"Dominatrix Wanted: Will train."
Backstage at photo shoot for Juice magazine in the beginning of my career. Sydney, Australia.
How did you start working as a Domme? Like most regular jobs, domination begins with training. Obviously, you won't find it on the local community college course list, but at most big cities in the western world, domination houses will provide training for apprentice mistresses. In 1999, I answered a wanted ad and became an apprentice at a domination house in Sydney. I got a limited amount of training, firstly through observing other mistresses in sessions and then slowly participating as a helper in sessions. Within two weeks, I was conducting sessions on my own (looking back that was quite rushed, yet there was a shortage of Mistresses where I was " thrown in the deep end" and had to learn rather quickly). I eventually moved to another domination house where I got more technical training and later opened my own independent studio in 2003. From 2004 to 2006, I toured USA, Europe and Asia. My world tour deserves it's very own article, as I had such excellent adventures.
Though my start as a pro-domme was rather straight-forward, building the insight to catch the wanted ad on the newspaper and the courage to answer it was a long process that has been with me since a very early age. Anyone can wield a whip and call themselves "Mistress" and even many of them can be rather skilled in BDSM techniques. However no one can perform the job of dominatrix without being naturally dominant. Perhaps being an only child for the first six years of my life made me a bit of a spoiled princess. It is not far from the truth, as my ancestry goes back to a Portuguese Baron and a French Countess. Growing up in Brazil, where even middle class families can afford to have maids, I have become accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, while at the same time learning to show kindness, patience and respect towards those that serve me (as a true queen should). As a child, my manners were impeccable to such extent that my classmates nicknamed me "Milady" (trying to tease me, while it had the opposite effect!). Still, I was never bratty or bossy. I never had the need to. Friends would often join in games I invented and be happy to follow my instructions and guidance. I even had an obsession with rubberized shoes at age three! Talk about a true fetishist. And yes, I tied up and tortured my Barbies. Every so often, I get another childhood memory showing streaks in my dominant and fetishist nature. It all seems so clear when put together. Even so, though the tendencies were there, I only blossomed into BDSM as a teenager.
I first learned about BDSM in the early 90's via the internet. Chatting online, I discovered role-playing and fellow chatters soon questioned me if I was into S'n'M. I didn't even know what that stood for. But I was immediately curious and my exploration began. I devoured books, movies and all manner of information I could get. I went to fetish parties and played little games with friends and lovers. Still, it wasn't my only preoccupation as I was studying at university, so my development was gradual. When coming to Sydney (Australia) for a study abroad program, I was exposed to life in a western city and stumbled onto the Hellfire club. Until then, I had only played with people I knew. But the atmosphere drew me to engage with others in the club. An impressed submissive asked me where I worked as a domme. "What!? I can do this for work?!" The rest is history.