Olympia Artist, Cassie Steensrud is Velvet Moon’s very first 2023 Muse, and the fantastic artist behind our Empress Strawberry graphic!

Cassie is a ‘Dark Artist’ in Olympia, Washington. A key feature of her art, apart from her exquisite line work, is the juxtaposion of the ‘grotesque’ and the ‘beautiful,’ depicted in meticulous detail. This combination elicits a profound, complicated, and visceral response. Many find it uncomfortable to encounter graphic and stunningly detailed gruesome imagery seamlessly synthesized into presentations of otherwise stereotypically lovely elements.

One part of Cassie’s Muse Interview that struck a very strong chord with us, and we could not help but resonate with her views. When asked about the juxtaposition of darkness and beauty in their work, Cassie responded,

“ … something can be sad and beautiful, or gross and beautiful. These two things can really just make each one more interesting. Adding beauty to something disgusting, or adding disgust to something beautiful just, to me, makes it feel better. It makes it feel more real, so I try to push that in my drawings., because it feels the most natural. Because real life feels like that. Nothing beautiful isn’t disgusting so, it feels disingenuous to create something that feels all one way or all the other.”

As an “inner beauty” brand, we created Velvet Moon to honor the truth that beauty cannot be bottled, branded, or commodified. It is natural and intrinsic in us all. Cassie’s statement, “Nothing beautiful isn’t disgusting” captures and emboldens the truth that we are all exquisitely, perfectly human.

“Memento Mori:” Remember you must die.

When we look outward at the world and find ourselves projecting or internalizing toxic comparisons, harsh judgments against ourselves or others, or negative beliefs about the parts of our shared humanity that we find grotesque, we must remember that “Nothing beautiful isn’t disgusting.”

Everyone poops. Everyone pukes. Everyone bleeds. Even the most beautiful celebrities, our limerent lovers, and our “higher selves.”

Perhaps we can play with the converse?

“Nothing disgusting isn’t beautiful.” While we aren’t 100% commited to that notion, as there are some truly abhorrent forces in the world (racism, abuse, and exploitation of the innocent, just to name a few), perhaps apart from these things, the space between beauty and ugliness is more porous than we initially imagined. What if the pain or fear of death sensitizes us to the pleasure of life?

As Cassie states in her interview, “…something can be sad and beautiful, or gross and beautiful…”

Sadness orients our awareness towards the depths of the human heart. The shape of the grotesque turns our gaze to the delicate and sophisticated machinery of organic life.

We want to thank Cassie for helping broaden our gaze and deepen our understanding of beauty. Artists like Cassie absolutely help us nuance our own vision of ourselves and others, allowing us so observe previously invisible beauty that constantly surrounds us. This evocative exploration of the invisible in-between provides us with a renewed and more intimate relationship with beauty.