Karina Akopyan

Summer 2016 I was give a wonderful gift of art from my dear friends. A print from an artist I have admired for a while - Karina Akopyan.  I now have on my wall 'Priestess With Crucifix Teeth' limited edition print.

'Big Samovar Orgy'

Karina Akopyan was born in Moscow Russia but have lived in London since her teens when she went to Kingston University to study for a BA in art. Bold, provocative and multi-layered, Karina Akopyan's use of bizarre symbolism and fetishistic subject matter. Im less interested in those influences but intrigued and delighted in the use of  Russian Orthodox iconography. The two genres work together for me in presenting a world of pain, euphoria, frustration, sexual fantasies, memories, and aspirations. Karina describes her work as her own unorthodox confession.

Martyrs & Matryoshkas features painting, photography, sculpture, installations and a selection of costume pieces, the series is a bold questioning of tradition, religion, ritual, iconography, sexuality and fetishism – in all their contradictory coexistence yet believable convergence. Of course, I’m a fetishist and a lover of religious iconography…I’m going to think it works!

Just recently she had her firstJust recently she had her first solo show "Martyrs & Matryoshkas" from 8th-18th December 2016. Truman Brewery, unit 11, Dray Walk, Ely's Yard, London E1 6QL.

Karina is her own art and whenever she attend an alternative fashion club she will create a new piece. 

Sculpture and 3D art, such as this mannequin doll.

You Can't Please All The People

I've been running fetish events every month for nearly 22 years. Sometimes, you just can’t please some people! LOL And you most certainly can’t please all people, all the time.

Below are some of those common comments:

1.  Temperature

“Too hot! We’re melting!” says half those dancing, while the other half sit shivering.

Unless every single attendee stands still all night, you’ll never get this one right.

2. Too Much Going On

Yet most folks still don’t join in, but are happy to sit chatting. They complain they can’t be in two places at once. Of course, if you had less content, they’d complain about the lack of content and options too.

3. Volume

Whether it’s too loud and causes reverb around the room, or too quiet, there’s just no winning.

4. Content

Whether you’re pushing boundaries or playing it safe, someone is going to feel you’ve gone too far in one direction or the other.

5. Numbers

Getting the right number of people at your events is a tough task.

Too few, and there’s no atmosphere, with those who have turned up disappointed at the turnout; too many and it’s a cattle-market, with big queues for everything and frustrated attendees everywhere.

6. Times

We all run on different body clocks, as event timings are a prime cause of consternation. Perhaps you’re organising to start at 8.30pm? Too early! 10.30pm? Too late!

Meanwhile, it doesn’t matter how early you finish, people will book their taxis before the end, ensuring the venue emptying.

7. Communication

Communication is key to a lot of things: a happy marriage; a high performing job; well informed attendees.

Yet somehow, no one reads the information. The really frustrating thing is that no number of emails, texts, public announcements or messages written in the sky, will get your message across to them.

They’ll turn up and ask "what’s planned"? Or bring the wrong ticket. Or go to the wrong venue…the list is endless. Then who’s to blame? You, of course!

8. Price

You know that you’ll never get price right for everyone, even when it’s a free event…"and should have charged"! Whether you charge a lot, a little or nothing at all, you can rest assured the price will never be right for everyone.

9. Catering

Try never to offer food. It’s a minefield!

10. Location, location, location

If only you could choose ANY venue for your event!

Just a few of the things promoters have to contend with…availability? Price constraints? In town or further out? Bar? Facilities? Close to hotels? Transport services? And the list goes on...

Conclusion

If you do your best and are mindful of what you can achieve…you will have hopefully pleased one set of attendees, only to find the rest are now less than impressed…just remember, do your best!

Or alternatively you could just copy what some other promoter has spent a life time to achieve. LOL

Apparently event planning is the 5th most stressful job in the world. Those who make a successful career out of it really are heroes for putting in so much effort, often behind the scenes, to keep so many people happy.

Well, I don’t know about that! I just LOVE what you do…I don’t just do it for the money! Hell…what money!!!

Miss KIM x

PS Not to mention keep the venue happy!!!

Wild Beach

I was just thinking, where is my favourite place? I used to say it was Sonoma Valley in Northern California, just north of San Francisco. When asked why, I said, because it smells amazing. It's got lots of trees and is hilly. Anyway, it's been years since I was last there, which is a shame.

My new-ish favourite place is the wild beach at the Delta Ebro on Spain's Costa Durada. The river Ebro starts in the mountains and flows out into the sea from the  Delta Ebro. 

