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Ophelia Darkly
176 Plays3 days ago
Ophelia Darkly is a DJ, model, writer, performer, and Doll Tarot reader based out of Portland, Oregon. Magic, dreams, and storytelling are the threads that bind all of her creative ventures together. She believes that art, in all its forms, is one of the most sacred forces of the universe.
Enjoy this wonderful conversation with Ophelia and the many magickal places she takes us . . .
Episode 301 of The Something Rather Than Nothing Podcast! SRTN Website
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Transcript
00:00:02
Speaker
You are listening to Something Rather Than Nothing. Creator and host, Ken Valente. Editor and producer, Peter Bauer.
00:00:17
Speaker
Hey everybody, Ken Vellante here with the Something Rather Than Nothing podcast. I have special guest Ophelia Darkly here.
00:00:27
Speaker
And just wanted to tell you right off the bat, Ophelia, welcome onto the show. Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here. can't see it, but I'm in all my spooky glory with the skeletons hanging from the ceiling neon lights. Can you describe it Can you describe it before we do anything else? like Take your time. Take your time. Everyone, like just close your eyes for a moment and envision.
00:00:50
Speaker
There's a red velvet curtain. There are 20 skeletons hanging from the wall. There's a silver one with light up eyes. There's glow in the dark ones, neon green.
00:01:01
Speaker
There's a sword on the wall. There's other skulls. This is where I record on Twitch, like my DJing. So there's just like, theres there's many things to look at. There's a synth wave backdrop. um It's eye candy. Yeah.
00:01:16
Speaker
Incredible. Yeah, about that Twitch. Tell us about about Twitch. I was trying to find you on there. I missed you. But what do you do on that? Just like first question. Yeah. I mean, have you have you ever been on Twitch at all or no? I have. um ah Maybe um i could be a little bit of a suckder for very good gaming women, dungeon crawlers, yeah um people playing those type of games. But it's been a little while. I couldn't remember my login, so I'm pretty out of touch. I'm out of touch.
00:01:51
Speaker
Yeah. So, I mean, primarily it was like um created for usually like gamers or like other artists and creators. And I didn't actually know about it until the pandemic happened.
00:02:02
Speaker
And then I got like super into it because people like the clubs were closed and no one could actually like have. that that community space with like music and dancing. And so it was like a huge deal when 2020 happened. um People were having like parties on Zoom and parties on Twitch and just connecting with people around the world. And it was this very unique thing where like we all...
00:02:25
Speaker
came together through music and art and creation. And it was so awesome. Like people would turn on their cameras and get all dressed up. Like it was a club night. And then i just, I've met so many people like around the world from Twitch and I've been able to share my music it's been like a really amazing experience. And I feel like I can experiment with different music styles too, that it maybe wouldn't go over so well at a club. but But like they they would go over well, like on Twitch, because I can just like kind of do whatever I want and make my channel just how I'm how I'm like desiring it to be really and like make the community what I would like it to be.
00:03:06
Speaker
if it feels like in my head, um you can have a a close conversation. close connection to me created thinking about like the quality of video and the aesthetic that you put up and that role in and a good sound system filling it in it's like hey Ophelia's hanging with me you know i get the opportunity now but I mean like you it's a yeah kind of intimacy and like let's see what she plays tonight I'm I'm digging on that yeah and there's more of a personal connection I think because people get to know you and then they can come back and
00:03:39
Speaker
You know, like they know the music that they expect to see. And then there's like different redeems people could have you do. Like I do get some crazy ones where I DJ with my elbows or I've like DJed blindfolded or I have like a truth or dare or people could ask me to like tell a story or like share weird facts. Like I have all these different things that people can do and it's way more like interactive, I find, than like a club night would be, obviously.
00:04:06
Speaker
Man, I think I've been missing the party. I'll look at that after. after Yeah, I think a lot of people stopped doing it like, you know, after the clubs opened up, but there's still a really strong community. It's just a lot of fun. Like you can do it from your home.
00:04:21
Speaker
Like you're in your pajamas with your glass of wine and you're like time to like see what DJs around the world are on tonight. know You sold me. You sold me. No, it's fun. i'm It's a lot of fun.
00:04:33
Speaker
Drop back into it. ah Folks, Ophelia ah and I met in person. My partner, Jenny, has ah met Ophelia. We go dance up at the Coffin Club, place I adore. and Yeah.
00:04:51
Speaker
um So it's it's it's um really cool to make this to make this connection in just around dancing and DJing.
00:05:03
Speaker
ah I've gone for quite a few years not really having the goth club that I want or being too busy at other aspects of my life. And... and one i just One of the things I love at the Coffin Club is like I always find so many styles and types of music that I enjoy. I listen a lot of different types of music. Yeah, same. I don't want to romanticize this point, but I think port one of the things I like about Portland is that it gives the opportunity for a lot of people and its potential for inclusivity.
00:05:44
Speaker
yeah genders and sexualities and far more than that. And I don't want to oversell it, but when you see it and experience, which I have at the Coffin Club and you're dancing and there's a There's a positivity in the macabre for me, like with the coffin. I love dungeons. I love the goth, right? But I also, my brain wants to fly towards the colors as as well. Yeah.
