Meet Auntie Heroine | Drag Queen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Auntie Heroine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Auntie, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I stayed true to myself. Since the beginning of my drag career 10 years ago, I’ve had an up hill battle being a bearded queen and an alternative performer. For years there were many shows that would not book me because I did not act or look like a typical “drag queen.” I had to work very hard to make a name for myself by creating my own opportunities and making connections everywhere I went. But I would have burned out long ago if I had tried to fit in with what was considered “normal.” When we are our truest most authentic selves, we shine. And drag is all about the fantasy that we sell on stage. If the Performer believes the fantasy and is having fun, the audience will believe the fantasy too. Drag is all about the energy in the moment and if you aren’t doing what you love, the audience feels it. Drag is supposed to be play. Not to say that drag should not be serious. Drag is art and art is meant to evoke emotion and a good artist is in tune with the emotions they want to evoke in their audiences. This can be happy, romantic, pain, or even sadness.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started doing drag when I was in college studying art. I had reached a point that I was so burned out and sick of the art world. The gallery setting can be such an exclusive, elitist, whitewashed, hetero-normative setting. I wanted to touch people’s lives with my art and help others – especially in the LGBTQIA+ community. I didn’t feel I could do that in the gallery setting and I wanted to take art to the streets and really create a change. That’s when I discovered drag for myself. Since the beginning of my career, I’ve always wanted to help my community. Drag is an act of rebellion, uplifting all forms of identity and stating “you are valid, you are seen, you are beautiful.” As an artist, it’s hard to make it on your own wothout outside financial support. This typically comes from “the day job” and although art is my career and my passion and my drive, it was often placed on the back burner to ensure I could afford groceries and rent. But for me, having a cause greater than myself and fighting for my community has given me the drive to keep going even when I felt unseen or overlooked.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well first and foremost we are going to get all of our favorite snacks, a nice supply of edibles, and a picnic blanket. Then we’re going straight to the woods to find a nice spot to lay out, maybe by a stream, and we’ll get stoned, eat, and talk. I’m a big fan of nature and quality 1:1 time. Perhaps we’ll hike to a beautiful overlook or something scenic before we pull out the picnic. If we have an entire week, we’re doing this in the mountains.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shout out to my local community in Rockford, IL. I’ve been a loner my whole life from being an only child, to always being the outsider in many friend groups and even being fiercely and often unnecessarily independent in my career. Watching the professionals I look up to in my industry I learned that they always had a posse supporting them. My own delusions told me that I would never have that, but when I got the call to be on the Boulet Brothers Dragula, my community and friends came together working tirelessly to help me reach my dreams. This is to Rockford! Thank you!

Website: https://WWW.AUNTIEHEROINE.COM

Instagram: @auntieheroine

Image Credits
Joe Galvanoni
Www.joegrockford.com