Dom'd and Choked Out

Hey had to paid for it.

And he must have really been into it. Otherwise why would he have been escorted into Starbucks at 10am by a young slender black woman - a middle-aged white man in business attire, led by leash and collar.

After she got her drink they sat in the outdoor seating area, just outside the window where I was working. Well, she sat; he got down on all fours. She propped her feet on his back and nonchalantly smoked a cigarette. 

She was not dressed up as a dominatrix. The only clue was her very dark make-up. That and the fact that she was leading a man around on a leash. 

Good for them. Most people don't know what they want. And then, those who do, don't have the courage to seek it out and pay the price to get it. 

He wanted public humiliation and to be dominated and almost choked out (judging by the tightness of the collar and the redness of his face). He wanted it bad enough to seek it out and pay for it. 

It must have been a bit awkward for the lady who was there with her little daughter buying a cake pop. How would she explain wtf the guy was doing on all fours like a dog with his face inches away from a woman's  bathing suit area?  

There is a line somewhere that defines what's ok to do in public. And maybe they were on the other side of that line. 

The scene made me think about the lines that I play with (or avoid) in my work and life. Could it be that the things that are most important for me to pursue require me to challenge the boundaries of what acceptable? Am I letting other people's opinions and fear of judgement shape my work?

No doubt I am. 

Every artist must question the influences that shape her work. Do we yield to influence because it is in harmony with our vision or do we yield because we are afraid to stand.

We can afford to ignore the fear that other people are going to judge us or be offended by our work. They will judge. They will take offense. And they will forget you and get on with their lives. 

I am sitting in the same Starbucks 24 hours later. If the guy from yesterday came in today without the leash and collar I probably wouldn't even recognize him.