TJDDN
TJDDN
Occupation: Fine Artist and Erotic Content Creator
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
The Sex in My Business: My subject matter often centers sexual experiences in order to convey various aspects of humanity through a unifying theme that we can all relate to. At its core, the central focus of my art is often on autonomy. I use sex as a springboard into discussions of stigma surrounding the body, identity, and other social issues.
A Typical Day: My workdays are usually focused on producing new content, which often involves building relationships with models and developing concepts for photo/video shoots — some of which take place at home, but most often in-studio. Editing the raw content from these shoots (which is where my ideas truly take shape) occupies most of my time on a daily basis. Additionally, I spend a lot of time navigating both digital and physical censorship hurdles in an attempt to have my work seen.
The Best Part: I love that this work presents so many opportunities to express vulnerability and share a feeling of intimacy with other collaborators.
The Worst Part: The stigmatization of all things sexual can be really difficult to contend with. It affects the way that people see me and how they engage with me. Sometimes, it can even bring into question my integrity and value to society, which can, in turn, impact my livelihood.
How I Got Here: Photography, illustration, and creative writing have been interests of mine since early childhood. In high school, I began to present my poetry online with digital collages created from images I found across the internet, which soon led to me buying a starter DSLR camera and creating original images. More privately, I was also using my new camera to explore and document experiences with my body and burgeoning sexuality. In college, I made a name for myself as a photojournalist and art photographer, and friends started asking me to shoot them nude, which was a departure from my public work, but familiar territory considering my private works.
What Society Thinks: Unfortunately, there are still many social stigmas surrounding sex, so I often hesitate to speak in-depth about the subject matter of my work. My family isn't fully aware of what I do, but they do know that nudity and sexuality are involved to some extent. They see my nude social media posts and sometimes poke fun at the fact that this has always been me. Other people, especially non-artists and non-sex workers, often blush when I detail or share my work with them. However, the worst of these attitudes have mostly helped to embolden me. Fortunately, there's also a number of people who appreciate my work, understand my messaging, and find it inspiring. Those are the attitudes that matter most to me.
When I’m Not At Work: I love to travel when opportunities arise, to foster meaningful relationships, and to try new foods. More than anything, though, I love my work. I create my art because I love it, not because I have to. Even in my leisure time, the most fun I tend to have is related to my career or work opportunities.
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Published in Issue III: Language
