Celebrating Black History Month! Featuring Sylvie Bien-Aimé
If you know us, you know that as a minority owned business, celebrating people of color and the beautiful diversity of our cultures is one of our core values. And every year we celebrate Black History Month by sharing the stories of amazing Black Founders! This year with the theme of black history month being Health and Wellness we want to share the stories of some incredible Black Founders in the arena of sexual wellness of course!
We are kicking things off with the incredibly talented Sylvie Bien-Aimé!
We are strong believers in sexuality as empowerment and a huge part of sexual wellness is people feeling empowered to celebrate their own bodies in all forms. We were fortunate to discover this incredible artist and her beautiful work. Sylvie, who goes by Sylkie Sly, is a #montreal based makeup artist and body painter who’s art celebrates the female form in one of the most incredible ways we have ever seen. Sly’s unique work includes makeup, body paint, specialized maternity body painting, UV body painting and she even has her own studio location for photo and video shoots! #boss
We were lucky enough to catch up with Sly to find out how she celebrates wellness through her art, her culture and through spirituality and body acceptance.
Zandi: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to share more of your beautiful story with us! For starters, can you tell us a little more about what got you started in the type of body painting that you do?
Sly: I use makeup as a medium to express my creativity. My blackness, my newfound knowledge of self through my spirituality inspires me to illustrate black beauty in an entirely different light.
Zandi: What is your favorite thing about the work that you do?
Sly: Meeting new people and investing in their ideas are my favourite things about what I do! Each project, I have to immerse myself in someone else's reality and illustrate what they want to show in the best way. It's an exchange of energy that is very unique!
Zandi: With the theme of Black History Month this year being health and wellness, how do you feel that your art plays into the sexual wellness of the people who you shoot?
Sly: To model for bodypaint is a form of self love. It is accepting your body as a canvas, accepting your body as a source of inspiration. Each curve tells a story that is interpreted by the bodypainter. Each brush stroke is a sensorial experience just like an intimate moment with someone you desire. Being the center of attention, accepting it for yourself...
Zandi: What does Black History Month mean to you as a Black woman and founder?
Sly: A chance to showcase our experiences, of owning our past while creating a brighter future for ourselves despite all the limitations we faced! To stand united ;)
Zandi: What is the best way for people who want to work with you to get in contact?
Sly: On my website www.sylkiesly.com, you can contact me directly and send me an email. I also offer free consultations for my services. I am available for travel and I love working on intricate meaningful projects. I do a limited number of collaborative projects each year.
To see more of Sly's art follow her on the Gram @slykiesly and check out her studio page @SL.Studio.Lounge too! They are a creative space and photography studio and that celebrates beauty in all its forms everyday.
"We are proudly black owned and love to work in a city as diverse as Montreal!" -Sylkie Sly