Domme Addiction Q&A
DommeAddiction:
How long have You been a Dominatrix, and what was it that brought You to this role?
Goddess Maya Liyer:
Being a dominant female has run through my veins since the very early years of my life. I can recall when I was only two years old and my elder brother came running towards me crying because a few older boys had bullied him, I decided to take matters into my own hands, grabbed the plastic chair I was sitting on, smashed it over the bullies and went back to my elder brother to comfort him.
Being a true Dominatrix is not a role but a lifestyle choice and using the term "role" waters down the importance of the title. I evolved into professional domination as I was already naturally drawn to the underground alternative scene in the late 90's it was already in my blood and it was a natural step, thinking back, most men were submissive around me, whatever the setting and this was the most natural path I could have taken in life.
DommeAddiction:
What skills do You think a successful Dominatrix such as Yourself needs to have?
In this day and age, the answer is very different from what it might have been only ten years ago. This is due to changes in society, technology and the new mediums of communication and interaction with patrons.
These days there are three main revenue streams available and they all require different skills.
Cam and phone sessions did not exist when I first started professional Domination, these days they are very common and something which, despite my very traditional beginnings, I enjoy immensely. Cam and phone are very different to real-time sessions, the level of physical skill required is arguably much lower, but for me, there is a higher level of visual and technical presentation involved, the observational and psychological aspects are very similar to what is listed below for real-time sessions. Cam sessions can involve therapy, advice, companionship, it isn't always high protocol domination and fetish. An important skill to learn is active listening.
Also because I am not present with the patron, I feel a heightened sense of responsibility with regards to safety when I am camming, an example of this would be breathplay. Cam sessions can last a lot longer than real-time sessions, particularly if you have an evening on cam seeing all of your devotees, whilst this can be very tiring towards the end of a six-hour working session, I really enjoy the sense of community on cam, it is often exhilarating for me and very therapeutic for my patrons.
Producing and selling recorded media is such a labour intensive part of the work, requiring a huge number of skill sets and a big commitment to constant work and updates. For me personally, I don't lean towards over produced professional photoshoots, the vast majority of the media I produce is done on my mobile phone and my own editing suite, I like to maintain my own style and vision, not relying on outside parties, I think this approach has always given my work a unique aesthetic.
Femdom/Findom and fetish filming have always come quite naturally to me, it was an easy transition due to many years of experience gained in real time sessions and general every day dominant behaviour. Being able to convey myself on camera particularly with something like POV clips or customs is so much easier when drawing on actual real-life experiences. If I am filming with other mistresses or slaves then I treat these almost as extensions of my real-time sessions.
I am self-taught in graphic design, photo and video editing, special effects, photography and filmmaking. Natural creativity is the one skill that one can not simply learn, you either have this or you don't and by keeping all of my media production in-house, the finished product is an exact replication of my creative vision.