00:06:18
Speaker
What I want to display is like energetically, it's like been so fun to be able to dance to your music as Jenny and I have tried to like integrate this into our relationship and be like dancing. Let's get out and do what we can and and and do it an environment that feels good.
00:06:37
Speaker
So I yeah want to just like say too much on that but um what about the Coffin Club what about your DJ and ah tell tell us about your your experience with it or maybe your connection to the venue and the goss scene Yeah, absolutely.
00:06:56
Speaker
um i think i've I have a really unique experience because when I was 18, I went to my first goth club in Chicago. That's where I'm from. And usually you have to wait until you're 21 to like go to a club. you know But like i got to go when I was 18.
00:07:12
Speaker
and um the DJ was Scary Lady Sarah. She's in Chicago, and she's still really active and doing all these things. And like my mind was blown. like i I seriously felt like...
00:07:23
Speaker
I have never like felt so at home or like part of a community and like understood. And there were so many people from different walks of life with different styles, different energies that were all like creative in some way.
00:07:37
Speaker
And they were all like coming together through the music and through the environment. And I thought it was such a beautiful thing. And so i mean since then, I've pretty much been hooked. And and yeah I think there's a lot to say about you know, goth clubs in different cities. And i I've explored a lot of different places, but in general, like Portland is really unique because like our goth club is also our music scene.
00:08:03
Speaker
um and because they have so many shows there now and like, it's all intertwined and we're open now they're open like six days a week. Like that's insane. Like I didn't have that in Chicago. It was very events based.
00:08:16
Speaker
And it was like, whenever there was an event or multiple events in a night, you go out to that but here it's like there's actually way more of a tight-knit community because it's like there's a show and a dance night and people are constantly in that environment and it's so it's so amazing to have that and i do not like take that for granted at all yeah no thanks for for talking about it i am when said Chicago, I thought back, first goth club, i um maybe late 20s, I was in um Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
00:08:51
Speaker
Yeah. It ended up closing down, but what was cool about it was called the Sanctuary. And all the people I had dragged there, so I was, I studied philosophy at the time.
00:09:04
Speaker
lot of my friends were philosophers, and a bunch of them, conservative, Christian, not like politically conservative, of just like kind of yeah fundamental on that.
00:09:16
Speaker
Boy, did they love those kind of gloves. Really? That's interesting. They were able to, I don't know what it was. It was be like, we're with Ken, so maybe...
00:09:27
Speaker
We're visiting like his world like over there or something. um But they were also open and curious enough to see, like looking into the dark and seeing what was there. I'm not saying everybody really, but we can it ended up being quite a weird entourage. Going back to your point about like the different people show up there and yeah and why, it could be a fascinating meeting point.
00:09:54
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, ah I think I've been a part of like other scenes in the past and I feel like this scene is very inclusive and accepting and like um it's kind of unique because like when you're dancing, you kind of do your own thing and everyone does their own thing and like you can dance how you want. You can look how you want.
00:10:13
Speaker
And like that is part of the subculture is like that acceptance. And it's that makes it really interesting. I think to me that um people can just express themselves however they desire. And that's totally OK.
00:10:29
Speaker
i dig it. thanks forbra and thing Thanks for thanks for thanks for chatting about that. um Yeah. ah Big conceptual one.
00:10:42
Speaker
when and When was it that you first saw yourself as a creator, as an artist? You make a lot of things, create a lot of things. We'll talk more about that. But when was it a flash of lightning or?
00:10:59
Speaker
Yeah, I was thinking about this question a lot and I was like, wondering because I think I've struggled with the idea of like am I an artist am I creator for like part of my life I'm like what does that mean to me and like how do I know i'm on that pathway where it's like I am i am now the artist and i I think that it happened way earlier than I previously thought like I really feel like I've always was like a creative child but I do feel like when I was six years old
00:11:31
Speaker
And I started getting really into writing books. Like my first grade teacher, who I still talk to to this day, is amazing. and um she had us all write these books and illustrate them. And I like became obsessed to like the nth degree with like writing and creating. And like there was just this spark of like energy and inspiration that made me feel like, yes, like I am a writer. And I just started like writing from then on out. Like I was writing books at the table. Like when my parents like took us out to dinner, i had these like tomes of like books and I was like writing stories. And then a few years later, I started writing poetry. i feel like I've always been like a creator or a writer in some regard. and like, I think that
00:12:22
Speaker
If that identity is important to you, like if that's empowering to you, then why not say, yes, I am a creator. I'm an artist. That is me. And like, I don't think you have to like create some giant body of work or like creative.
00:12:36
Speaker
yeah regarded as like some like a successful person to be an artist or creator like you just are and i mean perhaps you could expand that idea and just be like all humans in some capacity our creators are artists I know not everyone would agree with that but I think it just depends on personal preference and for me it happened at a really young age and it was so influential and I think that it shaped who I was as a person.
00:13:08
Speaker
yeah um I've been fascinated by the answer to this question. um i applied it so late in my own thinking. Yeah. I'm 52, 44 years old maybe.
00:13:21
Speaker
forty four years old maybe Like ah seeing myself, um I guess in my head at that time, i was painting and then I'm creating this show.
