I'M JOE, AN ARTIST, WRITER AND A PROUD GOTH AND I SHARE THE INSIDE OF MY HEAD WITH A SPAZ NAMED MOKA CHOKA THE COFFEE DEMON....HE LIKES COFFEE... MY ART IS A VENT FOR ME, WHETHER IT BE MY DRAWINGS OR SONGS, IT'S A WAY FOR ME TO RELAX SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE FLAMING MY ART! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T COMMENT IT SAYING "YOU SUCK" OR ANYTHING THAT SHOWS A LACK OF INTELLECT. I USED TO SHARE MY PROFILE WITH A FRIEND WHO APPARENTLY DOESN'T USE IT ANYMORE....HENCE THE COUNTLESS YAOI ON THE FAVORITES LIST...HAHA..... I LOVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, SO I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE COMMENTING MY ART, NOT JUST MY PICS, BUT MY SONGS AS WELL (AS SOON AS I POST SOME). FEEL FREE TO IM ME OR CONTACT ME ON MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/skullservant. I'M EASY TO GET ALONG WITH AND ALWAYS PROVIDE AN ENTERTAINING CONVERSATION. ^__^ I LOVE YOU ALL!!! BLESSED BE!!

*GOTHS: A LOOK BEHIND THE MAKEUP*

SO MANY PEOPLE MISJUDGE PEOPLE LIKE ME. BEING GOTHIC IS MORE THAN JUST A STUPID TEENAGE FASHION STATEMENT(THOUGH I AM A TEENAGER, I'M NOT STUPID.). ONE CANNOT BE GOTHIC BY SIMPLY WEARING BLACK CLOTHES AND MAKEUP. BEING GOTHIC IS HAVING AN ATTRACTION TO THE DARKER AND MORE MYSTERIOUS SIDE OF LIFE. NOT ALL GOTHS ARE THE SAME BECAUSE NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE THE SAME. IT IS A SUBCULTURE BASED ON INDIVIDUALITY AND HAVING A PASSIONATE HATE FOR STEREOTYPES. OF CONFORMITY. IT MEANS HAVING A FASCINATION WITH DEATH, AND THE SUPERNATURAL. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE, A WAY OF THINKING, A STATE OF MIND. MOST PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO THE SUBCULTURE THROUGH FAILURE TO CONFORM TO EXISTING SOCIETY AND FINDS A SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN THE SUBCULTURE.

AESTHETICS PLAY A LARGE ROLE IN GOTHIC SUBCULTURE. THE DRAMATIC AESTHETICS THAT ARE COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE GOTHIC SUBCULTURE DEMONSTRATES COMMITMENT TO THE SUBCULTURE. EMBRACING THEIR ALIENATION TO THE REST OF THE WORLD THAT DECLARES OUR VIEWS AS "UNACCEPTABLE" AND WHATNOT. ANOTHER VIEW BEHIND THE FASHION COINCIDES WITH THE FASCINATION OF THE MYSTERIOUS AND OCCULT. TRYING TO CRATE THE HORROR MOVIE AND/OR VAMPYRE LOOK. IT IS ALSO CONSIDERED A REBELLIOUS RESPONSE TO THE MAINSTREAM VIEW ON HOW A PERSON SHOULD LOOK: A PERSON CANNOT BE CONSIDERED "BEAUTIFUL" UNLESS THEY ARE TAN, THIN AND MADE OF PLASTIC. GOTHIC FASHION WELCOMES ALL BODY TYPES AND CREATES A SENSE OF BEAUTY OUT OF A LOOK THAT SOCIETY DEEMS AS UNACCEPTABLE. FINDING PERFECTION THROUGH MEANS OF INPERFECTION. IT IS USED AS A MEANS OF IDENTITY AMONG OTHER PEOPLE (GOTH OR MUNDANE) AS THE FASHION VARIES FROM PERSON TO PERSON ALONG WITH THEIR VIEW OF THE SUBCULTURE.

WITH SOME PEOPLE, IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN A STYLE OF DRESS AND THEY PUT ON AN ACT AS TO BE DARK AND CYNICAL, POSERS. THEY ARE NOTHING. THEY ARE JUST CONCEALING THEMSELVES TO FIT IN WITH A GROUP WHO CAN MOST LIKELY SEE THROUGH THEY'RE COUNTERFEIT EXTERIOR.

GOTH'S HAVE HAD SOME VERY NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS ATTACHED TO THEM. SATANIC, EVIL, CRAZY, CYNICAL AND DANGEROUS ARE ALL TERMS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH GOTHS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THESE JUDGMENTS ARE BASED SOLELY ON FIRST APPEARANCES AND HOW THE MEDIA HAS MANIPULATED PEOPLE INTO THINKING. THIS SUBCULTURE IS ALSO BASED ON INTELLECTUALISM. MEANING THAT MOST GOTHS HAVE A BIT MORE INSIGHT AND MORE PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS ON SUBJECTS THAT A NORMAL PERSON WOULD. GOTHS ARE ALSO MADE OUT TO BE DANGEROUS DUE THE FALSE CONNECTION BETWEEN GOTHIC SUBCULTURE AND THE COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. AS FAR AS RELIGION, THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGIES SPECIFICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBCULTURE THOUGH MOST PRACTICE THE OLD AGE PAGAN RELIGIONS OR NEW AGE WICCA AND VERY FEW ARE INVOLVED IN SATANISM (THROUGH THEIR OWN MISCONCEPTION MOST OF THE TIME).