Ollom Art – Our interview with John Ollom about healing art, nudity and dance
Ollom Art
Our interview with John Ollom about healing art, nudity and dance
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
We met John Ollom on social media as a friend of a friend. As we followed his postings and photos, we wanted to know more about his artistic vision and his dance / movement classes that promote self awareness and healing across the country.
This is our interview with John Ollom about healing art, nudity and dance.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
I am a movement artist who has a passion for helping people find their authentic voice.
What is an art healer?
It is what I am. I chose art and movement art in particular for my career path as it is the language of what is possible. It is not defined by what should be.
Anything is possible in art.
People have ideas, dreams, images that come to us in our dreams and in our time alone. Society tells us to not express our feelings, to make money, to be what society tells us to be. There are gender roles for men and for women. I rebel against this. I encourage people to draw with me, talk with me, move with me, take off their clothes not only to be physically naked but emotionally naked.
This has always had profound experiences on those who work with me. For example, I have worked with authors who are stuck in their head and their vision of what the book should be. They do Internal landscapes with me and explore the collective unconscious. Clarity is revealed. Freedom is allowed.
Men who are stuck in only seeing nudity as a place to have an orgasm discuss how they usually pursue sex. We explore other ways of touching and moving. This leads to healing and creativity in their sex life.
Those who have experienced sexual trauma find it to be a safe laboratory to explore images, ideas and colors that come up.
One of my clients said they she finds this more healing than talk therapy as she does not have to verbalize things that she does not want to speak about.
So enter into the world of art, where all is possible…..
Get naked and see what is revealed…..
The healing occurs when shame falls away and revelations occur. One of my newest clients who does Spirit of Color work with me tells me that now he has a language to go deeper into himself daily. He checks in with his colors and finds a place where he feels loved and accepted and sees himself as the complex man that he is, not a limited model of what LGBTQ groups tell him a gay man should be.
Our interview with John Ollom about healing art, nudity and dance
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
We met John Ollom on social media as a friend of a friend. As we followed his postings and photos, we wanted to know more about his artistic vision and his dance / movement classes that promote self awareness and healing across the country.
This is our interview with John Ollom about healing art, nudity and dance.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
I am a movement artist who has a passion for helping people find their authentic voice.
What is an art healer?
It is what I am. I chose art and movement art in particular for my career path as it is the language of what is possible. It is not defined by what should be.
Anything is possible in art.
People have ideas, dreams, images that come to us in our dreams and in our time alone. Society tells us to not express our feelings, to make money, to be what society tells us to be. There are gender roles for men and for women. I rebel against this. I encourage people to draw with me, talk with me, move with me, take off their clothes not only to be physically naked but emotionally naked.
This has always had profound experiences on those who work with me. For example, I have worked with authors who are stuck in their head and their vision of what the book should be. They do Internal landscapes with me and explore the collective unconscious. Clarity is revealed. Freedom is allowed.
Men who are stuck in only seeing nudity as a place to have an orgasm discuss how they usually pursue sex. We explore other ways of touching and moving. This leads to healing and creativity in their sex life.
Those who have experienced sexual trauma find it to be a safe laboratory to explore images, ideas and colors that come up.
One of my clients said they she finds this more healing than talk therapy as she does not have to verbalize things that she does not want to speak about.
So enter into the world of art, where all is possible…..
Get naked and see what is revealed…..
The healing occurs when shame falls away and revelations occur. One of my newest clients who does Spirit of Color work with me tells me that now he has a language to go deeper into himself daily. He checks in with his colors and finds a place where he feels loved and accepted and sees himself as the complex man that he is, not a limited model of what LGBTQ groups tell him a gay man should be.
Why is nudism/naturism an important and healthy choice?
I can only speak of my experiences with nudism that helped me heal. I had been
choreographing my new work M.U.D. “Men Under Dirt”. To be honest, I was scared to do the work as I was facing my identity as a man. I was raised in a home where my father was and is an alcoholic. Consequently, I did not want to be a “man” if it meant being like my father.
When I started to do movement analysis of my own body, I found that my male identity was in my cock and balls. I then started to move from that area of my body, explore what feelings came up for me.
I started to do nude classes with men. I asked men how they felt about their cock and balls and what being “a man” meant for them. This nude exploration did bring up fears from my past with my father, but also new relationships to my self and my body. Men who shared their naked movement exploration also helped me open up to new possibilities.
It was then that I kept on adding nude classes to my syllabus of clothed classes that I taught. I was asked to teach at a men’s nude retreat in Wimberly, Texas. The first time I taught there, I was chosen, out of all of the faculty, to lead the opening ceremony. I gave movement exercises to help men relate to each other and feel comfortable. To be honest, I was nervous, but I just jumped in with full faith.
Leading these classes, celebrating men with all kinds of bodies and ages and sexual orientations, helped me tremendously. It helped me accept all of myself - not only physically but sexually and emotionally.