00:13:33
Speaker
and do a lot of creative things, but... yeah I was able to see that there was an artist mind, there was an artist space, there's an artist breathing space where I could be different.
00:13:46
Speaker
And that's where it flipped for me, but that was not too long ago. um So I'm always really interested because some people are being like, If I don't paint, I shall die.
00:13:59
Speaker
You know? like Yeah. You know, like, and it's like, wow. um So a lot of writing. um Music obviously draws you a whole bunch.
00:14:12
Speaker
ah Yeah. ah Visual arts. Tell me, some of my guests, including you, when you start to exchange and think about ideas, I'm like, oh. and There's so many creative outlets that they that seem to have, both within within music and and writing.
00:14:30
Speaker
um Talk to us about you create you're about your creativity and the ways in which you see yourself doing art. Yeah, I think it has definitely changed in a lot of ways throughout my life, but the core has but always been the same, i think, in the sense that I want to kind of evoke the creative muse, but also do some sort of storytelling. Like that could be literally like through writing or it could be through performance.
00:15:01
Speaker
um I went to school for acting and writing. I've done performance art. I have done modeling, which to me is a very creative form and ah a form of storytelling for me personally. And I think that is kind of the core of it is storytelling and intention.
00:15:20
Speaker
And i i really think that's important for my creative process. It's it's looked a lot of different ways, as I said. i i think most of all, I value creative collaboration, even though some of the things I do are more solo. Like when i connect with someone creatively, whether that's through a photo shoot or performance art or writing, that to me is like the ultimate. Like if I can have like a one-on-one creative collaboration with someone um and we can exchange ideas, but still have this kind of similar vision, like that is really beautiful to me.
00:15:59
Speaker
And something that I really value is like the experience and being in the moment and being able to like create these things with another person that is from a completely different walk of life. Even if you have like some similarities, like there's something really special about that, I think.
00:16:17
Speaker
Yeah, I, um, yeah, your thoughts really sparked in my mind. It's like the sense I think about it a lot is, um, like organizing and connect with people and truly collaborating.
00:16:30
Speaker
Like with, and I get to do that a lot of my life. Um, But some people can miss how powerful an experience is. Like they feel themselves or, you know, they don't know that there are other folks out there. And heck, even doing this podcast, almost 300 episodes, like, you know. So many. Sure, I was dancing to your music, but like I still have to get on the microphone and we have to learn about each other and talk about some cool shit, too, you know. Yeah. So what is art?
00:17:05
Speaker
what is our What do you think art is? Yeah, that's such a great question. Such a broad question. I remember in college, like us talking about this and everyone had a different response.
00:17:17
Speaker
yeah Everyone was like, it's this, it's that, it's this. And like, do we have a core that it could be about? Or like, what, what can we really say about like, what is art? And everyone's going to have a different opinion and people are going to gatekeep the term as we know. And people are going to like be really upset and they're going to probably like turn this off in the moment I speak, but it's fine.
00:17:37
Speaker
That's kind of the beauty of it, I think, is that there is no definition and it's whatever you make it and whatever you want it to be. For me, i would say it's creative expression in all forms like of the soul, the heart, the mind, the body.
00:17:57
Speaker
And it's when the dream comes to meet the real and it's like a vessel of inspiration. that That's what it's like for me personally. And it can look like a lot of different things.
00:18:10
Speaker
No, it's beautiful. Have you shared your definition of what it is? ah yeah I'm putting you on the spot. like And what is definition of art? I'm from, I'm from the East coast. You can't get me to stop talking sometimes. Well, it's good. You have a podcast then. It's good to have a podcast. Yeah. Um,
00:18:30
Speaker
um You know, in my head, and I'm just going to answer this very generally, um not to be evasive, but
00:18:41
Speaker
it The answers for me have been in the area of transcendence and awe. That, like, the experience, the sound, the goosebumps on that cure track, that painting that captures something where, like, holy fuck, that's real.
00:19:04
Speaker
Like, there's transcendence, the... moving beyond. So I've always thought like in the show, it points to something bigger, God, the common human spirit, the great father, the great mother, the great nothing, yeah whatever.
00:19:26
Speaker
but But for me, it's that ah can't prove it, but there's something much bigger than we can all imagine, whatever whatever that is.
00:19:37
Speaker
Yeah. That's the feel. but That's the feel of art for me. Yeah, I would agree. Like it's it is tapping into something beyond us, but that is connected to us maybe like.
00:19:50
Speaker
Yes, somehow. That is what I feel like it is. Somehow, you know. And it can be something small. It doesn't have to be this big grand gesture, but it it can be big, too. It's it's it's more of a feeling, I think, than anything.
00:20:04
Speaker
No, should we figure it out, Ophelia? Hey, everybody, we can cross list. Might well write Merriam-Webster's dictionary and be like, yeah, we got it down. right that's That's a big one, though. Finally crossed that one off.
00:20:18
Speaker
um You mentioned modeling, and you also mentioned a very significant experience when you were younger. Yeah. We were yeah attacked by a dog.
00:20:30
Speaker
And ah can you talk about like what that what happened and what your journey was in connection? You mentioned in connection to modelling modeling and how you are.
