A Conversation with LAINIE LOVE DALBY
By Lori Zimmer
July / August 2012
(As seen in PMc Magazine, 2012)
—
Getting “blessed” in the middle of an art fair left me pretty
apprehensive. I finally met Reverend Lainie Love Dalby when visiting
her booth at Scope Art Fair, which was curated by my friend Daria Brit
Shapiro. The booth, a myriad of bright colors, tents, sparkles, mirrors,
and trinkets, was just as lively as the aisles packed with people at
the fair, so when Dalby asked me if I’d like to be blessed, I thought
she was going to take me somewhere more secluded, and I began to take a
step toward the booth’s smaller tent.
Instead, Dalby simply asked me to close my eyes. That was when my
expectations fell flat, and since I was in plain view of everyone
passing, I figured I was just part of some art performance, and that I
would not be receiving an experience myself. But I was completely wrong.
The art chaos around me totally dissipated, and I was at once
surrounded by a circle of sage and citrus. The only sound I focused on
was Dalby’s incredibly calming voice (I want her to read bedtime stories
to me) and the tinkling of a bell. She gently placed a reassuring hand
on my head, and asked me to focus on some suggested thoughts. I
couldn’t feel the busy gallery booths hawking art or the people walking
around me in Dalby’s booth. I only felt this circle of sage and Dalby’s
voice. I felt refreshed for the rest of the day, and my cynical self has
now been given over to the power of art.
Aside from giving blessings, Lainie Love Dalby is a visual artist who
stamps her colorful brand of creativity on everything she creates.
Before she gave herself completely over to art just a few years ago, she
lead multiple lives, managing many personas and careers for each. This
need for diversity is evident in her work, as she expertly juggles
performance, video, sculpture and interactive experiences to communicate
her oeuvre. The certified reverend has reached a state of her own
enlightenment, and is funneling her creativity and positive energy into
her gorgeous art, which not only plugs the self-development of her
viewers, but lets us use her art to get high.
Lori Zimmer: You’re a “Reverend.” How did you get into the business of blessing?
Lainie Love Dalby: For over 10 years, up until 2009, I lived as
multiple personas, including as an internationally known dominatrix, a
celebrity stylist, an avant-garde fashion maven, and a pop rapper, all
constructed within my art practice and life. In moving between these
shattered ego aspects of self, which I called “identity players,” I
became a shell of myself. I was a full-blown hedonist and fame monster
that was totally bankrupt financially, spiritually and emotionally. My
life had become devoid of meaning, with a permanent flashing neon sign
exclaiming “CLOSED,” and I had lost my personal anchor to what really
mattered. I was in a full-blown premature midlife crisis that brought me
to the precipice of misery and near suicide. I wanted to die, straight
up. In that moment, I chose to live, fully and vibrantly alive, to make
a difference and to find my truth. I chose to redefine what living
meant for me, to not accept life as it’s given and to create my own
rules. Nicki Minaj said it best: Everybody dies, but not everybody
lives. My decision to let go of my old story was my first radical act
of self-love and the beginning of my journey to come out of hiding. This
decision led me fortuitously into a seat in the two-year Interfaith
Seminary program at One Spirit Learning Alliance, from which I could
help others drink from the well of courage, life, and ultimately freedom
as Reverend Lainie Love Dalby. And the rest is history! For this, I am
so grateful.
LZ: What can someone expect when they’re getting blessed by you?
LLD: When I’m blessing someone, we’re entering together into the here
and now–dancing in the space of pure presence and the inherent
potential of the present moment. We complete the work together. Because
of this,
I’m respectful that people are probably coming
to the interaction with a little voice that’s saying something like,
“Oh shit, what have I gotten myself into? Do I really trust this woman?”
But I know once I share my unconditional love and act as a mirror for
their greatness, the
initial fear response passes, and
they melt into the moment with me and receive a fleeting feeling of
freedom, peace, aliveness, and the unexpected.
It is a respite from the overwhelming noise of our lives, a sort of
moving meditation on their inner light and power. The focus is on
getting
people fully into their bodies, activating their 12 senses with the
cleansing scent of sage and lemon, the melodic sound of the bells
shaking to clear the energy, my soothing voice, the hand touching their
forehead, and their heart creating an intimate trail of energy, spooling
our fine heart threads into one united front. It’s like a spiritual
elixir. You drink, feel fed, and desire more.
They begin to open up to something larger than themselves, and it
gives them a flavor for more. In the best case, it leads them down a
path to heightened depth of presence and many more deep breaths of pure
life in the future.
LZ: You’ve been called the Lady Gaga of Consciousness and Spirituality. Do you think this is an accurate description?
LLD: I had been creating elaborate, wearable sculptures for over 15
years when Lady Gaga first came out on the scene. I was honestly
unnerved at first when people would walk by me on the street and call me
by her name based on my appearance. But that was only my ego feeling
wounded. I didn’t want my personal brand of chutzpah
to
be unconsciously clumped into a pop phenomenon. But then I did a higher
self-check and realized that we’re merely soul sisters united in
spirit, pushing through our fears to live outside of the boxes of
mediocrity, and helping others to do the same each day. We are quite
possibly cut from the same monster cloth, if you will.
