspiration comes from tapping into a source greater than myself . . . the universal thread . . . the collective consciousness . . . Spirit . . . God . . . LOVE - whatever you prefer to identify it as.

It is the of opening/expanding . . . receiving creative energy, surrendering to it, embracing it, channeling it, processing, expressing, outputting and sharing.

I never suffer from a creative block. I do suffer from periods of depression or high anxiety, at these times I lose my drive to create and will experience a block of inactivity. I don’t do anything to keep myself creatively charged but I have observed that when I allow other people into my world, it becomes more high-stimulus and I, in-turn, more productive.

7. Many of your individual images appear within the context of a series. What is it about the series that appeals to you?

I find that doing my individual images in the context of a series allows for a broader emotional canvas. I can let an idea, thought or feelings evolve, progress and move through me and in turn my images. I like the sense of completion I receive when taking a series from conception to birth.

8. Are you trying to convey a specific emotion with your work?

Most of the time i am just chasing after an image in my head and it is only in hindsight that i reflect upon the meaning/emotion. Recently, i have become more interested in making a conscious choice in choosing what message i wish to convey and what kind of feelings i want to bring to the surface. I have recently become more purpose orientated with my work. I want my images to do more than entertain the imagination. I am now at a place in my life where i desire to create art for purposes of inspiration, healing and connection.

9. What do you find the most rewarding about what you do?

I find sharing and connection to be the most rewarding aspects of what I do. My art is my link to the outside world. Sharing it feels like an intimate experience for me. I like the idea that something I created from a personal place can be a vehicle for allowing pain, joy, sensuality and creativity to surface and be experienced by others. I also like how sharing my work puts me in touch with other artists. It gives me a chance to experience new perspectives and different types of creative energy.

10. What is the role of the erotica in your work?

When it comes to erotica, I put the emphasis on sensuality. I like to take the sensuality to the edge of what would be considered erotic but not quite go over that edge, perhaps just blur the line a bit. I like pushing boundaries without quite crossing them. I feel that the most erotic feeling to be experienced is that of anticipation. For me the image of two people just about to kiss, lips so close but not quite touching, faces tilted, eyes closed - is more tantalizing than an image of two people already engaged in a kiss. The suggestion of . . . is very stirring for me as opposed to portraying/photographing some act that is sexually explicit.

11. Your work is not overtly sexual, yet it is often referenced by web sites and publications that focus on the erotic. How do you feel about that? Are they misunderstanding your work?

I am a bit mystified as to why my work is often referenced by erotically themed publications and web sites. I have always thought erotica to be a genre that is, explicit by nature, designed to instantly arouse and gratify. At first I was concerned and frustrated that I was being misunderstood and as a result my work misrepresented. But recently, I realized these publications are opening another window into erotica that offers a subtler, softer and more sensual view. Or perhaps my understanding of erotica is broadening as my exposure to erotica increases - dissolving some of my preconceived notions.

12. I’m curious about your technique, can you tell me about your process for creating an image?

In the way of studio photography my technique for creating an image is a lack thereof. I do a lot of experimenting. I’m not one to document, craft or develop various techniques, it feels too tedious. How I create an image depends on my mood and materials at hand. When I first started out, I was using house lamps positioned very close to me - it was all I had at the time and I was using my sheets, comforters and table cloths for backdrops. Then I acquired one halogen lamp, purchased some backdrop materials from a fabric store and began experimenting with B/W 400 CN film. Eventually I got some halogen work lights, constructed a simple home studio and mostly shot with a digital camera. I like to keep things as simple as possible it makes the creative process feel more enjoyable for me if I am not tied up in technical aspects. I find those things tend to work themselves out. And in the way of the digital dark room . . . i do, do a lot of finishing work in Adobe Photoshop. Most of what i do is done with layering and alternating the healing brush with the cloning stamp.

13. What would you identify as some of the key milestones in your evolution as an artist?

The influences of others have manifested as key milestones in my evolution as an artist, including; models I’ve worked with, along with friends, love relationships and fellow creatives. Each person offered me new ways to approach my photography. They provided me with a link me to the outside world and gave me different ways to look at and live my life. Another milestone was almost four years ago when I took time off from relationships’ and went into seclusion for several years. During that time I started taking good care of myself emotionally, spiritually and mentally. I opted for a natural, holistic approach to my overall health. I became a vegetarian, then a vegan and embraced the benefits of yoga and meditation practices. I gradually worked through my destructive behaviors and the reasons behind them. This changed the creative process for me. I let go of the belief that I needed to create from a place of dysfunction.

14. How did you become a photographer?

Quite by accident . . . . in my early twenties I had dreams of being a writer, perhaps a great novelist *dreamy sigh*. Around that time I started putting together the book, "Haunting Hands". Initially intended to be a collection of poems I had written about surviving incest. I decided it would feel more personal if I created the cover for the book myself. I purchased a camera and turned my living room into a makeshift studio. I did a series of self-portraits and then another and another. The process of creating and putting myself in front of the camera was cathartic, liberating and healing. The photographic medium opened up a whole new world for me and ignited a kind of passion within that I didn’t even know I was capable of experiencing. My book transformed into a photographic essay and that started me down the path to becoming a photographic artist.

15. I see that you have a book out. Can you tell me a little bit about it?

I published a small run of "Haunting Hands" back in 1996. I was in my mid-twenties and at that time, i felt a desperate need to process what happened to me in some tangible form, such as poetry. Then came the need to get this story to others and raise awareness to childhood sexual abuse/incest, from an adult survivor perspective. I also wanted to feel connection to other survivors.