00:20:46
Speaker
But um can you talk about that? Yeah. So when I was six years old, i was at a friend's house that was moving away. And I convinced my mom that I wanted to spend the night one last time. They were having this big party.
00:21:00
Speaker
and there was this they had a dog that I knew because I was friends with them and they lived really close by. and I think the dog was just overstimulated from the party and all of the noises and the people. And it was really loud.
00:21:14
Speaker
And I remember looking into its eyes. It had these, like, bright blue eyes. it was an Alaskan Malmute, like, one of those, like, Alaskan dogs. I looked it in the eyes, and it just, like, jumped up and bit off part of my lip.
00:21:29
Speaker
my like, in the moment, like, I was in shock and, like, holding... my face and like I had to like run to my friend and then I ended up like having to go to the er and I got stitches and then after that um a little bit later I had surgery so once that happened it was a really pivotal moment of my life and I feel honestly as traumatizing as it was I feel really grateful for that experience
00:22:02
Speaker
Because before that, like, I was kind of a weird kid, but i was, like, pretty accepted and, like, kind of popular, as it were, in school. And then, and after that like experience, it's like, I felt very different from other children. Like, they couldn't quite understand me. And I felt like the outsider Um, and after that, like people didn't want to be friends with me. They didn't want to talk to me. i was like very othered.
00:22:30
Speaker
And in a way I kind of became like a leader of the outcasts and like people, i feel like, um, kind of like looked up to me for guidance because I would like stand up for other people that were being bullied even though I was being bullied myself like I was kind of like the person that would say something and stand up for other people and like yeah after that like experience like it made me really feel like I had to fight for what I wanted or like to be a very visual creator because I always knew when I was young that I wanted to create I was like I want to be a singer a dancer
00:23:09
Speaker
an actor, a model, like all these things. And then I had people telling me, no, no, you can't do that. No, you're not going to be able to do that because I had like a scar on my face and they're like, well, you don't look like everyone else. you,
00:23:24
Speaker
you know, have this like deformity as it were, and you you can't do this. And so it made me have to fight harder to be like, yes, I can. And I and i want to do this. Like I remember when I was seven and I had just gotten the surgery and I was supposed to be on stage performing and like acting in the school play.
00:23:43
Speaker
And people were like, I don't think you should do it. You have stitches coming out of your face. You don't, you this is probably not a good idea. And I was like, no, like I'm going to go on that stage.
00:23:55
Speaker
And I have this photograph of me on the stage. And like, I have this like safari hat and I have like all of these like giant stitches coming out of my lip. And it's like, there's kind of like dried blood and it's a little bit grotesque, but I was like, I'm going on that stage and I am going to do this.
00:24:11
Speaker
Yeah. And I feel like that ah really pushed me forward like throughout my life to be like, this is what I'm going to do. And i'm I don't care what other people say. And so when I was 20 years old, this photographer discovered me on MySpace of all places. I'm dating myself.
00:24:31
Speaker
MySpace is badass. MySpace badass. My space was badass. I love my I know. You could have like your songs and customize your own walk-up music, your box of friends and ranking. Yeah. Why was this Facebook, Instagram?
00:24:49
Speaker
like What's going on with that? anyway we don't get any of that. But yeah, this photographer slash visual artist discovered me and I was like kind of sketched out at the time. So I brought my friend with and he ended up being super cool. I still talk to him and he was like, you should do modeling. And we did a photo shoot and it kind of all stemmed from there. And he created these portraits based on my friend and I and I got really interested in in the modeling world and what that meant to like to have that visual storytelling component. I was always interested in fashion and it just made sense to me. And it was very much like ah an artistic dance for me to be in that space and like creating the stories was really exciting.
00:25:33
Speaker
yeah, It was pretty challenging because I started getting some attention from some agencies, like bigger named agencies. And yeah they were like really interested in in my look.
00:25:46
Speaker
And then I would go to these casting calls in person and they would like see my scar and they would like just like stare at me. And then they wouldd be like, yeah, we're not interested anymore. And they wouldn't say why necessarily. Yeah.
00:26:00
Speaker
But they just were, like, not into it anymore. And it was hard to have that level of rejection and then be like, well, I'm still going to create. I don't care. and then they would be like, well, you just need to change your hair. So would, like, change my hair. Oh, you just remember, don't get any tattoos or piercings. Maybe you just need to lose some weight. Maybe you just need to look like this. And I i kept trying to do that and, like, mold myself into what I thought they might desire. And it's like they never – It was never good enough.
00:26:30
Speaker
It was never good enough. And then after that, I was like, well, never mind. I'm going to get my the tattoos I want. I'm going to get the piercings I want. I'm going to have the hair I want. And I'm going to create how I want without someone dictating that. And I don't i don't need them.
00:26:45
Speaker
So it's been an interesting journey like being a model and still... Sometimes photographers will like Photoshop out my scar or whatever. It is like trying to like view yourself as this very like physical being in art where you have something that's different from other people and seeing that as more of like an asset or something beautiful than something that takes away from yeah from the art or the clothing or whatever it is.
00:27:15
Speaker
Well, there's profound questions within that, but you feel like even yourself as right in modeling, you know, art, you know, object, you're potentially, you know, ah and and being and being viewed and not have an ultimate creative control too Right.
