Meet Dronme. One of our freshest NOTO faces, old souls, and constant NOTO inspo. To kick off our RADICAL SELF CARE video series, Dronme takes the mike to tell us how she takes care. NOTO is more than a product. It's a way of life that share the diverse layers of what beauty can mean to an individual. Connecting through story-telling. Connection through self expression. Because, as we may know, we gotta love ourselves first to love the world.
My name is Dronme, my pronouns are she/her/hers and I’m a painter & model.
What has Radical Self Care meant for you this last year?
Now that putting on an obnoxious outfit to strut around town blasting music through my headphones and pretending to be in a music video is no longer on the table, I’ve been forced to find new coping tactics for the overwhelming amount of emotions my small pisces heart is constantly seeping in.
I’ve been painting a bit, trying to overcome the internalized perfectionism and pressure that plagues my creative expression. For so long I was operating under the absurd belief that every piece I made needed to be better than the last. I thought that if I could make enough consistently “good” work that I would finally feel at home under the title of “artist.” No such breakthrough has occurred, so my new approach is to just “go make shit” as a friend of mine puts it. Most of it is in fact shit and I’m learning to be okay with that.
I try to do a little art each day, even if I don’t want to. If I make something horrendous, I keep it & put my gum in it or use it to make a grocery list - Some of my paintings are cute & great. Reinvesting in my relationship to my own artwork has been a big part of my year.
I also dance around my room a lot and go on walks with my mom, but mostly I just cry all the time and watch cringy teen shows from my youth that did not age well politically. In truth, the only way to ever get over something is to just sit in the shit for a while. Hunker down and be in the sadness and the grief and the rage. All of which have been coming in spades this year. Self care isn’t only about doing yoga or getting your nails done. No matter what the magazines try to tell you, I am here to say that lying on your floor and sobbing to the records that you used to listen to in middle school is absolutely self care. There is so much to be afraid of and saddened by in this world right now, and I think it’s important to let that shit in.
I so wish that I had some revolutionary morning routine that has kept me above water or smoothie recipe that doubles as an anxiety tonic to share with y’all. But all I really have to say is do whatever the fuck makes you feel safe and held and free and dont feel guilty about it.
Also Phoebe Bridgers new record. Yeah.