- - - -

 "tears so big like a tsunami."

-Lil Wayne

kelly shaw nyala x Michael Preston

💧

💧

*girlqueen*

LISTEN HERE ON SOUNDCLOUD

to *girlqueen*

~ CLICK on a performance art image

(below) to view it as a

larger/clearer slideshow ~

💟

 

    J. Cole recently said something along the lines of, 

"You can wait forever, and the inspo might never come."

JUST DO IT.

(on some Nike $hit.)

and so, it's more about practicing your craft, whether the creative result comes out pristinely each time or not- this build-up of practice (exercising your artist's born gifts and skills) 

adds-the-fok-up on 

the path of one's artistry, or ...

... a steadfast investment of time and energy, as

heart-driven / cutely "mad scientist" / loyal asf,

i fully believe yields results / successes before the artist

no longer lives in flesh ...

< ~ successes on your own terms ~ >

(it must work this way, i humbly and firmly assert.)

             

i learn over and over the importance of *dailiness,* 

meaning presence in the seemingly mundane beauty 

(and sometimes non-beauty)

of making your day ...

... making your food.

making conversation with friends.

not making conversation with friends-

a necessity if you're introverted or highly sensitive.

... making your work ...

making and adhering to a sensible sleep schedule when you can.

caring for your pet or kiddos.

attending an outing/event in art's name ...

ALL. THE. BTS. 

(behind the scenes)

your art practice is part of this dailiness too, obvi.

~ (insert your own organization of how this flow flows for you) ~

each day may differ.

… as someone who has enjoyed self-designed sparkling adventure much of her life, amid an undeniable shit ton of emotional pain too, i have come to realize as i navigate my late 30’s, that there is something to be said for more groundedness, for more surrender to the simple tasks in our daily lives that keep us level-headed, fed, passionate, and content. 

anyway!! i cannot believe that i’ve been sitting on this song for a few months. i don’t necessarily have a good reason why, except that i anticipated writing a huge article to go widdit. i created a Gmail folder for this *girlqueen* article that contained eighteen different resources i intended to reference.

this morning, i deleted it all. 

too much brain power required. 

for now.

let the heart speak. 

let the music fill yuh.

take in the images if you plz.

note to self: keep it simple,

because sometimes you need to.

the fuller story is that i’m working on an EP that debuts around my bday in July. my dear friend, Steve Narvaez, is behind the original beats and teacher-duty, and our mutual wizard-pal, BLK ZEN, helps us in the studio to record vocals and add, as Steve says, “the bells and whistles.” 

~ dream team much? ~

so, the second song of my EP is called *girlqueen,* and the lyrics (EXPLICIT) are below. (to hear *snowflake,* the first song of my not yet titled EP, click HERE.) this second song came through so quickly, and i giggled quite a bit as it wrote itself. like Cardi B’s, WAP, there is shameless rapping about one’s own body. the female body- the body/being most often objectified in raps by males. 

in fifteen+ years of performance artistry, 

and newly rap, 

reclamation is always at play.

note: this *girlqueen* article is part of a larger body of work called, "new/mind/ritualz." *girlqueen* is movement #14 of 56 yet unfolding. to engage with my artist's statement and archive for new/mind/ritualz, CLICK HERE.

this is the last sneak peek of songs before the full EP launches.

LISTEN HERE ON SOUNDCLOUD!!

*girlqueen* is an original song x kelly shaw nyala, aka: reinita sweet snake

// made in Brooklyn, March 2021 //

beat + production + rad support in artistry’s name x STEVE NARVAEZ

additional recording + production x BLK ZEN of elevensixtysix

**lyrics**

"i'm the kind of girl that you fall in love with/

you like these homegrown tits n my fat pussy lips, yeh/

i'm the kinda girl that you fall in love with/

got a gem 4 a brain & a past filled wit pain/

but i gained a joy phase & a whole lotta praise for/

a heart healed & sealed wit a kiss in the rain/

& i reign a queendom come, yuh betta not play dumb/

i werked too hard to stay alive but a miracle survive/

n ima thrive yeh, ima thrive yeh, ima thrive/

even if u ain't ride or die/

i'm the kinda girl that you fall in love with/

gotta fat ass heart, my imagination smart/

i'm the ~ i'm the kinda girl blow the snow round the globe/

pull up sweeter in the grove/

honey suckle diamond buckle/

gimme peace, gimme shelter/

no more foking helter skelter/

cuz i'm the kinda girl that you fall in love with/

i deserve the whole goal, lil baby & some gold/

break the mold i been told i smell like a rose/

pussy sweeter lil heater watch the meter grow hawt/

my juicy waterfall overflow the whole lot/

i'm the royal doll ball/

erybody dancin y'all erybody dancin y'all/

erybody thriving, y'all/

ima thrive, yeh ... ima thrive, yeh ... /

ima thrive even if you ain't ride or die."

photos of the artist were taken in very late Winter becoming early Spring by Olivia Oh in Queens, NY. i felt like i was coming out of a snowy funk, and was able to recalibrate myself both socially and creatively in this shoot. this shoot also happened around the time i was writing *girlqueen,* so it feels appropriate to house everything here together, images wit sound. 

find Olivia’s work HERE and HERE.

💟

creativity + sanity + dignity

thank you to CREATRIX MAG 4 the 
feature today.

