Christy C Road Art Next World 10 of Cups
Cristy C Road's brash, colourful artwork will be familiar to many Autostraddle readers. As a well-known fixture on the queer DIY scene, both equally a punk musician and as a visual artist, Road cutting her illustrator's teeth as a teenager with her fanzine, Greenzine. Since then, she's contributed tons of illustrations to countless record album covers, book covers, political organizations, web and print publications, and has published three illustrated novels:Indestructible (Microcosm) an illustrated novel nigh high schoolhouse, mental health, sexuality, and Miami; Bad Habits (Soft Skull), an illustrated love story most healing, drugs, gay nightlife, and her telepathic connections to the destruction of New York Metropolis; and her latest novel,Spit and Passion (Feminist Printing), a coming out memoir about staying in the closet in society to cultivate her newfound punk rock identity and navigate her Catholic Cuban community.
Well, praise the goddess of all that is good in the globe, Road is now working on a tarot deck! Nosotros all know the world needs more queer tarot decks, and that the globe needs more POC-representative tarot decks. The Next Globe Tarot will exist both of these things, filled with radical characters of diverse cultures, colours and sexualities, illustrated in Road's trademark raw and colourful style. The Next World Tarot Kickstarter entrada launched yesterday and needs your help to go a reality, so get yourselves over there to support an amazing creative person's awesome project!
The project began life last twelvemonth as a collaboration betwixt Road and Sister Spit's Michelle Tea, but is now a solo mission. Prints of completed cards are available in Route'southward shop (another way to back up her art!), each ane adding tender, dirty brilliance to this much-needed body of piece of work. In the interview beneath, Road spills the beans on how the projection is going and the process and materials she's using. She also shares the stories of how her spirituality emerged from her Cuban-Cosmic roots, the intersections of her QPOC identity with a reclamation of witchcraft, and what it's like to get a tarot reading from Michelle Tea.
Hey Cristy! Tin can you tell the states a little almost how you got into tarot?
I showtime heard nearly it from watching Walter Mercado on TV when I was a child. I was as well always into spirituality, just as a complicated matter that included the man connection to nature and outer infinite and death. I was always into learning about the science of ether and sort of reclaiming the magic in what humans call "paranormal." I really believe in maintaining ties with the dead.
I started getting Tarot readings around 2002, when I was nearly 20. I eventually realized they were these magical things that helped me differentiate anxiety from intuition. Grasping my intuition is a large deal. Tarot also helped me connect to the spirit globe. I call back my favorite tarot readings take been from astonishing strong witches who have known the names of my deceased relatives. I think divination has offered a lot of healing and closure, and understanding, or credence, of life changes that seem like "curses" and "miracles" and "coincidences." I grew up Catholic and my family is Cuban, so every bit isolating as certain aspects of Catholicism felt, I found it super important to maintain deep ties with my ancestors and my culture through spiritual practices and rituals.
I think a lot of fourth dimension has passed since showtime discovering the Tarot, and I've definitely grown up and continued with the spiritual parts of my civilization in a deeper way, then Tarot has this new sculpted significance in my life. I dear reading people's Tarot — its healing in this rad unsuspected common way. I used to read my own a lot and it was horrifying and really unhealthy (lol). If I do that now, its usually actually rare and sacred. I think the truth that has been exchanged between me then many people through Tarot has really solidified my interpretation of it every bit a powerful tool.
You've mentioned Michelle Tea giving you some great readings whilst you were touring with Sis Spit — I'd love to hear a bit more near that experience if you're happy to share?
Michelle Tea did become me securely into Tarot, both considering she was a reader herself, and also because she urged me to pursue my artwork in a totally different mode than I ever had. I e'er took it seriously, simply I also built a lot of walls (for valid reasons about patriarchy and racism in media and publishing). She kind of taught me to take downwards those walls and let myself to grow, while also knowing that I e'er have a choice, because its my vision and my creative goals and mine alone. Pairing that life revelation with a bout full of Tarot readings, queer witches (for the beginning time), and beautiful scenery, I was actually inspired and pushed to illustrate a deck of my own.
Michelle's way of reading Tarot is super chill and welcoming, like friendship and therapy mixed into a monologue. She definitely inspired my way of reading, where I don't describe information technology card by card; I but give this giant diagnosis and the cards appear and reappear in mention throughout the reading. Before that, all the Tarot readings I had received were definitely awesome, some were more casual than others, just I was definitely intimidated, like this higher being carried a spiritual connection that I could non sympathise. I recollect it took a lot of my own growing up/bettering my mental wellness, to really give a crap about my college self.
Creating a tarot deck is such a cracking projection for someone who is already an artist or illustrator — y'all get to depict your own ideas most each card and contribute to an incredible body of artistic work with a rich history. What was the main reason y'all personally wanted to create a tarot deck?