I found it to be very healing and consequently I am a huge supporter
of nudism and naturism in my work. It helps many people work through their shame and find a place of acceptance and joy amidst other like minded individuals. I find it to be an almost spiritual experience to let this shame fall away and celebrate our naked selves with others.
What is special about your workshops?
I have been teaching based in NYC now for almost 17 years. My MFA in Interdisciplinary Art led to the writing and publishing of my book “Internal Landscapes.”
This methodology takes archetypal impulses, colors and vibrations that come up in talking and writing and drawing that are then translated into movement.
I have been asked to lead my movement art workshops around the US. Last year, I was teaching workshops in Boston and Tampa and Austin. This May 25th I will be teaching at a men’s retreat in Wimberley, Texas and in Phoenix on May 31.
I find my workshops accessible to any person of any age with any experience in movement expression.
One of my most successful clients has worked with me for over 10 years and the work has led to a healing from a past rape now into a body and spirit that is now empowered and embodied.
I could not find a more meaningful purpose to my work than helping others heal. I do not preach at the workshop participants. The steps are simple so that the process leads the person to where they need to go.
We also don’t focus on spoken words much. People do not have to talk if they don’t want to. Consequently, traumatic memories, shameful moments are allowed to come up in a safe space that is expressed in movement. It does not have to be explained or judged.
There is also a third manifestation of the inner psyche that helps people enter their own energies and hopes and desires and make new choices. It is a fascinating opportunity to share this journey with others as we learn side by side.
What classes do you offer?
In New York City, I teach ballet and jazz dance and contemporary dance and the Ollom Floor Series. These are dance classes done in a group.
I also offer one-on-ones. Many men prefer to do one-on-one sessions in the nude.
Some men come to me for anatomical and flexibility goals. We work out in the nude. We explore creative movement expression. Some men like to go deeper and talk about body shame or past trauma and how we can express that in movement. Each private session is custom made to what the person wants to work on.
I also offer Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color classes that are based on taking an internal impulse into a movement art expression. We explore internal colors in our bodies, memories, vibrations and how they move in space. I have done this work one on one and also in group settings.
I also teach Cernunnos rituals that involves finding our most primal self in naked movement expression. There is a vision quest where we go deep into the sacred woods together and naked and explore the place where sexuality and spirituality unite. This work speaks to my strong empathetic and intuitive gifts.
A list of my whole syllabus is on www.johnollom.com
At the Men’s Nude Retreat in Wimberley Texas I will be leading a naked dance class and a naked Spirit of Color Class May 25-28.
In Phoenix on May 31, I will be booking nude private sessions as well as a group Naked Intro to Movement Class on June 2 and an Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color Nude workshop on Saturday, June 3.
I can only speak of my experiences with nudism that helped me heal. I had been
choreographing my new work M.U.D. “Men Under Dirt”. To be honest, I was scared to do the work as I was facing my identity as a man. I was raised in a home where my father was and is an alcoholic. Consequently, I did not want to be a “man” if it meant being like my father.
When I started to do movement analysis of my own body, I found that my male identity was in my cock and balls. I then started to move from that area of my body, explore what feelings came up for me.
I started to do nude classes with men. I asked men how they felt about their cock and balls and what being “a man” meant for them. This nude exploration did bring up fears from my past with my father, but also new relationships to my self and my body. Men who shared their naked movement exploration also helped me open up to new possibilities.
It was then that I kept on adding nude classes to my syllabus of clothed classes that I taught. I was asked to teach at a men’s nude retreat in Wimberly, Texas. The first time I taught there, I was chosen, out of all of the faculty, to lead the opening ceremony. I gave movement exercises to help men relate to each other and feel comfortable. To be honest, I was nervous, but I just jumped in with full faith.
Leading these classes, celebrating men with all kinds of bodies and ages and sexual orientations, helped me tremendously. It helped me accept all of myself - not only physically but sexually and emotionally.
I found it to be very healing and consequently I am a huge supporter
of nudism and naturism in my work. It helps many people work through their shame and find a place of acceptance and joy amidst other like minded individuals. I find it to be an almost spiritual experience to let this shame fall away and celebrate our naked selves with others.
What is special about your workshops?
I have been teaching based in NYC now for almost 17 years. My MFA in Interdisciplinary Art led to the writing and publishing of my book “Internal Landscapes.”
This methodology takes archetypal impulses, colors and vibrations that come up in talking and writing and drawing that are then translated into movement.
I have been asked to lead my movement art workshops around the US. Last year, I was teaching workshops in Boston and Tampa and Austin. This May 25th I will be teaching at a men’s retreat in Wimberley, Texas and in Phoenix on May 31.
I find my workshops accessible to any person of any age with any experience in movement expression.
One of my most successful clients has worked with me for over 10 years and the work has led to a healing from a past rape now into a body and spirit that is now empowered and embodied.
