The XCritic Interview: Mindi Mink

September 27, 2019
DEMARKO

I do not know if most people know what evolution really means. What it means to evolve. Its true definition is changing into something more complex and that is something that every adult film performer must do in order to be successful and I am not just talking about what a performer does in front of the camera. A performer is always trying to stay fit, keep their look fresh, make an impact but not too big of an impact too quickly. What fans never realize, is that this takes its toll on the woman behind the alter-ego. You must learn to swallow your pride and I do not mean to perform a sex act; I mean you must sometimes work till the early hours in the morning and this after you have been on set all day. You must always channel your best foot forward, even when all you want to do is stay in bed and watch your favorite movie. This means you must take scrutiny from everyone around you despite the fact you are following your heart and making an honest living by doing something you love. Some people say, “we never work a day in our lives if we do what we love for a living.” Yes, that saying is something so true and so powerful but the other side to that coin is that doing what you love for a job can make you begin to see all of its flaws, all of its strains and can make you begin to lose passion for what it is you love. Now imagine if what you do for a living involves love, companionship and comradery at the highest level of your being. How hard would it be to walk away? Or, how hard would it be to keep that passion burning within your personal life? That is what every adult performer faces on a daily basis. That is what Mindi Mink faced every day for nearly half a decade. Upon her retirement this last year, the industry has seen what an impact she made within the lives of her fans and co-workers. This article today is Mindi’s farewell letter to her fans and her hello. As we are about to find out, Mindi shows us that evolution is something that is ongoing and something that never stops.

Don Juan: So, my friend, we are going to start off with an improv question and I had to do this to you being that this is your final interview as a performer. So, as I get into “Don Juan DeMarko” mode I must know, do you still feel Mindi’s pull on your day to day life? Or is it something where you have been able to turn off that side of you like a switch?

Mindi Mink: That is so funny that you ask that. As I have been finding out recently, no matter if it is Mindi Mink, or me in my personal life, I sometimes do not have a clue how I am going to go about doing things until I am in that moment. Then, all of a sudden, the information and guidance come to me in a way that I know exactly what to say and what to do. I tap into my higher intelligence & infinite source. When tapping into the “higher self” of your divine being, it is like you just flip a switch. I am aware when it happens within myself and then all of a sudden, I am there facing this situation with complete knowledge and understanding. Leading up to this interview, I had not been feeling “Mindi” really at all and now that we have begun, she has come to life before our very eyes so to speak. So, to answer your question, and it had been a while since I faced this since my retirement, it is like a switch that I can turn on and off. I have never spoken about this before, but I go into meditation before I approach something like this interview and ask to be guided and allow the words to flow through me.

Don Juan: You know, the reason that I ask that I had an old editor in the business tell me that, “Don Juan DeMarko has always been a part of you. He is the part of you that is an asshole and pisses people off but makes your boss happy, but nobody knows that.” I kept telling him, “No, no it is not.” It is something that is so true. I always say the parts of ourselves that come to life in this business are beneficial in so many ways. So that takes us to our first question, what was Mindi Minks first thoughts when she took her first look at this business?

Mindi Mink: Well, when I first started, and we are talking the true beginning when I was a webcam model in 2012. My first view was that of shock Don. I did not have any idea about the number of fetishes and passions that people have in this world or that they were drawn to. When you are a webcam model you get to really perform in so many different scenarios. Before becoming a webcam model, I had not really watched porn. So, it was a very eye-opening look into the world of sex. For me, to be able to understand what it is that makes people tick, and what takes them to a place of arousal was just shocking and I had no idea about all the fetishes that are out there in the world. When I moved from being a web cam model to an adult actress, again, even though I knew that I was moving into that direction and that I made the leap to working with women, I still did not know much about the porn world. The little bit that I knew, it made me see that I did not know anything at all. It’s because I was not a woman that watched porn before I got into the business, and this is why everything was new to me, Especially in the beginning.

Don Juan: I do not think that fans, or civilians, or what ever you would call someone who is not in the business who follows you, I do not think they could ever understand that about a performer.

Mindi Mink: In my perspective Don, I am just so thankful that I did not know anything going into any part of my career and this business. It made everything that I faced become this adventure that I will always cherish and most of all it made me approach everything that I do in life pay even more attention to details. It made me work harder at even the simplest tasks in my life. That is all something that came from me always looking to make my performances to the best of my ability. Then, after learning something about the industry, show my fans and followers the passionate side of who I am as a woman and as a performer. Getting to show that side of me, without having any preconceived thoughts of who I was supposed to be as a performer. Does that make sense?

Don Juan: Yes, that makes so much sense.

Mindi Mink: I came into the situation thinking that I am just going to do what I am going to do with women without thinking that I am going to be a “performer.” I am just going to be me. Sensual, soft and passionate. I was just open & real with my desire sexually for women. I’ve always been into women and had many experiences before I entered into porn. This industry allowed me to showcase that attraction, and I’m very thankful for that.

