Links from the Show at a Glance:

 

Email me your favorite podcast app that shows episode specific artwork at bekah@rebekahnemethy.com

 

1st Artist: Kaan Armutcu

Title of Art: Butterfly in “butter”

Instagram: @kaanthebald

 

2nd Artist: Jacqsun Jones

Title of Art: The Butterfly Constellation (it’s my tattoo!!)

Artist’s Website: dermapunct.com

Instagram: @dermapunct

 

I’d love to link you to Kaan’s Butterfly in “butter” painting (the inspiration behind the 1st story), but it appears he’s deleted most of his posts. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

 

Puttylike.com to find out more about what it means to be a multipotentialite.

 

 

Art Ink Submission Guidelines: rebekahnemethy.com/artinksubs

 

 

 

Art Ink Podcast Transcript:

 

[Intro:]

 

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Art Ink. Before we even get started today, I have to give you a tech update. It seems like all of the big podcast listening apps suck, and I suppose I just got lucky with Podcast Addict. I didn’t have time to test apps… ok I didn’t remember to test apps, before I launched the first few episodes of Art Ink. But I assumed since my “obscure android app” showed individual art for each episode, that it was pretty much standard on all podcast players. Nope, not so much, and I’ve since found out that Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher do not show episode specific art. Spotify shows artwork, but doesn’t include links in the shownotes, which appear as a giant unformatted mess of text, but hopefully that will change soon as they improve and update the Spotify app.

 

Anyway, this isn’t to complain but to let you know a couple of ways that you can check out the featured art easily if your app sucks! You can 1) click the link in the shownotes or 2) download one of the apps I recommend

 

So the easiest way to see the art is to visit the link in the show notes, how you get there will vary in every podcast player, but you want to read the episode description in full. The very 1st line of text in the shownotes includes a link to my website. If you’re not seeing any of this you can always just manually type it into your browser it’ll always be rebekahnemethy.com/artink – and then the episode number that you’re trying to look up. So that’s (repeat the web address) and I’ll spell it for you quick: r-e-b-e-k-a-h-n-e-m-e-t-h-y-dot-com-slash-art-ink-5 for example if you wanted to look up this episode.

 

And if you’re just agitated with your sucky app try one of these:

 

My favorite app for listening to podcasts is Podcast Addict, it’s free and awesome, but it’s only available for Android devices. (I’m not getting paid to say that by the way, it’s just that it’s the app I’ve been using ever since I discovered my first podcast.)

 

If you have an iPhone you can use Castbox, and so far this is the only app I’ve found that shows episode art and the shownotes the way I originally intended for you to see them… huuh, that’ll teach me to have expectations, right? Probably not.

 

If you’re using a different app and everything I’m talking about is showing up for you, please email me and let me know about it bekah@rebekahnemethy.com so I can share with everyone else. And make sure to include what phone you’re using.

 

Ok, enough of that, let’s move onto today’s show.

 

Today you’re getting a bonus, because this episode actually includes two stories. Ya see, I was so excited to begin creating this podcast that I let all the inspiration intoxicate me and wrote the first few stories before I ever asked any of the artists if I could share their work on the show. I got lucky, and our first few artists were more than happy to be included, but I haven’t been able to get in touch with the artist I’d planned on featuring today. So I don’t feel comfortable using his work without permission, but the art is beautiful, and the story is written and recorded, so I’ve decided to experiment with the format and give you a themed episode today. And our theme is butterfly art.

 

The first story, Flutterby, is flash fiction inspired by an oil painting, but unlike our previous episodes, you’re going to have to go into the shownotes and click the link in order to see the art. The artist who painted it can be found @kaanthebald on Instagram.

 

The second story was a long time coming. I mean, I knew I wanted to share the story behind my new tattoo before it was even on my body, but I felt that I wasn’t ready to be completely honest about it.

 

The fact that I had a butterfly story already recorded and ready to share and no art to go with it definitely made my choice to “make myself ready” happen much more prematurely than I would’ve liked. Still, the decision ping ponged in my head for a long time. But, as you’ll soon hear… it was pretty much meant to be. The Butterfly Constellation is a true and vulnerable story… you might think I’m bat shit crazy at the end of it… but whatever, I can’t control what you think of me anyway… despite my best efforts. So I’m gonna just let go and be real with you.