I could not find a more meaningful purpose to my work than helping others heal. I do not preach at the workshop participants. The steps are simple so that the process leads the person to where they need to go.
We also don’t focus on spoken words much. People do not have to talk if they don’t want to. Consequently, traumatic memories, shameful moments are allowed to come up in a safe space that is expressed in movement. It does not have to be explained or judged.
There is also a third manifestation of the inner psyche that helps people enter their own energies and hopes and desires and make new choices. It is a fascinating opportunity to share this journey with others as we learn side by side.
What classes do you offer?
In New York City, I teach ballet and jazz dance and contemporary dance and the Ollom Floor Series. These are dance classes done in a group.
I also offer one-on-ones. Many men prefer to do one-on-one sessions in the nude.
Some men come to me for anatomical and flexibility goals. We work out in the nude. We explore creative movement expression. Some men like to go deeper and talk about body shame or past trauma and how we can express that in movement. Each private session is custom made to what the person wants to work on.
I also offer Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color classes that are based on taking an internal impulse into a movement art expression. We explore internal colors in our bodies, memories, vibrations and how they move in space. I have done this work one on one and also in group settings.
I also teach Cernunnos rituals that involves finding our most primal self in naked movement expression. There is a vision quest where we go deep into the sacred woods together and naked and explore the place where sexuality and spirituality unite. This work speaks to my strong empathetic and intuitive gifts.
A list of my whole syllabus is on www.johnollom.com
At the Men’s Nude Retreat in Wimberley Texas I will be leading a naked dance class and a naked Spirit of Color Class May 25-28.
In Phoenix on May 31, I will be booking nude private sessions as well as a group Naked Intro to Movement Class on June 2 and an Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color Nude workshop on Saturday, June 3.
What plans do you have for the future?
I have been in deep movement research with my new Spirit of Color work these past months in New York City. On May 25th I will be teaching a nude workshop for men in Wimberley Texas in this exciting new work.
Then on May 29th at the Vortex Theatre in Austin Texas, my new nude performance art work “Composition Number 1” will premiere. The performance is free to the public. It is a nude performance art piece exploring the complexity of our charka based energy and how men interact when nude with each other.
Information is on www.ollomart.com .
On May 31 I will be leading nude one on ones at the Totem Yoga Studio in Phoenix, AZ. Info on www.johnollom.com under Workshops. I will also be leading one nude group class and one nude Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color Workshops there as well. I will then be videotaping and photographing “Composition Number 1” at a farm upstate New York.
I am then working with new nude men to create “Composition Number 2”. I welcome any and all bodies of men to join me in this naked journey. Some men want to work with me one on one for healing. Some wish to perform nude.
The naked journey will be going on across the US and in New York City this season of 2017 and into 2018. Come get naked with us.
Please see www.johnollom.com for info on my Internal Landscapes book, classes with me and my upcoming workshops around the US.
Please see www.ollomart.com for videos of my art. My choreography and movement art have been being produced by Prismatic Productions Inc since 2002 and we welcome you to see our videos on www.ollomart.com
Please contact me directly at info@johnollom.com with any questions, concerns, ideas…I welcome your emails.
I have been in deep movement research with my new Spirit of Color work these past months in New York City. On May 25th I will be teaching a nude workshop for men in Wimberley Texas in this exciting new work.
Then on May 29th at the Vortex Theatre in Austin Texas, my new nude performance art work “Composition Number 1” will premiere. The performance is free to the public. It is a nude performance art piece exploring the complexity of our charka based energy and how men interact when nude with each other.
Information is on www.ollomart.com .
On May 31 I will be leading nude one on ones at the Totem Yoga Studio in Phoenix, AZ. Info on www.johnollom.com under Workshops. I will also be leading one nude group class and one nude Internal Landscapes and Spirit of Color Workshops there as well. I will then be videotaping and photographing “Composition Number 1” at a farm upstate New York.
I am then working with new nude men to create “Composition Number 2”. I welcome any and all bodies of men to join me in this naked journey. Some men want to work with me one on one for healing. Some wish to perform nude.
The naked journey will be going on across the US and in New York City this season of 2017 and into 2018. Come get naked with us.
Please see www.johnollom.com for info on my Internal Landscapes book, classes with me and my upcoming workshops around the US.
Please see www.ollomart.com for videos of my art. My choreography and movement art have been being produced by Prismatic Productions Inc since 2002 and we welcome you to see our videos on www.ollomart.com
Please contact me directly at info@johnollom.com with any questions, concerns, ideas…I welcome your emails.
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2017 Sunny Harbor Publishing
Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956
Phone: 321-446-7552
Email: SunnyHarborPublishing@yahoo.com
Website: www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org
(Photos provided by John Ollom)
Copyright 2017 Sunny Harbor Publishing
Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956
Phone: 321-446-7552
Email: SunnyHarborPublishing@yahoo.com
Website: www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org
(Photos provided by John Ollom)
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