Daily Inspiration: Meet Candy Polk-A-Dotty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candy Polk-A-Dotty.

Hi Candy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I was little I loved playing dress up! My first email and MySpace username was dressupgril1999. I was also obsessed with Hannah Montana and I thought I would always live a double life. Becoming a drag entertainer feels like destiny!

As I got older I started to form an obsession with make up influencers on YouTube. I grew up extremely poor so buying makeup was never anything my family could afford so becoming a makeup artist was but a dream!

At the age of 12 I shaved my eyebrows off, started bleaching my hair and canoodling with the same sex. This is when I started to understand that I was different somehow. My parents where abusive and neglectful- so thinking of myself was never anything there was space for, only my trauma.

At the age of 18 is when I finally had the space to explore. I cut my hair real short and bought some not-so-great makeup and got to work. This is when my alter ego was worn. Flash forward to a few short years later I bought some Demonia platforms and hit the thrift stores. I remember stopping at this wig shop that was a couple blocks away from my room I was renting in Santa Barbara and purchased my first wig. I wanted to took like Nina from Portlandia. It was my short red bob with bangs and I against the world! Until I put it in the washer because I didn’t know how wigs worked hahaha

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been anything but. Being an alternative AFAB (assigned female at birth) transgender, person of color in this community is brutal. It is a cis white man’s world and the queer community operates no different.

I am also a very shameless person who is also extremely kind so the mix of these two traits have also made me an easy target for bullying from my community.

I wanted to become a clown because I feel as if my life is a joke or that I am the joke and becoming Candy has given me the space to reclaim it- it’s let me in on the joke instead.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multifaceted artist. My primary medium is drag. However there are so many stills I have learned to do for the success of my career. I make about 90% of all my drag from hair and clothing, all the way to my accessories as well!

I am most proud of my drag being entirely me. I am my drag and my drag is me. I have a hand in every single thing I do. That is what makes a great artist. It seeps out of me. It’s my love. It’s my journey and destination. My drag, my art is my entire life.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I like how accessible Columbus is. What I mean by that is it’s easy to get around and it’s affordable!

Also my partner and our home are here so ofc I love that! However, I would love to get out of here as soon as I possibly can.

What I like the least about Columbus is how cliquey this community is. It is high school for adults. Everyone plays an imaginary popularity contest, and I was never popular is high school. However I was very successful and graduated top my of class. So that still holds true. I’m very good at what I do, regardless of my social status.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/shittypunkbbq