 

Here we go. Okay, let’s start with a description of Kaan’s art:

 

 

[Art Description 1:]

 

The blue, black, and white butterfly in this oil on canvas painting looks ethereal or fuzzy from movement from far away. Up close it’s almost as if the butterfly is glitching out, like it’s not done appearing on the screen, or like it’s been slashed up around the black and white edges of its wings, and the knife that struck it could also cut the fabric of reality. The golden buttery background shows through small scuffs and scratches on the butterfly’s wings, just as the blackness of its wings blends into the butter.

 

I could almost imagine a butterfly stuck in the butter, flapping its wings to escape… embedded deep enough to still be seen but not shallowly enough to break free.

 

And the story that inspired this piece of art is called Flutter By.

 

 

[Story 1: Flutter By]

 

I was still in shock when I heard the sirens blare. I don’t know how long I stood there like that. I guess the length of time it took the fire department to show up after… someone called them. Who had even called them? It wasn’t me.

 

Einstein lay panting on the grass. In between his big white paws lay a stilled blue and black butterfly. It only took one dumb, playful whack to drain this fly of anymore flutter, and when the fluttering ceased, so too did Einstein’s interest.

 

His name was a joke, of course, but I had to give him credit… at least he wasn’t stupid enough to run up to the burning building. Too dumb to be afraid, though, he stared at the flames with dopey eyes.

 

I bent down and picked up the lifeless butterfly. Its wings were surprisingly pristine; just a little ruffled around the edges. It had sacrificed its life for mine, even if it had done it unknowingly, and I was grateful.

 

“M’am, please!” I was jarred by the booming voice that was suddenly on top of me.

 

I looked up into a dingy yellow jacket that had seen a few too many fires, and I had to crane my neck to see into his amber-tinged eyes.

 

“You and your dog need to get out of the way! Come on, let’s go!” He barked with a wide-eyed look.

 

I carefully balanced the butterfly in the palm of one hand, and took hold of Einstein’s collar with the other.

 

“What’s that?” the fireman asked, nodding to the beautiful bug I held, as he firmly pressed one hand against my back and guided me toward the frenzied street.

 

“This butterfly saved my life,” I said, “my dog saw it fly by and dashed out the door after it… I was just about to close the screen, needed some fresh air, ya know? The timing was just- I would have been right next to the stove.” I let out a relieved, amazed sigh.

 

“Wow,” he said as he directed me to sit on the back of a random SUV, “that was a lucky break… well I’m glad it was her and not you.”

 

“Yeah.” I said, and he smiled weakly before he walked off to do something more useful.

 

He became an indistinct silhouette against the golden-hour yellow that spilled from the very point perspective made from the long dirt road, and backsplashed the busy bodies that scuttled about the scene.

 

The flames illuminated her iridescent wings as I held my flighty savior up against the buttery sky.

 

[Transition]

 

Again, the art that sparked this story, is not shown on our cover, but if you’re interested to see it check out the shownotes for a link. Or you can visit kaanthebald on Instagram (spell it).

 

Ok, now onto our next story for today. And I guess we can call it our feature story, as you can see the art I’m referring to as the cover art of this episode. But for those of you who are driving or otherwise engaged, I’ll give you a little description to hold you over until you get a chance to look.

 

First of all, although the idea was mine, Jacqsun Jones from Dermapunct Tattoo is the artist that brought it all to life.

 

[Art Description 2:]

 

At first glance you notice a butterfly, a bee, and a flower sketched against a blue, pink, and purple watercolor background. When you look closer, though, you’ll notice the stars connected within the outlined images. This is the Orion constellation reimagined. Here’s the story that sparked the art. I call it Orion’s Metamorphosis.

 

[Story 2: Orion’s Metamorphosis]

 

“Do you have a special connection with any one constellation?” the lady on YouTube asked, “if so, perhaps that’s where you’re from.”

 

I immediately flashed back to every Friday of my childhood, head leaning against the window of my dad’s car, eyes gazing upward at the butterfly in the sky. Three stars in a neat, diagonal row made up the body, and the four brightest stars that surrounded it stretched out into wings in my imagination. It was many years later that I learned that this butterfly I saw was more widely known as Orion’s belt, but it would forever remain the butterfly constellation to me, especially after I found out that Orion was a hunter. Orion, might have been a hunter, I thought, but in my head I wrapped that bitch in a cocoon and he’s a butterfly now!