Together, along with Madonna, Eve Ensler, Toni Morrison, and
countless other outspoken female artists throughout history, I am
helping others to step out of society’s boxes, fight for social change,
and show humankind how to live with authenticity and share our unique
voices and imprints with the world. We are modern day Istha Devas
(contemporary goddesses) that remind people to press their edge of
becoming. The awakening of human consciousness is the overall goal,
regardless of the form or title it takes. We are also helping to bring a
greater sense of love, radical acceptance, and unity to a world so
desperately in need of it.
I stand utterly grateful for the presence of not only Gaga, but all
the incredible women on this earth, who have shared their gifts with the
world as I hope we all can.
I have no doubt that I
will even be giving blessings to the Mother Monster & Madge one day
soon! For like attracts like, movements build upon movements, and more
powerful women are banding together each day to help heal our wounded
world.
LZ: Was performing in a commercial atmosphere like an art fair weird for you?
LLD: I cherish any opportunities to
penetrate the pop culture stratosphere with compassion, courage, and big love
. I
especially relished pushing the boundaries of human interaction,
commerce, and art-making in the context of such a contemporary art world
tradition as SCOPE Art Fair. I am forever grateful that Daria Brit
Shapiro provided me with a platform for my ‘Diamond Den’ project so I
could serve up some serious spiritual elixir to the art world masses,
while also creating a risky and unforgettable environment that truly
made the space and participants come alive amidst the safe and expected
etiquette of the majority of the gallery presentations. I was able to
utilize my art as a modality of healing and expanding oneself in order
to shift consciousness, raise awareness, and ultimately promote social
change. I became a channel for divine healing power, an urban priestess
of the moment. It was an ultimate merger of pop culture, the sacred, and
the 12 senses, which is a founding principle of my work in the world.
The best part is that it pushed my own boundaries as an artist and
spiritual leader, taking me to the next evolution of my work, which I
will be premiering later this year!
LZ: Tell me about TEEM Gorgeous (or Dalbyworld?)
LLD: TEEM Gorgeous is a multidimensional social sculpture involving
installations, art works, self-development adventures, and more to
generate massive personal and social change. Art is profoundly human by
nature, and TG begins with the premise that every being is an artist in
charge of their own transformation. Because of this, your greatest
masterpiece is creating a life that you would totally love and feel
alive in each day. I merely serve as the catalyst for courage and
creativity in the process.
I love the dictionary definition of the word “teem”–which means to
abound or swarm; to be prolific or fertile–because it supports this
process. Its other, even juicier use is, “to be or become pregnant
with.” As for “gorgeous,”
though it is only used as an
adjective in the English language, I see it more as a noun. I envision
it as the quality present in an object, thing, or individual that
provides indisputable splendor and joy to the mind, body, and soul.
TG is also phase one of a larger plan that I am rolling out this
year, merging my art and ministry into one massive movement, and I’ve
decided to give PMC the exclusive on the announcement! I’m expanding my
brand platform and will soon be launching DalbyWorld.com, an
entrepreneurial endeavor that will manifest as an online immersive
environment, serving to “level-up” your overall experience of life in
the global village.
Get ready to be risky. Reclaim your inner life. Make something out of nothing. TEEM Gorgeous. And change the world.
LZ: What other candy-coated goodies and performances do you have in store?
LLD: Other than masterminding my new movement, I’m currently in an
evolutionary process involving many avenues of expression. I’m writing
my first book, which is part memoir and part spiritual guide. I’m
continuing my wearable sculpture and photography series, “The ARmaTures
of Awareness.” I’m also creating an online TV show, participating in
“Art in Odd Places” this October with the performance
Blessings to Remember You,
and planning some elaborate surprises for Art Basel Miami this year
that I am currently seeking sponsorship for. The most exciting goodie,
however, is my upcoming Art for Awareness Online Gallery to support Eve
Ensler’s
One Billion Rising,
where the majority of the proceeds from the art sold will go to
creating a local NYC event on February 14th, 2013 to fight violence
against women and girls.
Other artists can also donate works to the gallery. Visit
www.LainieLoveDalby.com to find out more or participate. To keep abreast of the aliveness, sign up for my
exclusive newsletter to stay in the loop on what’s coming next. Also, drop by and let me know what gets you feeling fully alive on
Twitter and on
Facebook. Be sure to use the hashtag #AlivenessAlert when tweeting! I can’t wait to give you all a blessing sometime soon!
—
Lainie Love Dalby is a New York-based artist. She is often called
“The Lady Gaga of Consciousness and Spirituality.” She looks great in
pink.
LINKS:
Lainie Love Dalby
—
Written by Lori Zimmer
Edited by Jonathan Metzelaar
Photography by Jonathan Grassi
Design by Marie Havens
—
Captions:
Pages 1-4:
Lainie Love Dalby in NYC, 2012, All Photography by Jonathan Grassi
