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Welcome & Intro

Greetings and welcome to my (newest) blog. I had a short blog when I started pinup in 2014, under my photography name (JaneilB Photography). I've been around on the interwebs for a little bit and I decided that it is time to vamp up a blog to share all my adventures, interests, and bits of my life in detail. 

A little bit about me, but chances are if you are here - you are familiar with who I am, what I do, and all that jazz.

My name is Ruby T. Gray, I am a woman living in the PNW with my partner and cat. In 2014, I started my burlesque AND pinup journey. The past 6 years have been the best, most busy, and loved filled days in my life. 

  • In pinup, I am the founder & Western Washington President of Capital City Dolls; Washington's Premiere Pinup Club. Capital City Dolls is a not-for-profit pinup club located in Washington State. Pinups for body positive lifestyle, community outreach, and self-love advocates. 
  • Capital City Dolls is a sisterhood built on common goals by like-minded women. Capital City Dolls prides themselves on focusing on their communities by holding various charity fundraisers and events. 
  • We pride ourselves on the saying, "Think globally, act locally." With that, we truly are #pinupsforcommunities. We are a 21+ group, open to women of all sizes and ages! 
  • Check out our social media! 
    • Facebook.com\CapitalCityDolls 
    • IG @CapitalCityDolls 
    • Twitter @CapitalCityDoll 
  • Washington's Premiere Pinup Club  #PinupsforCommunities
Outside of being in front of the camera and managing a club, I have been a photographer for the greater half of my life. Picking it up as a teen, it developed into a love that got me into school. I have been operating my photography business since I was 19, off and on throughout the years. I have had the privilege of being published as a photographer since 2014, with adding an international magazine in 2019. I have no intention of slowing down.  
I have affordable rates and an open to any shoot concept or idea!! Feel free to check out my portfolio links below! 
Now a little bit about my burlesque life. 

Burlesque is an ever breathing being, as is any art form. I began to learn about burlesque in my late teens/my early 20s. I was always the happiest on stage; acting and singing. I have always longed to be on stage and burlesque gave me that opportunity. I have an extensive theatrical background, starting at the youngest age I can remember. Over the years, I have given myself the titles of "The Modest Ecdysiast" and "Artisan of the Tease". My first time on stage was on Halloween 2014, in West Seattle. It was my first gig as a pickup artist and I loved every minute of it!! The first time I ever performed was in April 2015 at The Highline in Seattle. I have been all over the stage, back and behind the scenes for many other shows. I may not have an academy certificate under my name, but I have the experience there instead. There's nothing wrong with getting a certificate or attending one of the big names in burlesque teaching; I was unable to attend the bigger courses but supplemented where and what I could. I highly recommend that you take advantage of any and every workshop and class you can at your local level!! That is how you help your local performing communities. I have been lucky to work with some of the people, troupes, and producers that I have gotten to work with! In 2019, I am lucky to be apart of a performance artisan trio called PNW Mythical Muses! The three of us are working to bring more than just neo-burlesque to the stages of the Puget Sound. We look for and work with performers of all kinds! PNWMM is a modern twist on old school burlesque, as it was in the '20s. 

PNW Mythical Muses social media:
My social media links:
I am a person who lives with Bipolar 2 Disorder, GAD, and trauma-based PTSD. I am a strong mental health advocate for myself and others. I share my struggles and my triumphs with those that care. I also shove it down my Instagram follower's feed. I am open and honest about my mental health journey so others can get the courage they need to be open and honest with theirs! This blog will have some of those topics, in addition to the fun stuff. I will include warnings and such before anything goes too deep and dark. 

I use the following hashtags in my mental health journey:
  • #mybipolarbrain
  • #bipolarhitchhikersguidetothegalaxy 
Lastly, one more thing I will be sharing with you all here!! Cooperative Culture Learning! This is my video series on topics that I find interesting and just wanted to share. My hopes are that my friends, and other parents who are homeschooling, can use this video and future ones for educational purposes. Otherwise, I’m just talking about things I find neat! My plan to post the videos on my YouTube channel and share the research "papers" here on the blog! 

That is all I can think of that I wanted to get out before I just started using the new platform! I look forward to sharing all the things here for all to see and share!!

Xoxo

Ruby T. Gray

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