I have own a home in that area for 14 years and it's only really been in recent years that I have discovered it's beauty and charm. It's a really long beach (the thin bit above that links the land masses), I would say a couple of miles long and what is so unique about it, is how the channels in around the back of the beach (Trabucador) and you get, what Americans would call a panhandle. The waves on the costal side are uninterrupted and on a very even flat bit of coastline. I hate walking into the sea and all of a sudden it drops away. Here you can walk out into the sea a long way before you are submerged, out of your depth.

It's one of those places that you will never have heard of, as it's not a tourist destination. There are never that many people there and we always go to the furthest point you can drive too, then walk a little further. It's nice to choose either the peace and quite, or take the bluetooth speaker and blast out the music, knowing that you will not annoy anyone. We make camp close to the shoreline so it's easy to run in, and out. From June the water is always warm. Sometimes it feels like bath water. Sometimes the waves are high and it's fun to jump through them. Other times is flat and calm, like a mill pond.

The sun shines and we have a picnic. There are no shops, bars or toilets at the wild beach. You take everything with you (and take everything away, when you go).

Part of the excitement is the journey there, once you turn off the main road and head into the delta, it's very flat and fertile, which is why they grown rice there. Yes rice - Paella needs rice. There are mile upon mile of paddy fields.

Plus all the wonderful wildlife, like Stork and Heron, that goes with them. Once you get throughout the fields of rice and are close to the beach, there are 1,000's of Flamingo birds.

Another attraction to this area is the kite surfing and wind surfing, as the water in the estuary only comes up to your knees. Perfect for getting back on again.  It's a really safe place to let small children play in the water, as there are not tidal waves and currents  to sweep them away.

After 8pm you are allowed to fish off-the-coast but not before as folks will be swimming in the sea and you wouldn't want to catch one of them!

In the middle on the summer you can quite happily sit on the beach till 8pm, as everything is still beautifully warm. The journey home is only an hour.

So, it's probably one of my most favourite places in the world.

Rubber Bears

These adorable bears are available from Debauchee Designs. However, they don't just make bear but accessories and restraints too. The bears are tactile and well stuffed!

The 'Rubber Cult' bear is HUGE and will be coming along to Rubber Cult with Miss Kim on October 8th 2016 to have his photo taken with all the wonderful rubberists.

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Breathless Are The Best

I have been choosing Breathless UK Latex for my rubber for 10 years now and have never had an bad fitting garment. We work out the designs together and if Dolenta, the owner/designer,  thinks they will not look good, she will tell me.

It astounds me that folks send hundreds of pounds and euros across the internet without giving a thought for if the items will fit properly!

Why not go into the Breathless shop, located behind the British Library, where Dolenta will measure you and, if you are a stock size direct you to the rails of clothes. If you're an unusual size like me (top heavy), then she will take your measurements and make you something that fits like a dream. Your measurements will be keep forever and all you have to do is email what you want.

Breathless make both men's and women's latex wear. Dolenta will make suggestions for your body shape or if you have an idea in your head she will bring that to life.

My green dress above has HUGE puff sleeves, which are just as I requested. I have a thing about puff sleeves and have already got an idea for another design. 

I have hoods from Libidex, Rubber55 but none fit me as well as my Breathless hood does. I highly recommend them for fit. Here are just a few of my Breathless creations below.

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Artist C.A. Halpin

One of my lovely admirers commissioned these two drawings from an amazing artist called C.A. Halpin. All he had to do was send in some of the photos he liked (I think he stole these from Fetlife) and she did all the rest. It was a belated birthday present.

I have since talked to the artist Cate and she is happy to do an artworks for a websites, birthdays, anniversary, declarations of love etc! The drawings are very affordable and range in price depending upon the intricacy of the finished picture.

Prices upon application.

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Fetish Web Mistress - The Expert

Miss May aka DirtyDollBaby is the Fetish Web Mistress.  Established for 15 years, she offers a bespoke service for web design, graphic design and photography. Mostly for the global Fetish, BDSM and erotic industry. Based in France, her clientele are mainly in London, UK and as far away as Sydney, Australia.

Designing and creating blogs, online stores, portfolios and subscription based websites. Her clients range; event organisers, publishing companies, independent photographers, models and retail designers. Plus the development of brand identity and SEO techniques. Experience with crowd funding campaigns and social media marketing.

Miss May has a real interest for alternative cultures and is very creative herself. Her biggest passion is photography, check out her blog and the rest of the website.

During the Summer of 2016, Miss May and I, found ourselves as guests, in the chateaux of DeMask founder - Steve English. His wonderful home is in the south of France and was our background for an impromptu shoot. These photos are the result of our first shoot together and I am delighted with them.

Visit www.fetishwebmistress.com for more information:

Miss May and I share a mutual love for hoods and a couple of years ago she helped me re-launch my old website Hood-Lovers.com, which we now run together.