00:27:31
Speaker
Yeah. About, about that. Yeah. Well, um yeah ah what about with, with the modeling and did it,
00:27:44
Speaker
Did you move through that experience ultimately you being like... um
00:27:51
Speaker
like haven't fought through something, um like in the sense like of like the industry or or things like that? Or is your but your relationship more balanced where maybe when you present yourself or you're modeling that there's more of that, more of you taken into it?
00:28:09
Speaker
Has that changed? And I think I've been through a journey with it. There are some points where I'm like, fuck you, fuck this industry. yeah is not It says it's being more inclusive, and it is.
00:28:20
Speaker
versus is what it was, but like, it's not. yeah And, um dictating how people's bodies are how they should be is not a healthy thing. and people shouldn't be discriminated against for having like a scar or some sort of deformity or whatever.
00:28:38
Speaker
um there's that piece. There's the piece that a lot of people don't view models as, artists um If you look into like grant programs for like modeling, it's like photographers can get grants, maybe makeup artists, clothing designers, but the models, like there's no artistic grants for models.
00:28:58
Speaker
They're not always valued. It's like a close hanger. Right. Like erasure that whole side. Yeah. And it made me really like passionate about that to be like, why, why is that? Like you have a timestamp, like when you're 30, you're in the grave to, to the modeling industry.
00:29:16
Speaker
And it's like, you, you are, you are just the clothing hanger. You are just like the vessel and you for the, you know, photographer's creative vision. And I just don't believe in that at all. I think all of the people involved in a photo shoot, whatever that is, are valid artists and they should be revered in that way.
00:29:40
Speaker
So that's been like a difficult thing, I think. And also feeling like, you know, what could I have done differently to kind of be maybe seen in that in that industry more? and like now that can't be like a career of mine, but I don't even know.
00:29:57
Speaker
If I would have wanted that, because I the idea of like people just dictating how much you can weigh and like what you can wear and what you can look like is has to be not great for people's mental health at all. And I enjoy that I can get an idea and inspiration and like create with people in the way that I would like to create.
00:30:20
Speaker
that That feels more empowering to me than having like a really big gig where I'm like on the cover of Vogue or something. like I've been on magazine covers. I've been able to collaborate with some bigger names. And it's been on more of my terms, which feels better. Yeah.
00:30:41
Speaker
I... um I wanted to thank you. Thank you for that. um Sometimes the ah podcast drops into modeling and fashion and really trying to like interrogate it away from the superficial like this problems, right? This problems everywhere. Problems with the fashion industry. Right, right. So, but, but like, let's take things seriously or like use serious questions to engage with it rather than be, you know, high art, low art. So I'd like to try to bring that in.
00:31:16
Speaker
um I've had a lot of ah photographers and I've been, I think in my head, heavily influenced by particular photographers at time in like really kind of,
00:31:29
Speaker
kind of warped or reset how I saw the world, like Diane Arbus for one, for me, like, like right off the ah top of my head. But, um, uh, yes.
00:31:43
Speaker
Uh, another conceptual question. Uh, we talked about our, our, we did really well talking about our definitions. Congrats to us. Very well. Very well.
00:31:55
Speaker
Um, what's the role of art? And I asked this question and i won't go on too long, but nowadays I tend to ask it and it's like, does the role of art change, you know, global warming?
00:32:12
Speaker
Damn, it's hot right now. All this other shit going on in the world. Like, I keep asking, has the role of art changed or is, you know, art just still art-ing?
00:32:28
Speaker
I think this is another question that lot of people would have many different answers to. And that is another beautiful thing about it. um But i I wrote down a lot of things because i I could see the role of art being many things to many different people.
00:32:43
Speaker
And i think to me, it's not just one thing. But I wrote down... um To speak where some methods fall short, a sort of language.
00:32:54
Speaker
To inspire, to let us know that we are creators or humans. To provide a medium for expression and exploration. To channel the creative muse.
00:33:06
Speaker
To answer and ask questions. To connect in a unique way with the world. To invoke feelings and provoke thoughts.
00:33:18
Speaker
I love it. Thank you. Yeah. I mean, I think there's just so many so many things that art can do. And art can do things that other things cannot.
00:33:29
Speaker
It can transcend yeah language at times, especially visual art and music. Big ah art ideas.
00:33:42
Speaker
It could be enormous, right? like Yeah. Absolutely enormous. um Gosh, there's so many so many different things to talk about. I got different notes here.
00:33:53
Speaker
Jenny left me a couple notes too. She said that she wanted me to remind you how ah she there's a she talked to me and she she came back. We said hi. We had said hi.
00:34:08
Speaker
yet at the club. And Jenny came back and she's like, she was just so damn pretty. i was struggling. like She felt a little... Aww, that's just me. I... yeah ah She had me write down and I had already written down, Dal Tarot.
00:34:30
Speaker
Talk to me. Talk to us. Yes, about what it is. Yes, tell us. So... When I first moved here, um I met my best friend and her and I were really interested in magic and tarot and then also dolls.