 

I’d always believed in reincarnation and I’d also spent a lifetime looking up at the stars in awe of the infinite universe with a certainty that we are not alone. So when I heard the term starseed, I was instantly intrigued.

 

When I searched for further information on the supposed beings that lived in that part of the universe, I discovered that it was a war riddled star system. And I didn’t connect with that on any level, in fact I felt repelled by this information and assumed that my strange attraction to the butterfly constellation must have nothing to do with my origin as a starseed. Although now as I write this it suddenly makes sense that I could be so anti-war without experiencing it (at least here on Earth) because perhaps I have experienced it elsewhere.

 

It was weeks, maybe even months later, that I came across another YouTube video that went over various starseed origins and the traits commonly associated with different areas. I still thought I might be a starseed, but I wasn’t sold on Orion as my origin.

 

I had my laptop open, and I was just listening as I cooked dinner, and then, suddenly, it was as if the strange robotic voice was talking directly to me. It was as if the video were describing every quality, for better or for worse, that made up my flawed human personality. I paused, spatula in hand, walked over to my computer, backed up the video and replayed the whole thing again.

 

Orions have a deep thirst for knowledge and are interested in a variety of subjects. I love learning, and actually, I have a bad habit of buying a new online course before I’ve finished the last one I purchased. I used to fear I’d be labeled as a flake every time I took up a new hobby and dropped an old one, but I’ve recently come to find out that I’m just a multipotentialite… what? It’s a real thing, check out puttylike.com if you don’t believe me. There are lots of us.

 

Orions have strong ideals and they try very hard to convince others of their beliefs and tend to take it personally when they can’t get others to respect them. They are always seeking validity. Oh my is this true, anyone who’s known me for more than five minutes would probably agree, from animal rights to fluoride I tend to get a bit worked up.

 

Orions can be very critical of others, and they are especially critical of themselves. I hate to admit it, but this is true, too. I’m working on my judgy tendencies, though, but it’s a process. In fact I’m sure it was my lack of self love and worthiness that probably delayed this podcast for so long. Who gives a shit about what I have to say? Well, I guess if you’re still listening you do… so thanks love. It’s a funny thing, but it seems like the more I learn to love myself, the less I judge others. And often the thing I judge most harshly in other people is something I most judge myself on. Odd, but true.

 

Anyway…

Orions are also textbook introverts. Let me just say that in the past couple of years I’ve implemented a socialization limitation of 1 in-person interaction per week. Even this is too much at times. I require at least a week’s notice to get myself prepared, so I rarely accept spontaneous invitations. And often, as any plans to interact with other humans approaches, whether it’s with my best friend to have some wine or a special event that I was initially super excited about, I start to get anxious and have the impulse to cancel. It’s not that I won’t have a great time; I do truly enjoy spending time with my bff, but it’s just really draining and I usually need 24 hours of recovery time to start functioning at my peak again.

 

Orions can be equally spiritual and skeptical. I was raised as a Jehovah’s witness, but even as a kid, I rejected a lot of the stories I was told. I’ve been seeking spiritual guidance my whole life, but all organized religions I’ve looked into rub me the wrong way. I’m also positive there’s a ghost or energetic being in my house, though I have tried to disprove this theory in any way possible. Yeah, I’d say I’m spiritually skeptical.

 

There was only one thing that I didn’t totally connect to, and that’s the fact that most Orions are more logical than they are emotional in relationships. No, that’s not me at all… I’m totally the emotional being in the relationship. Although when I look outside of romantic relationships the logical part of me has always overpowered my heart for sure. Take the decision to get a journalism degree over a creative writing degree for instance… or how it took a nervous breakdown for me to follow my heart and quit my day job. Well it may have taken more than 30 years, but I’m learning to live more in my heart now… better late than never right?

 

I had wanted to get a new tattoo for ages… but I kept getting stuck on what to get. Years before I’d wanted a dandelion, seeds blowing away in the wind, with the words “let it go” woven in there somehow. It was going to go right on my forearm so I could see it every day. After I designed it and showed to a friend he said, “really?”

 

“What?” I asked him, perplexed at the snide look on his face.

 

“From Frozen?” he asked.

 

“No,” I said, “from a desire to let things go.”