Well, I've been writing and illustrating a big project (zine or novel) since 1997, and this has definitely progressed into my next big focus. The project took a lot of stages, but at present its definitely my big scary baby. I'm just proud and excited to bring these into the earth. I think these are magical rare tools that people can easily acquire how to apply and share (readings and knowledge). Sure, it involves a lot of written report, self learning or receiving readings, learning multiple carte du jour definitions, giving readings without embarrassment for referencing your favorite guide… Hell, in that location are decks I strictly learn the definitions for considering they are and so unique, and I never reference other decks! Specifically The Collective Tarot, and The Tarot of The Cat People.
But even then, since the Tarot does have such an overlapping history, information technology tin be prophylactic to intuitively know what outside information to include when y'all give a reading; information that comes from other sources and other decks – not just the deck y'all're reading from. Aside from bringing another deck to the world, I'm excited to create a deck that illustrates a blend of heed and body outcasts. The deck originated as a "Queer Deck," so being generally not-normative as far equally gender representation is a huge part of it; but its definitely grown since that. I want to focus on people'south cultural and subcultural backgrounds, I desire to mistiness fundamentalist spirituality, simply maintain a lot of the traditional concepts behind the images.
I'm about to complete the last 60 cards, and I think they volition each take individual turns. I'm e'er inspired by the people who model for me, and they influence the outcome of the card as much equally the traditional significant does.
It must also be kinda overwhelming to begin the project of creating 78 works of art based on a specific tradition. Can you tell united states about the challenges yous're facing and how you're getting through?
To be honest, the just challenge has been sustaining the project, as far every bit resources and time: How would this be printed? Are publishers interested in a Tarot deck that is about defying the race, gender, and image representation of white, heteronormative mainstream media? And not because it'due south a selling bending, but considering this is my life and my spirituality and this is my art? AND are publishers even interested in press carte decks? Do I just not know how to write grant proposals or are arts foundations just non interested in something equally mutual as a Tarot Deck? I wasn't going to alter my project, I was just going to figure out other avenues. When I first decided to take this on around 2009-2010, I was working a bit with Michelle Tea, just even then, publishers simply weren't looking for this. Every bit time has passed and we've parted means on this project, I've seen Then MUCH horrible things happen in publishing. This is my sacred divination tool, you know? I don't desire it to go wrapped up in careless marketing schemes. I want to do whatever I want.
On that notation, however, I LOVE contributing to this historical tradition! I don't find many painful constraints as far every bit art, at all. I tin represent each carte du jour with my vision and meaning, and each cards intention doesn't take be as harsh or, say, gendered, as it appears in a lot of decks. The intense ambiguous past of the Tarot is astonishing. At that place is undeclared origins all over the earth, and its one of the few universal tools that has both been cherished and re-written to accommodate so many spiritualities. I love tradition (Moon in Cancer), and it even shows through how I write punk music and how I nurture classical themes in my art, whether or not my characters wait similar Normal Rockwell's.
How do the tarot card illustrations necktie in with your other work in the punk/DIY/queer scenes, social justice activism – and your own experiences as a QPOC?
I remember that Tarot (and other kinds of magic) have been a powerful tool for a lot of marginalized communities; even ones who turn down religion growing up. There is a deep complicated (and under-documented) history of sexism and racism affecting ALL faith and spirituality — then much ranging between to the ban of Yoruba spirituality in Caribbean area slave communities; to the Salem witch trials, to the full general ban in queerness in right-wing Christianity. People have been fighting to admission and protect their connections to magic for CENTURIES!
I think that angry queer punks have been fighting too, whether or not nosotros grew up wearing "no gods/no masters" back patches; some of united states of america want to claim the earth we walk on, and the angelic bodies that bear on us; we want to experience protected from the spirits of our dead. And that doesn't accept to do anything with fundamentalist Christianity. It has to exercise with traditions and ideologies that nosotros deserve to uphold, that were often created past women or extinct indigenous societies. I recollect a lot of punks and queers and activists KNOW what capitalism and colonialism did — information technology clouded the raw, clear human connexion to the universe with oppressive religious values that centered effectually white supremacy and form state of war. I definitely understand that non all punks are going to believe that Malachite and Rose Quartz take special healing powers, or even that star divination has validity; merely I practise empathize that at that place is a large number of people who take connected to their civilisation and their gender and their mental health through accessing magic. Plus, I never deny anyone a Tarot reading, so all the haters are welcome to endeavor me :)
Your cards are so punk and grotesque with slimy organs and guts, piles of litter, all the dirt and decay of everyday life — the same stuff that characterises your other illustrative work. It'due south beautiful, sexy, sometimes trigger-happy, frequently deeply loving, but it's not for the faint-hearted. Can yous tell united states of america a fleck most why you choose that mode for your work, what information technology all represents to you?