00:34:47
Speaker
But at first we were like wanting to give people tarot readings. But we noticed that when people like actually knew about tarot or knew about some of the symbology or the concepts and they would see certain cards come up during the reading they would like no longer be listening or be that interested because they would just be like interpreting it themselves and there was just like this lack of active listening with the messages that were coming through.
00:35:17
Speaker
and we were like, we both like creepy, weird dolls and vintage things. And we like tarot. Could we combine these into a concept where like the dolls would represent areas of the tarot or like symbology, but they would stand alone in this sort of like interesting,
00:35:35
Speaker
unique form of divination. So we got this gigantic Victorian looking dollhouse. We painted it black and we found these vintage dolls that are from like the 50s, 60s and 70s. They're from the Dolls of the World series. So they're supposed to be from like different countries, and you used to be able to go to like Arco gas station and buy one for like a dollar.
00:35:58
Speaker
yeah And ah they are these plastic dolls with different outfits, and they have these like creepy blinking eyes. like Sometimes they're ah asleep or they're like gazing at you. and And the dolls we found in all different places, and some of them... like have lost arms and legs and, um they, they've seen some shit, honestly, they've, they've been through it.
00:36:22
Speaker
yeah And, uh, we set them all up in this house and then we used to read as conjoined twins. We got a a custom dress made and we would walk around in this dress and we each would only have one hand available. And when the other one was talking, the other one would be writing And so we kind of like were known as this kind of like circusy sideshow act. But then she moved away to these tropical islands. Separated.
00:36:50
Speaker
Separated. Yeah, we had to physically separate. We had to get out the saw and like, you know, the chainsaw. And it was like a really painful operation. And then i was like, well, I guess I could abandon this idea or take up the torch myself. And i decided to continue to do it So that's kind of like the interesting origin story of it.
00:37:13
Speaker
But the the basis of it is that someone will sit down at my table And they'll ask a question, whatever they they want to know. I've gotten so many variety of questions. Maybe it's about a certain theme or a topic or maybe just they want to know like what their next year will look like.
00:37:31
Speaker
And then they get to pick the doll that they think has the answer. And then we do the reading based on that. So the dolls represent part of the tarot, but they also have their own unique energy and spirit to them also. So if if someone asked the same question and picked the same doll, the reading would never be the same.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah, it like embodiments. um Wow. But some people are terrified, terrified the dolls. I did an event yesterday and someone was like about to scream and they could they just kept looking over and they were so scared.
00:38:12
Speaker
Do you get that? I had that happen and then people kiss it. Yeah. yeah you get that? About the dolls? Freaked out with the any of the dolls? No, no. Though i've I've seen some like pretty weird-looking dolls that kind of unnerve me, but i think by now I'm desensitized to them pretty much.
00:38:32
Speaker
I think they got Annabelle, and not historically accurate, right, but creeping my ass out right yeah in the movies, The Conjuring, for me. the Yeah, the Annabelle doll.
00:38:45
Speaker
yeah I'm not a fan of the Raggedy Ann dolls. I had a nightmare when I was a child. And those are and after that, i'm like, yeah, no more. So I guess I am Don't give me any Raggedy Ann. Raggedy Andy.
00:38:57
Speaker
no thanks. Oh, yeah. They had the i knew so much about the there's a curious aside and it's very brief. I knew so much about the Warrens.
00:39:08
Speaker
yeah long, long time ago because my first girlfriend in college lived down the road from them. Oh, really? So she would tell, know, I was a freaky kid, right? like tell me anything like wild yeah and strange, right? She was like that too, or becoming more like that.
00:39:26
Speaker
But ah she grew up down the street and um I just heard so much about it. So then when it became more, they more stories about it and popular and things like that, i was like, It was just weird developed idea my head. So I had imagined pre-internet I'm talking about too, just about. So I can't remember what I thought the Annabelle doll would look like.
00:39:52
Speaker
Yeah. um But anyways, that aside, back to the back to back to the dolls. and um So ah yesterday, a person was extremely freaked out by that. What do people, love what do you think people are weirding out when that happens to them?
00:40:13
Speaker
Well, I mean, I think it's just like clowns or whatever. Like some people just have a fear of dolls. But i I think if I were to really break it down, it's the fact that it's like an uncanny valley situation where people are like, it's a little person that's not real, but that maybe has a spirit and I don't like that. Or like it's it's it's making me uncomfortable. And I think that that is what it is, honestly. Yeah. i think you I think you captured it.
00:40:42
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, wow. um I want to ask the big, big question, too. Yeah, yeah. About the show and get to ask it.
00:40:53
Speaker
ah Ophelia Darkly, why is there something rather than nothing? Yeah, why is there? i think that... a I have to believe that there are some things in my life in order to survive and just thrive in general. Like I think about like my own mortality a lot, not in a morbid way, but more in ah the way where I try to deeply appreciate the present moments we have now and that every moment can be what it what you make it and it's interesting because the past has brought us here the future i think is very much in our hands and so the fact that we can
00:41:36
Speaker
create something from literally nothing from, from an idea in our head or whatever it might be is a really beautiful thing. And I think there has to be, there has to be something in this world, keeping us going. There has to be a reason we are here.
00:41:52
Speaker
There has to be a reason we create, and there has to be some things. If there isn't that purpose, then why, why are we here? together in this world?
