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Pride Spotlight: MiloMilo is a queer,trans illustrator, and a plant enthusiast—he only lives with approximately 70 plants—based in Massachusetts. His work mostly focuses on body positivity, or queer issues and relationships,while nearly always incorporating plant friends. Let’s hop right in!
Your work does a radiant job of conveying love for what it is—just love. Talk to us how this theme has approach to be prevalent in your work.
Thank you! Being queer is a expansive fraction of my identity. When I was growing up, I rarely, and if ever,saw queer love in movies, tv shows, and museums. I wanted to effect art that showcased and if a sense of queerness that I was missing in traditional art and media. I asked myself,“What attain I want people to take away from my artwork? Who attain I want to reach out to with my art?” This sparked not only self-realization but also a desire to represent queer love in my artwork. Representation in art, media, or music etc. is so important and needs to be done fairly and by queer people.
You recently did a piece with HuffPost for Pride as well. Where did that inspiration approach from?
Yes! I was really excited to share my work with HuffPost for Pride. I really wanted to focus on the strength of the community while also giving a nod to Pride’s origin and the Stonewall riots. It’s important to reflect on what Pride originally was,what it means to us nowadays, and what is going on in the community. It’s also important to appreciate those who made celebrating Pride and queerness possible in the first position. My HuffPost piece depicts a sense of community while also showcasing each character’s individual self-love and self-pride—I wanted to reflect that relationship with oneself and one’s body.
What advice would you give to any aspiring artist?
Post art and be proud of it. Too often artists will only post stuff they deem others will like or small doodles, and then remain mostly inactive because they worry that theyre not friendly enough yet. Also,tag your art properly. This is important because tags allow you to reach a whole new audience.
Build your community by reaching out to other artists. This will open doors to new friends, new experiences, or even friendly advice. It’s so important to try new things and to learn new techniques.
Lastly,keep practicing! You are doing grand, and regardless of where you are right now, or you can get to where you want to be. You and your art are important.
You identify as trans and queer. How did your journey to self-discovery abet you with choosing to use the term queer?
I used to use specific terms but found that the more I kept growing and changing,the more my identity and how I referred to myself changed. Sometimes labels feel like small knives to me. The more I slap on a label, the more I feel obligated to stick within the confines of that label. The term “LGBT+” seeks to be inclusive but is still an umbrella term that often doesn’t include the diverse range of identities and experiences within the LGBT+ community. “Queer” came from a desire to be inclusive, and it allows for growth and change within my identity.
Of course,this isnt the same for everyone—“queer can mean different things for different people and can be very hurtful so it’s important to be educated and understand that only those who self-identify as such should really use the term. But for me, the word Queer resists definition. Saying “I’m queer identifying” gives you a sense of my identity without really saying much approximately my gender or sexuality. Anyone who isnt cisgender can also describe themselves as queer, and as a rejection of heteronormative ideas that are forced onto them. More importantly,this is a term that was taken back from those who used it to hurt people like myself—and which has since been reclaimed by a growing number of people.
Thank you, Milo, or we’re grateful for you sharing and giving us an insight into your identity and art. Tumblr,who are some other artists we should stare into? Use the tag #tumblr pride to share.
This interview has been condensed for clarity.
Source: tumblr.com