Where Kink and Fine Art Intersect: An Interview with CSYBT
I’ve been using Reddit for personal use for quite some time. It was not until Halloween of this year, after our Instagram got mistakenly banned, did I think to start using Reddit for the blog. It immediately paid off when I met CSYBT.
In this interview, CSYBT and I were able to connect on the music industry, the Denver art scene, and how he appropriately navigates working with nude models.
Who are you? Introduce yourself!
I’m CSBYT and I’m from and currently live in Denver, Colorado. Photography was something I picked up in high school as an excuse to continue working in the music industry (just not as a performer).
Can you describe your journey within the context of being an artist?
So my journey started with photographing bands in the area. That continued for a while but became super uninspiring. Then I found nude photography, which took over as the inspiration I was missing.
How do you structure your creative time?
I try to photograph as much as possible, and fortunately have been able to, at least recently, use photography to pay the bills.
How would you describe your local art scene to anyone unfamiliar with it?
Denver, you know it’s true - disjointed. There are lots of art and artists, but there are also lots of small bubbles of art and artists that don’t really overlap.
Your work can be found at an aesthetic intersection of Kink and fine art.
After my concert photography stint, I tried to find another genre to push my creative boundaries. The only genre that did it was nude art. There ain’t boxes in art nude. You can basically make whatever image you want and it makes sense. Levitating in the woods? Makes sense. A photo flipped upside down? Makes sense!
I love that. You can’t do it in other genres. Just imagine flipping upside a family portrait. They’ll ask for a refund!
As someone who makes erotic artwork, how do you handle comments and critiques of your work?
I don’t mind constructive critiques. And, unless the model is one who explicitly tells me, or shows through her body of work, that she doesn’t mind sexualized comments, I block those people. If you’re looking for photos of “nice tits” surely you won’t miss my photos, which don’t focus on tits anyways.
Let’s Talk Consent - What is your process? How do you build a relationship from meeting a model to then shooting and publishing your work?
I shoot a lot in the woods outside Denver. So I try to communicate clearly with new models so they know what to expect. I allow escorts if they choose. I offer up referrals if they need them. And of course, I’m super proud of my portfolio and have no problems showing it off to a new model. Not showing a model their previous work is the worst thing a photographer can do.
Who are your influences? Historical or Modern erotic artists
I don’t have many, to be honest. I love horror, so my aesthetic is dark. I love nature, so my frames are influenced by that. Sometimes I’ll see inspiring nudes in my feeds but, I don’t know who the photographers are…
How do you promote your work?
I only use social media. And not the asshole social medias! I use Fetlife (csybt), Reddit (u/csybt), Deviantart (csybt), Mastodon (@csybt), and Twitter(@csybt_photo).
I’ll use Twitter until they block me. The only censorship so far has been my explicit erotic works.
What’s next for you?
More and more photography.
Where can people find you?
My website, https://csybt.myportfolio.com has all my links on the homepage.