00:42:06
Speaker
Thank you. yeah
00:42:11
Speaker
um that's That's the name of the podcast. So it must be really meaningful to you. as as folks i I told the question, I tell this once in a while, um I only gave one guest the opportunity to not answer it.
00:42:26
Speaker
And it was Lori Fatrick, who was ice on American Gladiators. Oh. in the And with my respect...
00:42:39
Speaker
i say yeah I said, you can answer it or you can say, fuck off with your question, Ken. She answered it and and said, fuck off with your question.
00:42:55
Speaker
We had fun. Oh, my God. we had fun. Only one guest. Only ice got the... Only one. Only one. and And that's no no no shade on you or anything. like It's just...
00:43:06
Speaker
American gladiator power, you know, yeah. Yeah. um Defer. Weird. All right. So I've seen you to the coffin club. You met you on Twitch.
00:43:20
Speaker
um Can you like talk about your different areas of creativity and where to find you or like how you'd like people to find you, particularly DJing or other aspects of what you do?
00:43:36
Speaker
Yeah, so I have like a Linktree site that's just Linktree slash Ophelia Darkly online. It has links to my social media and like the things I do on Twitch and anything like that. So I sometimes post online, but I think it...
00:43:51
Speaker
If you can see me in person, it's more interesting because I'm all about creating like themed, intentional spaces. And even like when I set up for my doll tarot, I do like a lot of various events. So there's not really many set events I do besides Burley Namacon, which is a dark burlesque show at Coffin Club.
00:44:12
Speaker
But I try to like create environments. And like that is really important to me. um One of my best friends and I, Jen... She is a really amazing creator too. And we had this performance art series called Ghostland that we've been thinking about maybe reviving, but it was this performance art series that was based on themes.
00:44:35
Speaker
And we would just create these really unique environments where people could interact. And then we would have creators and artists on stage And they would have full sound and music and lighting and everything that they could want to like showcase their art. And that was like a really important thing I did. And we decided to create a magic class recently. It's called Conjuring the Dreamweaver.
00:45:02
Speaker
and it was where people could really... think about the dreams that they have in their life, like waking dreams, dreams that they have for their life and yeah interact with them in a really unique way. So we had this visualization component where we kind of led them through meeting their personal kind of dream weaver that would tell them about dreams. And then we did an activity where people could do
00:45:34
Speaker
corpse poems together. And if you don't know what that is, it's like a creative collaborative process where you write two to three lines down. It could be like kind of like a poem or whatever you're feeling. And then you fold open over the paper where you only see the final line.
00:45:52
Speaker
And so the and you pass it to your partner and they only see that line. And then by the end you have this kind of poem created. And it's a really like fun collaborative, like thing that I learned when I was in college.
00:46:06
Speaker
And I had a lot of fun doing that with people. And then at the end we gave them, a kind of creative wish ritual that they could do to interact further with it just as a ah basis for the class.
00:46:19
Speaker
But things like that are really meaningful to me. And then I i also DJ at Coffin Club, sometimes at Star Theater or yeah Midnight.
00:46:30
Speaker
And I've done ah few different nights. I have a There's a cyberpunk night called Sykeria. Yeah, where people get super dressed up like to the nines in their cyber goth outfits. They got the goggles on and the neon lights and then dig it play just like cyberpunk and cyber goth music all night. It's a lot of fun. It's like every three months at Coffin Club.
00:46:56
Speaker
And then i do Genesis, which is all new dark dance music from the last 10 years. So, I mean, I love 80s music, but sometimes it gets overplayed nice to see up and coming. Yes!
00:47:12
Speaker
Up and coming new artists Thank you for being there And DJing and laying that out Jenny and i talked about this like it's like oh yeah fucking I love that shit But I geeked out on Depeche Mode like crazy 20 something years ago And I love it dancing I do, but I gotta to hear all this other stuff. I get too bored in my head.
00:47:36
Speaker
so Yeah, and it's like we've heard all of that. No, it's like, I think it's really important, but like, I get it. Like, I like the classic 80s music too, but there are so many amazing musicians now that aren't played on the dance floor much or like local musicians too. We have such a great music scene here, and I just love...
00:47:57
Speaker
being able to showcase that music and show other kinds of artists where people can dance. And a lot of people, they don't know the music, but they dance anyway. They love the beat of it. doesn't matter. They don't have to know the words to like appreciate it or to move their body to the sound. And I think that is a really awesome thing. So I'm doing that too.
00:48:21
Speaker
Thank you for doing all that, man. Like I said, you had that connection at the beginning and talking about Jenny and us getting out dancing. and like yeah It's like, um what I compare it to like Physically, it's like you don't have to answer. you're It's like in the doing.
00:48:40
Speaker
There's energies that are are going out. and i'm In my analytical mind, I'm always thinking about Like, I need to write this out to address it properly or like formalistic. Whereas, you know, whether it's sport, dance and other expressions where it's like you can get that shit out.
00:49:01
Speaker
Yeah. And it's like a healthy outlet to do. Yeah. like yeah yeah i Important. Yeah. My best friend and I recently went to a rage room. Have you ever been to one of those? I i work for the union.