16. You published it when you were quite young. What would you change if you were to publish it today?

I would have given myself more time to heal and process so that the book would reflect a complete cycle of transformation from that of a victim to a survivor. The book is visceral, raw and dark. It mostly expresses what it felt like to be victimized and to try and live day in and out with the pain attached to being victimized and the destructive ways in which I tried to numb or manage that pain. I created more survivors related photographic art and poetry after publishing that book. In hindsight, the book feels incomplete to me.

17. From your web-site, it is clear that you are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. How has this influenced your work?

What does it feel like for this to be public knowledge?* My earlier work greatly consisted of survivor-related photography. It is a recurring theme for me. Yet as I progress, heal and evolve my work has started to reflect other aspects and themes. Having it public knowledge has been an empowering experience. It took away the negative power incest used to have over me. Negative power such as keeping secrets, keeping silent, unsuccessfully trying to repress and bury my feelings. I no longer felt isolated or alone in my experience. I was able to let go of the shame. It gave me a chance to turn my pain into something productive instead of destructive.

18. Given your childhood background, I imagine that other survivors are drawn to your work. Is this true? Can you tell me about some of their reactions to your art?

Yes, other survivors are drawn to my work and I have experienced moments of connection with other survivors. Some moments came in the form of a sweet and touching email, or receiving a hand written note in the mail. I’ve had survivors tell me things like “this is the first time I’ve ever told this to anyone” and they experience the power of telling their story for the first time. I’ve had phone conversations and I’ve been fortunate to meet some of the people who connected to my work. This connection to fellow survivors has blessed me with many powerful, emotional and touching experiences. I am moved by the strength and openness of these survivors; willing to reach out to me and my work which connect me to feelings of warmth and appreciation for these courageous individuals.

19. So, would you say that, to some degree, your work is therapeutic?

Yes, my work provides me with a safe way/place to express and store my pain. The process of creating is cathartic in and of itself. Once my feelings and experiences are expressed through images or words . . . I feel this tremendous sense of release and relief.

20. Do you see a relationship between emotional pain and your creativity? What about love, when you are in love how does that impact your work?

Yes, for the most part, pain has been the prod when it comes to my creativity. In my earlier works I created from a place of destruction and dysfunction. It has only been within the last couple of years that I have been able to create from a place of peace, balance and awareness. When I am in love, my creativity goes into overdrive, most noticeably when in the initial stages of infatuation. I am in a blissfully altered state, feeling euphoric as my emotions and senses heighten - combined with a pace that is frenetic.

----------------------------------------------------------
questions written by Michael Silverman

whatever is at hand . . .

AUDIO CD's

---------------------------------------------------------------------
• Created, wrote, recorded and designed "Jaeda as Liquid Poetry" audio cd featuring her self-
portraits as cover art and her silky vocals reciting 20 of her sensualistic poems - January 2007.

COVER ART

---------------------------------------------------------------------
• Created cover art for electronica/techno/progressive music album "WEAREALLONE" 2006 - for artist
John Hall - L.O.T.U.S. productions. Jaeda DeWalt also did vocals 4 the song titled "JAEDEd Heavenly Song".
• Photographic artist of playbill and poster for the play Pimeyden Kita, which was performed/promoted
in Oulun, Finland - September 2001.
• Cover Artist for the book Nymph - ISBN 1885865309 - May 2000.

PUBLICATIONS

---------------------------------------------------------------------

• CafePress:- 2006 to present
• Erotic Women - ISBN: 1841199613 - October 2005 - contributing photographer
• Women by Women:- ISBN: 379132862X - May 2003 - contributing photographer
• Her print The Chamber was featured in NY's April 1999 issue of Portfolio Magazine.

ONLINE ARTICLES, EXHIBITS & FEATURES

---------------------------------------------------------------------

• First female photographer to be featured at The Art of Love, she was featured in two articles:
1. Sensual and Spiritual - November 2004
2. Female Photographer, Visions of a Woman - July 2005
• Jaeda wrote articles about photographer Misha Gordin and William Santillo, featured on The Art of Love.
• In 2000, twenty-seven of Jaeda's prints were featured at Clean Sheets Erotica Magazine in their
Under the Mattress Gallery.
• Feature artist for the 1999 October/November issue of Wired Art for Wired Hearts E-Zine.
In 2000 twenty-seven prints were featured at Clean Sheets Erotica Magazine in their Under the Mattress Gallery.

• Photography taken from Jaeda's Color of Emotion and Infusion of Color series were featured at: New
York, at the Southampton Cultural Center, as part of the Children and Women of the New Millennium
exhibit. This in honor of Women's History Month (March, 2000) through the Survivors Art Foundation.

• A showing of her photography & prints from her book Haunting Hands were featured at: New York,
at the Southampton Cultural Center, as part of the Birth exhibit. This in honor of Women's History
Month (March 1999) through the Survivors Art Foundation.

• Select prints from the Haunting Hands collection were featured at the Multi-Media Art Exhibition,
hosted by the Hofstra Museum at Hofstra University, in collaboration with the Survivors Art Foundation
and the Acoustic Neuroma Association (August 1999).

• Prints from her book Haunting Hands were featured at Cat's Impetuous Books & Stuff in Kent,
Ohio for Women's History Month (March 1998).

self-portraiture, survivor art, photo constructs, digital manipulation, visionary artography, figuratives, poetry, the spoken word

Inspiration comes from tapping into the source that is greater than myself . . . the universal thread . . . the collective consciousness . . . Spirit . . . God . . . LOVE

It is the of opening/expanding . . . receiving creative energy, surrendering to it, embracing it, channeling it, processing, expressing, outputting and sharing.