How do you feel about jewish supernatural creatures being portrayed in media? Is it okay if done correctly, since it is a closed religion? I'm really curious, especially since you obviously know so much about them.
I also want to say that I love your art! And I love being able to learn more about these creatures.
thank you for the kind words, i appreciate it!
i have to say i’m confused by the question, or possibly its framing - i’m not sure what Judaism being a “closed religion” has to do with portraying creatures from folklore in media. “closed religion” is a term people generally seem to use when they’re talking about not appropriating the actual religious/cultural practices of a (usually contextually marginalized) religion that you don’t belong to. recently i’ve seen some pushback against the term “closed practice/religion” for Judaism, as it’s not literally true. yes, Judaism is for Jews, but anyone can convert to Judaism - it’s just that it’s a whole process that involves a lot of learning & then being accepted by a Jewish community. to my knowledge, “closed practice” as a term grew out of the pagan/neo-pagan community anyway & was used to describe any religion whose symbols, deities & practices weren’t socially considered fair game for use in your own personal spiritual practice - i have a lot of thoughts on this odd sort of “restaurant view” of religion & culture, where some things are at a free-for-all buffet so you can just take what you want (who put them there?) while other things are only served at certain tables by reservation (is anyone else ever invited?), but that’s a whole other post.
i’m assuming you’re asking how i feel about non-Jewish people portraying creatures from Jewish folklore in various kinds of media, & the answer is that it totally depends on the thing & how it’s done? i definitely don’t subscribe to the idea that creators should never step outside their own experience/culture. i do think portraying (elements of) other cultures is something that should be done carefully & sensitively, ideally with input from members of that culture! unfortunately, it is very, very easy for creators to unintentionally fall into antisemitic tropes & stereotypes, because those ideas are so old & so pervasive, especially when it comes to monsters & other supernatural creatures (Jews having been literally demonized by Christian culture for centuries). i think if you’re not Jewish, then making sensitive, educated work about Jewish monsters is probably hard mode, but that isn’t to say it can’t be done. i can think of plenty of bad examples off the top of my head, but i’m sure i could come up with some good ones too if given the time.
of course, this is all just my opinion, & should not be taken as a ruling on what’s “okay”! other Jews will agree & disagree with me, which is fine & good. :)
do you plan to start selling on your etsy again at any point? i love your art and would love to purchase prints, stickers, etc.
thank you! i do plan to restock, yes - i realize i said that whenever i was asked for pretty much all of last year & in fact ended up taking the entirety of 2023 off from Etsy (sorry!), but i’m actually making it a priority to get it updating more regularly this year. monthly would be amazing but realistically i think every couple of months is more manageable for me. i missed January (where did it go) but maybe i can pull something together before February slips by…
in any case i will absolutely post everywhere in advance of any drop, so if you’re following me you won’t miss out!
just wanted to let u know i saw one of your zines at a pop up zine library near me the other day! i recognized the cover from twt and i was so psyched to see it there!
that’s so cool, thank you for letting me know! which zine? i’m always excited to hear they’re out there in the wild! hooray for pop-up zine libraries too, that’s great
protective hamsa with crossed swords & primroses for Me'ira - thank you so much!
NOTE:this is a one-of-a-kind custom tattoo commission for a client, NOT flash, and as such it is NOT available to be tattooed.
as an aside, this is my first work done entirely in Procreate - i’m dipping my toes back into digital art this year with new (current?!) tools, & excited about the possibilities & ease of use! as someone who’s been pretty much exclusively using Adobe CS5.5 since it came out & had previously never drawn with anything past a 2011 Wacom Bamboo tablet, it’s a whole new world.
a really fun recent commission: this custom bookplate for the curator of Judaica at the Museum of the Bible! it’s based on a variety of texts that describe (at least some) sheydim as observantly Jewish - especially the Talmudic stories of Yosef Sheyda, a demonic scholar or possibly even a rabbi himself. the quote in the window is from Psalm 24, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” which is often written above an owner’s name in Jewish books, but provides double meaning here for the fact that sheydim too are divinely created. Jesse shares my love for sheydim as transgressive, marginalized figures who are nevertheless deeply Jewish, so this was an ideal collaboration & a delight to make!
also done entirely in Procreate, inked with True Grit Texture Supply’s “Rusty Nib” engraver brushes - totally in love with this new process & the relative ease of accomplishing this type/level of hatching vs. traditional media (giving me added respect for the 17th century printmakers I’ve been studying). i will always love working traditionally but adding more digital techniques to my repertoire has been super useful.
a really fun recent commission: this custom bookplate for the curator of Judaica at the Museum of the Bible! it’s based on a variety of texts that describe (at least some) sheydim as observantly Jewish - especially the Talmudic stories of Yosef Sheyda, a demonic scholar or possibly even a rabbi himself. the quote in the window is from Psalm 24, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” which is often written above an owner’s name in Jewish books, but provides double meaning here for the fact that sheydim too are divinely created. Jesse shares my love for sheydim as transgressive, marginalized figures who are nevertheless deeply Jewish, so this was an ideal collaboration & a delight to make!
also done entirely in Procreate, inked with True Grit Texture Supply’s “Rusty Nib” engraver brushes - totally in love with this new process & the relative ease of accomplishing this type/level of hatching vs. traditional media (giving me added respect for the 17th century printmakers I’ve been studying). i will always love working traditionally but adding more digital techniques to my repertoire has been super useful.
ALT
delighted by these tags & reblogs, very happy to say that in fact @kuttithevangu & i have been friends for years & i read some of the earliest drafts of Angels! it’s one of my favorite books.
also, for folks curious about sheydim (@tieflingmonk in the tags) i have a 101-level mini-zine available here & some recommendations for further reading on various aspects of Jewish magic, mysticism & folklore (including demons) here ♥