Don Juan: That makes more sense then you will ever know sweetheart. You will be a person who goes down in this industry as being a woman who did so much for others, especially with the girls. You taught them so much about being themselves with who you are not just as a performer but as a woman. So many people have told me that about you. Performance, life, friendship it is something that comes hand in hand with this industry and I think with the fact that you did not watch porn beforehand, that really aided you in this process, in making films that are so unique and that is all because of your unique performances. I have always wondered what it was behind your thought process and preparation that made you such a unique entertainer in this industry. To me, it means you were truly meant to be in the business the time that you were.

Mindi Mink: Thank you for saying that. The one thing I always knew was that I just loved being sexual with women and this was a way for me to express who I am on so many levels. Because in the “real world” finding women to be intimate with it is not always the easiest thing. It does not matter if you are a male or a female, finding someone you are connected and attracted to is not always easy. I have truly enjoyed the physicalness of being with a woman, the arousal I feel deep inside of my body that makes me ache and quiver with excitement, and this was a way for me to feel that aliveness. I think everyone needs to express this in their life when they discover that sexual part of themselves. It doesn’t mean you have to film it but definitely experience it. Even when I was just a webcam model, the thing that people wanted to see the most was me interacting with another human being. I’m guessing they saw the passion and realness of who I am as a sexual creature and wondered how I would interact as a lover. As I mentioned, I was so attracted to women all my life and that is something I would always talk about with my fans who watched my shows. It is that attraction to women and had me take the direction that I went into the business of adult G/G filming. Getting to express that sexual part of me as a person, that is something I will always be grateful to the fans and the industry for allowing me to do in so many amazing ways.

One of my favorite stories I do not think that I have ever told you is that when I began my career, Dan O’Connell from Girlfriends Films, gave me about twenty films to watch so that I could see “how things were done.” In the business because I was so unfamiliar with porn. I just straight up told him, “I have never watched a porn movie.” (We both share a massive laugh. For the most part, I was shocked, because Mindi has proven to be a woman with the most amazing surprises all this time I have gotten to know her as a friend and this one was massive because we have talked for hours about our passion for film, erotica, and art.)

Don Juan: OK, here is my thought that is now racing through my brain, what is it that Dan gave you? I am dying to know because he is such a great thinker and imaginative film maker.

Mindi Mink: He gave me a little bit of everything from all his different story lines. It was so unique to see a Girlfriends Film when you have never watched a porn film in your life before. Honestly, I watched maybe one or two of the handful that he gave me. Because to me, it was not about trying to learn what everyone else was doing. It was not about “how am I supposed to do this?” That is not what I was looking to do with may career. I wanted to just come into the industry and just be me, and I thought after I had watched those few films that I did, that I would be able to do something significant & awesome in the industry. I desired to do things in the way that was passionate and meaningful to me as a person which I felt I did successfully.

Don Juan: So, how did that play out with your first shoot with Dan?

Mindi Mink: It went great! I shot two scenes with him and he complimented me on my performance right after and said it was amazing. I was really just me being me, not trying to perform so to speak. I don’t think Dan or my fans know this side of the story, but I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I remember looking down at myself with Carter Cruise and thinking wow there I am having this intense sexual experience and people are watching us plus it’s being filmed! I will say this Don about all the work that I did over the years. Yes, you are performing to a certain degree no matter who it is that you are shooting for, but there was also a big part of me that was always being my authentic self and expressing my sexuality, curiosity, and discovery. What ever it was that I showed Dan those first two days it worked because three weeks later he called me back and offered me to be an exclusive contract star.

Don Juan: My goodness, I think that speaks so much to a performer who may be getting into the business for the first time and reading this. The fact that you bypassed watching all these films and you stuck to your passion and your desire for your own sexuality and want, which then led to an exclusive contract star, that is just the most amazing story I think you could tell to a new performer getting into the industry. So now, we must ask this question, what is your look at the industry now that you have retired good or bad?

Mindi Mink: Looking back at my time in the adult industry I can only say this, my experience was good. When I answer this question, I first have to let everyone who is going to read this know that I speak only about the things that I personally experienced. I did hear stories and such of not so good things going on in the industry, but for me, I only had a good experience.

Don Juan: I knew that is what you were going to say and I think for those fans who do not know you Mindi, I do not think they would be shocked to know that you are a performer who never listened to hear say. That is my favorite thing about you. You are a woman who always only spoke of her actions and never spoke for anyone else or had excuses. That is something special and rare in this life and I think fans can relate to that because we all face that no matter what we do for a living.

