Forgot password?
A creative blog by Heidi Huber on The Whole 9

Heidi Huber started her career with the sink or swim theory. Luckily she knows the freestyle which has taken her from the Chicago stage to behind the scenes in Los Angeles where she currently continues to tap as The Whole 9’s Chief of Everything Else.

What do you think of Fetish Art?

Fetish art (as defined by Wikipedia) is art that depicts people in fetishistic situations such as bondage, BDSM, transvestism, domination/submission scenarios etc. — sometimes in combination.

Many of the classic 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s era fetish artists such as Eric Stanton and Gene Bilbrew began their careers at Irving Klaw’s Movie Star News company creating drawings for episodic illustrated bondage stories.  Contemporary fetish artists, Roberto Baldazzini and Michael Manning are keeping the style alive.

What do you think of Fetish Art?

comments

as long as there is a poodle painted in there somewhere, i’m good with it.

- as long as there are not kids in it, i would think. if it is impressive i would comment.

When I think of fetish art in a sexual context, I think of artists like Eric Kroll, Richard Kern, Nobuyoshi Araki, Shunga Japanese erotica, a lot of Robert Mappelthorpe’s photography, etc. Some of it is beautiful, some perverse, often it can be titillating and provocative, just as often mudane and irritating, occasionally horrifying… I’m not particularly turned on by S&M scenarios and I do not find ‘pain’ to be much of a sexual stimulant, so for me that aspect of ‘fetish art’ is a bust. Gas masks and latex, I generally find laughable. Much contemporary art of this sort strives to be shocking and transgressive, an increasingly difficult goal to achieve in today’s jaded, ‘overexposed’ world. Furthermore, what at one time may have fascinated by demonstrating independence and obsession can easily lose it’s impact and voyeuristic value once it becomes commonplace and mainstream (an obvious example of this would be tattoos and piercings). I will offer up that art which promotes, exploits and/or glorifies violence against unwilling, innocent victims I find reprehensible. On the other hand, I’m pretty open-minded about art and sexuality in general and as long as it’s not stupid or mediocre, rather enjoy a lot of this stuff, particularly if it involves poodles in bondage painted on black velvet.

Are you fueled by the Year of the Dragon?

By the Chinese Zodiac, I am a ram.  I believe in a lot of what it says about rams and feel I resemble many characteristics.

Have you read much about the Year of the Dragon and if so, does it fuel you?

comments

Ah yes…the Chinese Zodiac is one of my hobby subjects. I also happen to be born in the Year of the Dragon so that’s a good sign for 2012! I resemble a dragon in many ways and we are said to be born with the Midas Touch. Here’s a list of suitable gifts to give to a dragon….Tarot cards, camera, a copy of the I Ching, mirror, a family crest, mobile phone :-) !!

a big fan of the dragon.

Yes, I was also born in the Year of the Dragon. I’m anticipating a strong year.

I have hope for the year of the dragon.
I will admit that I never remember what the Chinese Zodiac years are and what they stand for, so I had to look them up. I also looked up my year (the ox) and I think this is my favorite sentence about Oxes: “If anyone doesn’t want to listen to the hard fact then there is no point in asking an Ox about the predicament.”
So true.

Living in Shanghai the past few months makes it impossible to not be fueled by the dragon. The Year of the Dragon is an auspicious year for all Chinese Zodiac signs. In Chinese zodiac tradition, the dragon represents the king and the rooster is the queen. If you are lucky enough to be a rooster, tradition states that this year is even more lucky for us, more so than the year of the rooster. Happy Year of the Dragon and may it be one of health and happiness. Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!!

What’s a well known song no one knows the name of?

Did you know the song “Do you like Pina Coladas?” is actually named “Escape”?  Or that Bob Dylan’s “Everybody Must Get Stoned” is really called “Rainy Day Woman”?  Like, where’d he get that?  Is that in the song?  I musta been stoned, cause I don’t remember that lyric.

What’s some other well known songs no one knows the names of?

comments

tough one. you named the best three. maybe ‘ode to billie joe?’or maybe ‘after the goldrush.’

“Young Turks” by Rod Stewart (I always thought it was “Young Hearts” because the chorus is “Young hearts be free tonight” and the word “Turks” is not in the lyrics.
Others which have titles that don’t appear in the lyrics: “A day in The Life” by the Beatles, Positively 4th Street and Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.

Gary Glitter’s Hey song is actually Rock n Roll Part 2. If you attend sporting events, chances are you’ve heard it~

What job boards do you frequently check?

Hey People!  There are lots of interesting, creative opportunities popping up on The Whole 9’s JOBS ETC. Section — check it out!

I’m always encouraging organizations to post their opportunities on TW9 because it’s no cost and the people that are looking through the jobs are all creatives.

What job boards do you frequently check?

comments

My own “to do” list! Seriously, I do check the whole9 list. I am also registered with CAFE (Call for Entry.org) However, most of these are show entries which involve an entry fee etc. I participate in some of them, but I really wouldn’t call them ” jobs” or even great sales opportunities. Such is the artist’s life!

ooooh…..didn’t know about callforentry.org! I love this Question of the Day!!

How would you pass the time in jail?

I know we’re all law-abiding citizens but it’s sounding like you have to do very little these days to land yourself in jail.  And, from what I hear, there’s a lot of time to make use of.

How would you pass the time in jail?

comments

I would organize secret flash mobs for when it came time to go outside.

- i learned a lot

OMG.
That depends on WHICH jail you’re talking about!

I don’t suppose they would let me have my art supplies and a cell to myself?

the Goal is never to know that vibration

What do you wish your phone did that it doesn’t do now?

