Seattle's biggest celebration of art and eroticism is in full swing for the 15th annual Seattle Erotic Art Festival.  You can buy my pussyflower T-shirts and prints at the festival store, along with lots of other great artwork which explores sexuality and arousal.

What's the  most important thing missing from sex education today? The fact that people have sex because it's pleasurable. Festivals like the SEAF show us the infinite forms pleasure can take, ranging from kinky to cuddly and everything else you can imagine. It's important to celebrate healthy sexuality, and the SEAF does exactly that. Healthy sexuality mean CONSENT, freedom of sexual expression, open conversations about sex, and lots of PLEASURE!

Creativity and sexuality live together in our second chakra, the energy node situated at your ovaries or testicles. This glowing, orange chakra represents sensuality and pleasure. Yogis believe that our creative potential is entwined with our sexual health. The more we are honor our sensual desires, the more our creative life force flows into our work and projects.

More sex does NOT equal more creativity. The key is listening to you body, so that you can have more deeply gratifying sexual experience. For women, this often means learning to say no to sex. We can feel so pressured to please our partners, that we don't honor our own desire for abstinence or rest. Many women also need to simply receive sexual pleasure (such as oral sex or stroking), without pressure to immediately give back to their partners. 

Non-sexual experiences can stimulate your pleasure center too. Anything that makes you feel sensual will boost your second chakra. Baths, flowers, soft fabrics, dancing, swimming...it's all pleasure, baby. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your sexual health is to not put so much importance on sex.

Studies have shown that when a person is sexually comfortable with themselves, they are more confident, expressive and willing to show leadership in all areas of their lives. This research is outlined expertly by Naomi Wolf in her 2012 book "Vagina" (I recommend it). The book is controversial on many points, but I agree with Wolf's main argument: “When you honor a woman’s sexuality, you support her intellectual creativity; when you threaten and insult her sexuality and her very sex, you do exactly the opposite.”

Pussyflowers combine art and eroticism to celebrate the divine feminine. Painting them and gazing at them has been therapeutic for me, and I want to share that experience with as many women as possible. If you live in Seattle, treat yourself to the erotic art festival this weekend and stoke up your second chakra! Pick up a pussyflower shirt and remember to stay sensual.