Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mistress & Her Delightful Stable

So it's been a while since I blogged and in the meantime you may have noticed some relatively big changes, namely the closing of my stable to newcomers! Yes, this is a good thing for me, reserving my attentions exclusively for my tried and true. As the sixth anniversary of my career as a session domina was fast approaching (June), I realized that it was time to shift gears, settle back, and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I have acquired an amazing collection of slaves since embarking on this journey as a femme domme. I continue to thrive on these ongoing dynamics of power exchange and friendship. Yet being the renaissance woman that I am, the itch to expand myself further in other areas of my life has grown stronger as well.

Mistress loves to have her cake and eat it too. Thus I have kept what I love most about this craft - my lovely submissives who serve me and know me so well - while trimming away the aspects which felt most like "work" - screening and evaluating new applicants, as well as the marketing and other miscellanea that comes with it.

No, I'm not one to utter the "R" word! Not in the foreseeable future. Why throw out the baby with the bath water? I have a fetish for having my own circle of gentle men, and I see no reason to dismiss those who have delighted me with their servitude.

It's just that Mistress no longer sees herself as a professional at this. That doesn't mean my ethics or boundaries have changed. Those have always been based upon what I desire as a dominant woman and what I see as the proper place of a submissive in my life, not on any industry standards.

Now I see this as a rewarding diversion, and I can't imagine giving it up. On the contrary, as of late I have been enjoying an expansion of my explorations to women's play parties. That has been a beautiful surprise - how fitting it feels to balance that masculine energy with the sweet submission of a slavegirl, or two...

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On another note:

Occasionally, I receive an email from someone stating that they are underage i.e. under 18 years old. I appreciate you seeking me out for advice and doubly appreciate you understanding that I cannot answer these messages.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

What a Party! Bay Area Women of Color BDSM Photo Project

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending a reception at Stormy Leather for the Bay Area Women of Color BDSM Photo Project. Check out the article in the SF Weekly here. That's my lovely cohort Mistress Victoria in a sexy pin-up shot. [Don't forget she is available to top, bottom or switch in session with me!]

All of Ms. Heart's efforts really paid off with this fabulous event. Though the basement of Stormy did make for a packed space, there was some great people-watching to be had.

Heavily pierced and tattooed suicide girls, super skinny latex-clad fetish models, elegant pro dommes, saucily-dressed lifestyle players, gimped out male subs and kinky photographers all mingled, the heat of everyone's bodies practically steaming up the place. The wine and chatter flowed freely, as people perused the exhibit and took in a burlesque show and Madame Butterfly's shibari demo.

I ran into my friend Andrew Morgan, who is the founding photographer for the project. As we chatted, I glanced down at the laminated badge he wore which identified him as being one of the project participants. Oh la la! His badge was actually a photo of me from the hips down in black leather and stockings, sitting crossed-legged while gripping a studded belt.

I found out later that he had a few different photos of me playing on the projector upstairs, including one of my bare bottom in garters leaning over a stool :) It's a nice pic, but one that Mistress has not added to my galleries just yet. I'm afraid it may be too hot for my subs to handle!

We joked about my disembodied approach to photos - necessary, of course, since I do not show my face. I let my friends know, with sarcastic pride, that those were my legs on the front of the printed program (alongside Mistress Victoria and 2 other ladies' images).

It's ironic, I took more than my fair share of women's studies classes where we critically examined the objectification and compartmentalization of women's separate body parts in art and advertisements. And now I find myself doing it to myself. Oh well, Mistress has to present herself in some fashion!

Kudos to Ms. Heart for growing the Women of Color BDSM Photo Project to what it is today. I remember her very first event years ago, when I loaned one of my submissives to help serve. This last time, she extended a personal invitation to me, buttering me up by letting me know she'd appreciate my "eye candy." Oh yes, sometimes flattery will get me there!

Happy Valentine's Day...