00:49:17
Speaker
i think I have, but I don't think we're talking about the same thing. Tell Tell me. tell Oh, my. Like, I was just thinking about, like, healthy, creative outlets to, like, get out whatever's going on. And, like, dancing is a big part of it for me.
00:49:32
Speaker
But, like, the rage room, like, i feel like you got to try it because it's like you go in a room and they give you shit to break. They give you like things to break it with.
00:49:44
Speaker
And then you just go to town. You can blast your music. And like we put up like a bunch of pictures of like the horrible billionaires um and on the wall. And you can like you do like throw plates and like glasses and whatever they give you. And then they give you a big item to smash.
00:50:02
Speaker
And you have like baseball bats and wrenches. and crowbars and all sorts of things to to hit it with. We got this computer monitor and like a record player.
00:50:13
Speaker
and just like being able to like get all of that out, I feel like is a good outlet. And it felt kind of creative. I think I got to like curate my playlist, pick my weapon, And then just, like, you know, get it out. Stomp it out.
00:50:27
Speaker
Those glasses flying flying through. And you get all the, like, PPE so you're protected. You get the face shield and the suit. But it was it was a lot of fun, I must say. You've had me giggling the whole time up here. i he They also have an option where you could smash a car, the way. Oh, come on.
00:50:45
Speaker
Yeah. Well, here's one thing. what i wanted to I've had this same six exact experience, but it was ah VR experience. Oh, yeah. yeah my little My kiddo had the VR game. And, of course, i keep mentioning dungeons. I grew up on dungeon crawlers.
00:51:06
Speaker
But it's a dungeon crawler, and you are in... the fucking pit and i'm wailing around so i understand i've got an introduction to the taste of the range room uh vr style i forget what that game was but man know like get it out yeah vr has so much cool potential for it's like therapy and healing and like there's that one game where it's like about fear and like it's like if you have a fear of heights like fear of ghosts like whatever it is and you can actually explore that virtually and think that's so rad i find that fascinating um myself i um
00:51:55
Speaker
I liked it and I was using for a bit. I found, was just the funny bit, not funny, but just like a weird trigger warning. ah I was worried about not leaving the VR.
00:52:11
Speaker
I felt like a power in a draw as it, and this was a basic, just a basic setup that they have, but I imagine where it goes.
00:52:23
Speaker
and Boy, you know, it's like step into the novel that you used to read yourself towards. Now you're embodying it sort of. I thought i had it had an incredible power and not like negative, but I was just like, oh, I think I could get sucked in. Let me so take a look at this from the plate glass window.
00:52:44
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think that is important to have that perspective because, like, there are people, I think, that are kind of addicted to that world or, like, being in there. And, like, how can you have balance while still wanting to experience that?
00:52:58
Speaker
You know, what is real? What is reality? That's as real as anything else. And we say from the outside, oh, that's not real. and yeah It's fucking real. 100% real. Isn't it insane that your body has a response? Like when you like are at the edge of like n VR, like the edge of this skyscraper and you like feel like you're there. Like your body is like, no, we're about to like fall off.
00:53:19
Speaker
Yeah. It's like hard to like know the difference between. all right We'll be cautious. We'll be, we're fascinated we'll be cautious. with Let's not jump off the skyscraper today. VR.
00:53:31
Speaker
My goodness. Um, ah I wanted to say ah it in in it's It's been such a great treat to to chat with you, Ophelia. I know we've been trying to plan this for a bit. and Yeah. i You know, part of it is, like, I've been really super fascinated by the discreet and disparate um creativity and in in what you do um and the DJing and kind of, like, sharing that Jenny and i I have tried to connect and share and being like, that's, know,
00:54:08
Speaker
we're getting into this five and, and sharing the, um, potential for acceptance, the acceptance of the place like the coffin club in Portland and where you can get your groove on without fucking worrying about like maybe a million things so or where I am or what the social setting is or how I'm moving and all that stuff. I like that five. It feels that way. So yeah, same. Yeah.
00:54:36
Speaker
um Thank you for your all your art stuff. I guess that's the technical thing I'm trying to say. Thank you. Yeah, i I feel like I need to create to survive, honestly. And like I've realized that more and more as time has gone on. and Because I sometimes deprioritize my creativity of other things. And since I got laid off my job a few months ago, and I've been able to just dedicate myself absolutely to creativity.
00:55:05
Speaker
It's been pretty eye-opening to be like, holy shit, like, this is amazing, even if it's temporary. Like, I need this in my life to, like, be happy and feel fulfilled as a human being. And without it, like, I feel like a shell of a person.
00:55:23
Speaker
it's it's It's nice to be able to catch you, you know, potentially, you know, like for real at this time, you know, where you are with that and your reflections on it
00:55:41
Speaker
on it.
00:55:45
Speaker
This is something rather than nothing.
00:55:55
Speaker
And listeners, to stay connected with us and our guests, visit somethingratherthannothing.com. Join our mailing list for exclusive updates and access to guest-created art.
00:56:06
Speaker
If you enjoyed this episode or any episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a review on your podcast platform. People really read that shit. Your support helps us reach more listeners and spread our community across the planet.
00:56:20
Speaker
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00:56:35
Speaker
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00:56:47
Speaker
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