Okay, all of you ATT iphone users, I wish that your phones would actually act as a phone and not drop calls.  I believe that they do everything else!  My wish for my most unsmart phone?  I wish it would pay its own bill…

What do you wish your phone did that it doesn’t do now?

comments

have an easier keypad.

Ring every time someone calls, not just occasionally.

Ring!…..with a human voice at the other end that I can TALK to! I am tired of e-mail and text messages. I realize these things have made it easier to send memos and document things and even comment on a blog such as this but I miss the audio sensory interaction of an actual conversation!

I wish the battery lasted longer. It’s no good to me if using all that it’s capable of performing causes it to die within a couple of hours.

have fewer dropped calls. It gets really annoying when the main thing a phone is supposed to do is not the thing it does the best.

What’s your favorite cold-weather beverage?

Either homemade hot chocolate or spiked (or rather “spiced”) cider are my cold-weather bevvy’s of choice.  Ahh…I’m getting warm fuzzies just thinking about them — mmm, mmm, mmm… Get me in front of the fire and I’m good-to-go!

What’s your favorite cold-weather beverage?

comments

Hot tea, of many different kinds, is always a hit with me. Also a favorite concoction I came up with — heated almond milk, aztec chocolate cocoa mix, and a little amaretto or rum….yum :)

-hot organic apple cider and a good brand cognac, and i’ll see ya in couple of days.

Coffee, coffee, coffee. And red wine :-)

when skiing, a beer at lunchtime, then back out to the slopes.

Hot apple cider (not spiked, which ruins the flavor, quite frankly), and hot tea, always.

What’s one thing you’re always complimented on?

If someone compliments me, males comment on my smile and females comment on my hair.  Both I can attribute to my parents.  There is no doubt this gal has a thick head of hair and she gets it honest from both sides.  The smile is pure Bill Huber — thanks Dad.

Now the real compliment is when people compliment my son! :)

What’s one thing you’re always complimented on?

comments

My eyes (and how they look like Sophia Loren’s) and my smile (and how it looks like Julia Roberts’).

- i am poor therefore i don’t get complimented.

The beauty of my daughter Willow…

My hair and my clothes, and sometimes my jewelry. My vanity does count for something, I guess!

My HAIR. All my life…real compliments…and jealous “compliments”…the hairdresser who says (Karen you gotta come see this! to a thick strand of hair …comments on the color, style, body, thickness. I will say that I’m grateful for this head of hair that the less I actually do to it…the more comments and compliments I get!

What’s your most drastic power outage story?

Back in the 70’s when the snowstorms would last for days and our driveway would be drifted shut, we had a two-day power outage that ruined all of meat in our deep freeze.  Cold enough not to melt, not cold enough to save a side of beef…

What’s your most drastic power outage story?

comments

i was in the bahamas in the early 1980’s and went through hurricane david. no power during that of course. sounded like a freight train roaring through the building. rum helped. and candles.

-l.a ’s shaker in ‘94

Rishikesh, India. Late at night and I’m packing to trek into the Himalaya. I’m separating photo from video gear, and leaving other stuff behind at the ashram I was at. Power goes out, and it’s F’n dark. I finish by candle light and sleep for a few hours. 5 a.m. comes and it’s still dark, but I have to go. I’m thinking, “Where’s the hash?”

For four or five days I’m hoping it would jump out of some back pack pocket, but it’s nowhere. A lot of it. I’m thinking, “Did I leave it laying around in the ashram room?” So when I get back to town, I’m worried the cops are going to be waiting for me and that’s it, hard time in India. I’m tripping.

I sneak around the place, pick up the rest of my stuff without incident and was outta there. Hash was in lens case, and it really didn’t do me any good, as the sickness took over. I almost died, but it was better than jail, all because the power went out.

I’ve been living at my parent’s cabin in the woods for the past few months while working at a camp and I came home one day and there was no power. I had to call my parents to get the name and number of the power company, call them and since the cabin is so out of the way it took them hours to get out there. Meanwhile-it’s pitch dark, in the middle of the woods and earlier that day I heard news reports of violent break ins in the area. Even after the power came back on (at about 10pm) I had a hard time sleeping.

I have several…..We used to live at the bottom of a hill in a very wooded area and every time there was a wind storm of any kind the power would go out and sometimes stay out for a couple of days. One of the most memorable was about 1985 on Thanksgiving day and we had 15 people coming for dinner. The table was all set with white linens, and candles, the silver polished etc. The power went out while everyone was en route to our house. We moved the turkey to the barbeque, got out the camp stove and kept on cooking! Cocktails by the fireplace, dinner by candlelight. When the power did come back on later in the evening, it almost felt invasive

Big Life Changes…are you good at them?

Whether it’s a change of job or change of career, change of heart or change of address, Life Changes can be distressing.  Or very enlightening…Personally, I’ve grown so much in periods of major life change, I wouldn’t trade them.

Big Life Changes…are you good at them?

comments

- hmmm…i won’t pull off an Into The Wild

Change comes easily to me and I’ve been know to pack up and ship out at a moment’s notice.

Not really. It takes me a while to adjust, and in the meantime I’m stressed out.

I deal with them terribly, but in the general scheme of things, I have been very lucky, and I apparently know the right people.

Change and adaptation comes easily as a pisces but the flipside of it is that I sometimes need to be pushed into the changes, i.e. jobs, cars, relationships etc. I’ve been known to walk right out of jobs in the middle of a shift without giving any notice but also stay in dead-end ones just because they’re comfortable.