Blood Lust

As some may or may not know, I'm seriously squeamish. Not a fan of the red stuff... actually, it's so intense that I am likely to faint if the conversation turns at all gory.

Now, lately I've been watching re-runs of America's Next Top Model for a little research-- I was curious about the way the show dealt with race, sexuality, and body image. I was intending to write an article about the problematic lens of the show and the affects it may have on young women, but there was so much material that my analytical skills were somewhat overwhelmed. I doubt I'll ever write the article and I gave up on the show. But before I gave up, I noticed a very interesting contestant from cycle 12, Allison Harvard.

Aside from the fact that I think she is stunningly beautiful in the most intriguing way, she is a great artist with a fascination with blood, guts, and all things that make me lose consciousness. Her art is on her flickr account: here. She piqued my curiosity. In a Four Four interview she says that she finds blood to be graceful, especially nosebleeds, and that she loves painting them. She goes on to say that nosebleeds can be innocent enough, or they could be a sign of something much more serious like blood disorders, but by depicting them in art it lessens their harshness.

That resonated with me so strongly; so often when I see blood or violence in art (visual, cinematic, literary...) I feel that it intensifies it, and consequently I have difficulty enduring a lot of art. I can't help but feel that I'm missing out, but my senses overwhelm my desire to appreciate. But the simple, truthful way that she explained her opinion on blood translated to art, and the fact that blood is an organic and amazing fluid that does wonderful things for our bodies just took hold of me, and for a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I looked her up on youtube and delighted in her awkward yet witty humour, and I even convinced myself to watch a video of her doused in fake blood. It took a lot of deep breathing and the repetition, "It's fake, it's fake, it's fake," but I made it through the full 2:30 minutes. I feel like I was given a gift! So, thank you Allison Harvard, for your fantastic art, alarming beauty, and your simple philosophy, "blood is graceful."