READ me HERE: 

💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧💧

Jana Astanov sez ~ ~ ~ 
"Grateful for the glitter ✨ 
& bubbles 💕💦 
& this message of hope from kelly. 🦋💐 

As we are trying to stay strong and resilient, @creatrixmag asked some of our friends and collaborators how they are coping with the current situation. Today, Kelly Shaw Nyala shares her insights: 'i find that quarantine is not a challenge for me, because i’ve been curating a quiet lifestyle for my entire adulthood. i am learning to surrender to rest a bit better too, which provides space for my vivid visions and nighttime dreams to bring me scenes + information about my ancestors, present relationships, and more. my practice itself is always happening– it’s just that i feel myself moving into a more disciplined space widdit. alas, the unfolding. (i also blow bubbles and burn a lot of candles in the evenings– both activities are romantic to me.')"

new/mind/ritualz (movements 12 and 13)

ᗐ who yer mami now? ᗐ 

in the early Winter of 2019, i was preparing to visit Thailand. i had been staying in my homestate of Iowa for 6 months preceding my SE Asia departure-- a lil chunk of time that served as my 1st phase of reacclimation to the U.S. after many years living hella simply in Costa Rica.

the photos you see below are still images from my ongoing performance art project, "new/mind/ritualz." my friend and collaborator, Megan Murray, is behind the cam for this particular movement, #12 of 56.  

some of the images from the shoot feel best shared as cropped (eagle-eyed) &/or given some *etheral blur.* some of the images are powerful all on their own with only Megan's making & editing present.

there are times when i feel compelled to write fatty essays bout my artistry n the particular reasons a shoot produces the work it produces-- i could talk a lot about the intentions~notes~prep going into a new work n the subsequent recuperation~integration phases thereafter. with new/mind/ritualz 12, however, i offer some experimental writing beneath each image as a simplified story-spell 4 u$.

ᗐ ᗐ ᗐ ᗐ

about new/mind/ritualz: "the project's title alludes to a new mind space coming forth for the artist, a rebirth (rebirthing) of sorts. before the wholeness of this rebirth is embodied again & again & again & again & again & again, a little storytelling (from/of the past) weaves thru sometimes."

here is my artist's statement for new/mind/ritualz.

here is the archive for new/mind/ritualz.

~ below is new/mind/ritualz 

(movement 12) ~

a turquoise orca shines thru the time i lost it @ 19. didn't know how to process the first. glad i got away the 2nd. also, one time i was stalked in New Mexico n the waiter called the cops on the guy-- thank u 4 that. glad i spoke up 4 myself. glad i speak up 4 myself better n more promptly now-- an ongoing practice that's ratchet in moments n i don't even care how it unsettle an extra kind lightbeam bitch. true not true. 

☆

i was born to do the shadow work as much as i was born to add glitter bursts to storm-scenes @ the pond. 3-4 frog species native to Iowa sing there all nite-- spring/summer/retro$pect. i much prefer animal songs to city songs. no shade intended, jussa farmgirl pref that keeps peace inside my ribs-- 
my ancestors knew all this.
nature.
☆

performance artistry is so many things. 
visibility. 
n when u don't feel visible 4 a season or 2+, 
how do you u "performance art?" ᐊ ᐊ ᐊ ᐊ u can still get a capture wit eyes down so as to shield a bit thee inner-movement, which is vulnerable to let aurically live when u feel 
super recuperative n xtra quiet. 

(more snail juju.) 
(guiltless periods of rest.)
☆

the heart-soul-mind juices itself wit golden-glean more often. royalty is u n u know 4 sure now, so it all hits less hard n usually u will not have to go to the hospital, but instead the woods or water to 
have sum laughs.

{talk to fawns. trust the wildflowers. 
peep Oya in the wind.}
☆

performance art is messages wit meaning in the art~spirit~unspoken realms ~

~ trance state/dreamscape ... 

... said messages r often revealed 2 u b4 u knew u knew n now u know, which sometimes has lil aftershock effects 4 the unanticipated deliverance of what remained mostly unconscious-- it can feel a bit pinched (reference to the emotional realm) when it hit the 1st time$-- this is no fault of yours, dear artista, nor the way it always comes. there is more honey now.

☆




open field. plantains. 
rainforest rain.
toad smooches.
yung grrrl. reinita.
strawberry jelly.
clothelines in the tropics.
full grown.
homegrown.

never gonna get it--
something-something x Yolandi.
☆

☆

freeze a bitch out if she pretend wit me--
they call me ice kween, 
but imma sweetie.

(werks on raps)

☆



- mine -
☆

☆

🎀 ⚓ 🎀 ⚓ 🎀

Megan Murray, artist & collaborator on
new/mind/ritualz (movement 12)

Megan Murray is a multimedia artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. Her background is in photography, music production, plant science, writing, body and canvas painting. Megan's subject matter is all living things, words, and sound. She appreciates the unintentional magic of cocreative music and art making, as well as the detailed process of audio and visual post production.

🌱 🌲 🌳 🌿 🌳 🌲 🌱

🐚 🐌 🍒 🍭 🍒 🐌 🐚

& here is new/mind/ritualz (movement 13,) which was published to CREATRIX MAG a few months back: READ ME HERE.

-- note: new/mind/ritualz (movement 13) produced about a hundred+ gifs of ritualz upon my bod in a gorgeous oceanic setting in Thailand. i am interested to present said magic gifs (many not yet shared) as a fluid + repetitive loop of imagery-- a video project &/or large-scale projection in a gallery or gallery-like setting-- stay tuned 4 it. major shoutout of thnx 2 dear sis, Or Nah, for documenting movement 13. 

🐬 🐳 🐬 🐳 🐬

-- follow my IG here for updates/art.

-- support my artistry here or here.

🍊🍊🍊🍊, 

kelly shaw nyala

portrait of the artist x Jesse Artavia

~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ learn more about kelly shaw nyala's art life-- take a peek @ my BIO + ARTIST'S STATEMENT here. 

🍒🍑🍒🍑🍒🍑🍒

fotos x me