HUMAN PROFILE – NICHOLAS GOODLY
Photograph by Pierre Solomon | Instagram : @pierresolomon.work
We recently had the joy to talk to our friend and amazing poet and performer Nicholas Goodly about their art, family, loves and dinosaurs. See below highlights from our chat.
What’s your earliest memory? I was maybe three years old. I made my mom throw a party for our neighborhood. It was like Block-a-palooza. It was just our little cul-de-sac and totally unnecessary. But I was bored and said “we should throw a party.” And she did it. My mom is an angel.
Photograph by Nicholas Goodly |@nicholasgoodly
Who do you love? My parents. They taught me a gentleness of being. They taught me integrity and how to operate in a room. They gave me confidence and humility. I also love Atlanta. There are multiple layers of history happening all the time in this city. I love my queer family here. I love James Baldwin – he knew how to communicate with people in a way to make the biggest impact. I love Thundercat – he knows how to be a serious artist and stay goofy and joyful.
Photograph by Nicholas Goodly |@nicholasgoodly
What do you love? I love to write, so as to be honest with my “self” or “the self.” A human can be several things at once that overlap and contradict, and to name those things, not resolve them, but to just address them with writing is deeply gratifying. I also love to dance. I’ve been dancing since I was four. Dancing communicates very differently from writing. A body evokes a strong emotional response. When someone sees a body in motion sometimes there is an impulse to mimic, or sometimes the viewer is repulsed. I’m interested in that reactionary vision of the body, which is unique to dance. Lately, I’ve found a lot of enjoyment from organizing my bedroom. Creating a true haven, a space that reflects who I am. I also found a lot of joy dressing up with clothes. With fashion you have this opportunity to say who you are to the public. It can be an empowering thing. You can sort of manufacture confidence by dressing confidently. I also love baths a lot. It’s where I think my mind slows down the most.
Photography by Pierre Solomon | Instagram : @pierresolomon.work
If you could bring one animal back from extinction what would it be? I want to say pterodactyls and that one dinosaur from Jurassic World – the water one that can swallow a T-rex whole? (Mosasaurus or Megalodon). *Later, Nick clarifies through a text: “I had the chance to resurrect the majestic white rhino but opted for sea monsters and sky demons smh.”
Read Nick’s Poetry here: “Lipsticks,” by Nicholas Goodly | The New Yorker
Follow Nick on Instagram: @nicholasgoodly
Follow Pierre Solomon: @pierresolomon.work