 

“Well everyone’s going to think it’s from Frozen.” He replied, and because he had 4 kids and had seen the movie countless times, I assumed his theory was correct, and thanked him for helping me dodge that bleak future of implied Disney fanaticism. Ok, to be honest, I hadn’t thanked him right away, in fact I was probably more pissed at my ruined idea than grateful at that moment, but I’m thankful now and that’s what counts!

 

Sometime later I heard an interview with a girl whose entire body was tattooed and she said something to the effect of, “skin is temporary… life is temporary.” And that made me rethink my control freakism when it came to getting my next tattoo.

 

I wrote “get a tattoo, nothing’s permanent,” in my bullet journal. I originally slated this intention into last June, but that was the same month I impulsively quit my day job, and future money was a bit unsure for such frivolous things as body art. I rescheduled my new tattoo for March, I figured that’d give me enough time to plan (obviously the control freakism hadn’t completely let up yet) and I thought it would be a great birthday present to give to myself.

 

A couple of months later, my boyfriend Nick, decided he had the best idea for my birthday gift, and told me he’d be getting me a gift certificate to whatever tattoo artist I wanted. It was meant to be.

 

The time snuck up on me, as it often does, and suddenly I had to decide what I was going to get. I’d already decided on the artist, he was the only tattoo artist I could find in the entire state that did watercolor tattoos and it just so happened that his tattoo shop was an introvert’s dream. He only takes one customer at a time and you basically rent out his whole shop for your appointment.

 

Despite my usual tendency to be skeptical, the idea that I might be a starseed from Orion had stayed with me. So, quite impulsively, I decided on a new tattoo. I wanted the butterfly constellation AKA Orion, and I decided to replace his sword with a bee and turned his shield into a flower. I sent the artist a few reference photos, the date, and my deposit, sat back and sighed. The process of letting go had begun.

 

It wasn’t until the day before my appointment that I got to see what he’d designed, and before he drew it, I was legit starting to get cold feet. But once I opened the file I was stoked. It was perfect.

 

I still had a bit more letting go to do though, because the watercolor background was going to be completely improvised, and I had no idea what it would look like. All I chose were the colors. As the girl who swore she’d never get a color tattoo, I was nervous to say the least.

 

To be honest, when I first looked into the mirror, with my skin all inflamed and irritated the color was super bold, much bolder than I would have preferred. I wasn’t impressed and I started to regret my decision to get color added. It was better in black ink only, I thought. But as it healed, the color started to fade and I could see the variations in tone show up much better. And now, I’m kind of in love with it.

 

So, in the end this tattoo ended up being about, not only my connection to the stars, but also my newfound ability to let it all go, (take that Frozen!) and I’m honored to be the temporary canvas of Jacqsun Jones’ art.

 

[Conclusion:]

 

If you live in or near Dutchess County NY and are interested in getting tatted by Jacqsun, check out dermapunct.com. It’s not your typical tattoo environment and I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a uniquely private experience. Not to mention the music rocks and this guy borders on OCD with how clean everything is.

 

I hesitated A LOT on whether or not to share this story. As I record this, only 2 people know the whole story of what this art means to me. The fear is powerful. My ego so wants you to take me seriously. I’ve told myself in the past to step into fear, as I know that the most wonderful kinds of things often manifest within this realm of uncertainty. But uncertainty is too scary, Bek, I told myself. Even after I spent all this time writing, I was 90% sure I didn’t have the vagina to share this story. But the urge remained.

 

So I quite literally asked the Universe for a sign. I asked to be guided on whether or not I should risk my reputation as a sane human being in order to have a podcast episode. And today (or the day I wrote the script for this episode), I shit you not, I met a little boy named Orion, and his dad told me he was named after the constellation. I had my answer. Suck it up and be brave, Bek.

 

So that’s why I’m being so vulnerable today. That’s why I’ve also decided against fictionalizing this story, or crediting it with a fake name. Nope. This is really what I believe, these things really happened, as strange as it all may sound.

 

If you’re listening to this story, and feel any kind of connection to it, I’d like to invite you to reach out to me and tell me all about it. Who knows, maybe we knew each other from another star.

Are you an artist with a story to tell?

We'd love to hear your story on the next episode of Art Ink. Check out our submission guidelines to find out how to make it happen.