I think for this project (and peradventure my final book, Spit and Passion) I've been able to mix a lot of my more than serious portrait or decorative work (like my piece of work for Incite! National and The Icarus Project) with my more than grimy punk piece of work (like my slimy pizza for Lipstick Homicide). I'yard starting a serial of Queer Punks of Color called "Sobrevivir" that has that aforementioned vibe of decorative floral aspects, slimy weird aspects, but the focus is on a detailed figure in a classical pose. Every bit much as I know I want to grow with this project in that direction (because I want to pay respect to the people Im drawing); I think including my personal artistic style and interests is actually important in such a big project like this.
I know some of my personal vision (and worldview) ends upwards looking slimy and jarring to some; but it'due south more than about truth for me, rather than shock. I think when the goal is shock, stuff ends up being offensive towards a certain demographic of people. I'g just punk and find beauty in all the slime everywhere..… It's all over the sidewalk! Sometimes it's not even grime, its body of water slime or dirt. Sometimes it's merely ketchup dripping off your sandwich considering you're imperfect and it makes y'all look wonderful. I recall drawing that kind of stuff "empowers" me in a unique way. I adjusted the TMI sense of surfaces and actual expressions when I was mode young. I loved work past John Kricfalusi and Coop — disturbed, sexual, bathroom sense of humor. I think as a nine year one-time girl, I felt actually empowered owning this love, and it's inappreciably waned. I just wanted to mix the slimy boogers with feminism and witch craft to come across what happens. (I'm a Gemini/Gemini Rising if that means anything to anyone).
So how is the project coming along — where are y'all up to and practice you lot have whatsoever idea when the deck might be complete?
I hope to be done in a year! This project has been such a long journey, I've probably tossed about 10 cards and am re-drawing them for a bunch of different reasons. Right now, I accept 15 completed cards (some need a few additions).
During this process I've gotten into so many new aesthetic things: creating detailed backgrounds, being less conservative about not-traditional accents, and my discovery of GELLY ROLL PENS, which happened a few years ago. They actually work awesome with my micron pens, diverse brand art markers (some of them don't get forth), and white out/acrylic pigment for backgrounds. White out (and planning) is what I used for highlights for a long time; but ever since the discovery of GELLY ROLLS, I've been able to create the fine lines of my dreams. I could practice this digitally, merely not quite exactly how I wanted.
Materials aren't all that's changed nonetheless; I think my mental stability changed due to healing from a difficult time menstruum. At present, my eagerness to educate through art and consummate this project could finally happen WHILE taking care of myself (as opposed to beingness a sorry burnt out activist witch). I really don't desire to put negative free energy into creating this. I've pressured a lot of projects in the past — I finished Spit and Passion by a sure date I fix for myself and that engagement coincided with a lot of hard surprises. There's been plenty of difficult surprises in the last ii years; but I've had a unlike agree of myself and my piece of work. I've been able to use this project every bit an outlet for the difficult things that pop up — death of friends and family, police violence, members of our communities causing impairment to one another, and more than. I've also been able to use this projection to archive unlike people'southward personal triumphs and healing, through their individual cards that are partly based on their own lives.
Like I said before, finding a publisher, or any other kind of funding, has been incredibly difficult. And then, after becoming more educated on the land of publishing (and their needs), I realized that I should effort my first Kickstarter campaign for Next World Tarot. It will double as a full general entrada with rewards, but I'chiliad offer pre-orders of the Tarot Deck as well. If I accomplish the goal, I will exist able to fund and cocky-publish the first run of either 500 or grand decks (campaign permitting). I will also be able to fund printing reward posters, and shipping toll. I'll also exist able to beget time from my other jobs, and lastly, materials – to finish the remaining 60 inside the side by side twelvemonth.
Last question: do you accept a favourite card and so far?
I can't actually say as far equally my illustrations! It changes every week. I have had either friendships or powerful encounters with well-nigh of the people I've drawn (and will be cartoon). There are a few I'm planning that I hope to memorialize a few friends who left us this yr, that I'1000 really excited to work on. But as far as the Tarot itself, I approximate I honey The Knight of Swords and The High Priestess. The High Priestess is then powerful and able to comprise her magic without self-destructing. I admire that. I'g more like The Knight of Swords — so stoked to fuck shit up in the proper noun of justice.
Cristy C. Road is a Cuban-American Artist and Writer. Blending her political principles, sexual and cultural identity, queer counterculture, and social inadequacies – Road strives to bear witness the dazzler of the imperfect. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY with her true cat Miss Chippy. Visit her website and shop at croadcore.org, and support the creation of the Adjacent World Tarot over on Kickstarter!
Source: https://www.autostraddle.com/fools-journey-cristy-c-roads-next-world-tarot-is-the-deck-of-your-queer-punk-dreams-317078/
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