Canvas, Chords and Catharsis: The story behind the face of luvpuppit

Photo taken at Lost Bag, mid March - Mic is featured in the blue dress. (Credit - rnphoto_)

Featured above is a photo of Mic of their Providence based band, luvpuppit, drummer Kaylee (of Leatherrax and Winanaward) their cellist, Sean, Steve and Joe on bass. Mic reached out to me a few months ago and mentioned how our mutual friend Kaylee stated how we would get along quite well. This is honestly an understatement, because as time has progressed, and I have gotten to know Mic more, I am continually left amazed; not just by their kindheartedness and silly tendencies, but also their innate ability to cultivate various creative endeavors in both their personal and professional career.

Musical and artistic ventures naturally overtook Mic's early upbringing. One of the many aspects I can appreciate about them is the bond they share with their family. In their reflections, they state how their mom has, a "bangin' taste in music," while their dad is a professional musician. The parallels between music-lover to music-player, has cultivated the perfect specimen; which led Mic to participate in guitar lessons, chorus, school plays, art lessons at Artworks, or an emphasis on craft time at home. In college, Mic credits someone they dated as being an encouraging factor to their songwriting. Their artistic adolescent collaborations then transformed into a solo pursuit; and luvpuppit was born.

Previously toying with their acoustic guitar, they then transferred their skills to their first (and only) electric guitar in December of 2020. They started utilizing songwriting as a tool to release the dark emotions resulting from being a target of male manipulation and having an emotional crisis related to how people perceive them. To them, luvpuppit is synonymous with "sex doll." But through these experiences, Mic has cultivated a unique sound that exceeds the typical planes of musical existence; akin to performance art. For example, they debuted their first full band set mid March of this year for their birthday bash at Lost Bag. As one of the attendees, I felt an overwhelming sense that there was something much more than the typical local show; from the diverse range of musicians performing, to the set design, food, drinks, costumes, and the ambiance.

But what makes the most sense is that they are also a figure drawing model, which provides an environment for them to take up space, and view themselves from the perspective of talented artists. Which as previously discussed, they have struggled with how others view them however, they voice, "being objectively drawn has granted me a lot of peace and appreciation for my body - seeing myself as art has enabled me to find my body more beautiful." After learning more about Mic, I can clearly see that though their art and music creates an atmosphere of originality.

Mic states their deep love with the process of creating, and in doing so has also prioritized visual art which they credit their mom for jumpstarting at a young age. In college, they made the ambitious attempt to double major in pharmacy and art. They spent a few semesters in the studio drawing, but state how during a critique, a professor shared their hatred for one of their paintings that they ensued the help of their colleague to fairly asses the work. Mic shares how the other professor loved their painting, and has "always held those comments with me, especially now as I am very intentional with my (chaotic) use of color."

This statement is reflective of their recent piece, "Kissing Kids," consisting of two 5'x4' canvases displaying two boxers punching each other, and in true Mic fashion -- utilizing bold colors. Similar to the catharsis they exhibit when song writing, painting is a method of processing their emotions, where, in this case, was a product of the aftermath of a tragic and unkind breakup. They voice the following, "And most of the time, true conflict is not unilateral or even bilateral, but an amalgamation of both people and all of the past occurrences which have shaped them. That’s what I’m kind of hoping the piece conveys." When I first saw this piece in person, I was struck by the feelings that I evoked not just from the content of the illustrations but the usage of vivid colors.

I have bragged to my boyfriend about how Mic has an impressive ability to balance both a personal and professional career. And honestly, I didn't know much about how their job as a research pharmacist transverses innovation; as they spend most of their workdays reading, thinking and writing. Because typically, and this is probably a stereotype, but I could not have imagined there being any room for creativity in the STEM field, when that is certainly not true in this case. Mic remarks how their job provides space for them to daydream while also doing scientific work. Because of this available capacity their job provides, it makes sense how they are able to positivity occupy space.

My overall reflection from this article is that Mic has an awe-inspiring ability to cope with the hardships of life in a creative, almost divine manner. They vocalize they saw a video that said, "the future may be uncertain, but never forget that the future could be slay." From music, modeling, visual art, and their job, I not only have high hopes for their future but also the present.