Mindi Mink: Well Don, there is a lot that I could comment on when it comes to this subject through the eyes and ears of others, but I can only speak for myself. The things that I thought of when you asked me this question was first and foremost the people that I was blessed to meet. The people that I would have never thought I would meet in this industry that are amazing and good people is what I think of most. There is that stigma that comes with the industry that the business is only filled with all these people that are dirt bags or drug addicts or people who don’t have their shit together, but I was blessed to have met the exact opposite. I met people who had these amazing hearts & minds. I was so impressed with the goodness that was within the hearts of so many of the younger girls. There were so many of them who were complimentary, who were loving & caring, and I was very surprised by that. What made me really feel this was that I started in the industry at forty-five and I was almost always paired with younger women in the scenes that I shot with many different companies. In my mind, I thought that the younger girls would be thinking in their mind that I was old and maybe were not looking forward to working together and boy how wrong I was. The compassion, the sweetness and kind words of the younger girls towards me, I will never forget that. It is what I will probably remember the most as being the best surprise in this business.

Don Juan: My goodness, I am just speechless. I think so many people, especially men would never think that a woman like you would ever think such things. It is so rare when a woman speaks of her thoughts like this, especially when speaking of her interactions with people she was intimate with.

Mindi Mink: Well, there are so many girls that really touched my heart in terms of how sweet they were. I can also think of so many production people on set who made me feel the exact same way. I never thought this would be the case in the industry and I never expected it to be so wonderful. I think there is a lot in the industry that is scripted and fake when it comes to filming, and I feel that the time that I personally spent within the industry was something that was real and not scripted when the cameras were on & off. I always wanted everything to be more realistic when filming, and it was for me. Showing a connection between two women and what that can look like even if it is a performance. It was something very important to me to show the viewer what a true connection looked like between two women that were being filmed, and I think that I did accomplish that.

Don Juan: My goodness, if that does not answer the question, I do not know what does. You have no idea how many lives you have touched with all the girls. It really makes me smile the impact you made with them for they say the same thing about you. They talk about not being pretty enough to work with this stunning older woman and the love and compassion you showed them, it is something they will remember forever.

Mindi Mink: That is so sweet, and it warms my heart hearing you say that. I’ve always hoped that I would leave a good impression on anyone I meet in this lifetime. The girls of this industry are so sweet and one of the biggest parts of why it made my experience so good. Now that I am retired Don, there is nothing that pops into my thoughts that was “bad.” I honestly do not feel any ill will toward the industry or the people now that my career has come to an end on my terms. There are certain things that come to my mind when I think back on every experience that I had to face. But they were all learning lessons for me and feedback for me to determine what direction I needed to go next. Awareness is something that is good in any business no matter what you do in life with work, and this one is no exception.

Don Juan: I think that I know exactly where you are going with this Mindi, especially when it comes to other performers. In the spirits of being politically correct within the industry because yes, politics come into play with every industry, I think Vicki Chase said it best to me in an interview. She told me that if she could do anything for the girls, the new performers, it would be to make a “porn bible” for them, to tell them the ins and outs of everything you will face in this business the longer you are in it and the more success and knowledge you gain. I think telling people that it is OK to make mistakes and that you will face certain things that only come in year one, in year two, in year three and year four. That is where I picture your thoughts going, my friend.

Mindi Mink: You know, that would be something so positive for the girls coming into the industry for the first time if Vicki Chase did put a handbook together. I think a lot of girls come into the industry and they simply have no idea what is coming, and I say that from my own experiences of trial and error myself. Although everyone’s perception is different in any given situation but I still think a handbook would be helpful.

Don Juan: You are truly the perfect person to do such a thing, especially from the perspective that you never watched an adult film before you got into the business. You really walked this journey of yours with a very fearless attitude and I do not mean that in a cocky way. I will always commend you for that.

Mindi Mink: Don, I think all the things that I went through in my life leading up to doing adult work helped me to become fearless and trust my intuition. My attitude of doing things as real as possible and with true passion when filming really paid off in so many ways. I did not know this set way to perform or film, so I went into every experience with the knowledge that I would do things the way that was the most authentic and real to me no matter what that scenario was. I think that is the best point I can make of how valuable it is to just be you and do you in this industry. Don’t try and be a porn star, fans will love seeing who you really are as a lover in bed and sexual goddess.

Don Juan: So, you are always telling me that I am this sweetheart, well, it is time for me to turn into the bad guy. I would not be doing the fans justice if I did not ask you, why did you walk away from the business? What is it that led to your retirement?

Mindi Mink: That is an excellent question. When I began this next venture of my adult career after webcamming for a year and a half and began working in adult films, I was forty five and believe it or not, I said to myself early on, that by the time that I was fifty, I was going to walk away to do something else in life. Although I had no idea what it could or would be, of course, I felt like 5 solid good years filming was all that I really desired to do. I just knew that I was willing to give five years no matter how things turned out good or bad, no success or lots of success. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that I would achieve a lot of success, and I would accomplish all the things that I wanted to and that was my goal from the start. I knew that within those five years I was going to give it my all, I was going to do my best no matter what. So last year was the year that I turned fifty and in my mind, I was finding that it was becoming a bigger and bigger thought as each day went on, what I had promised myself and it became easier to flip that switch as I remembered my goals from the beginning. I was working on some other projects early on that year within the adult industry that I was hoping was going to allow me to fully transition into full time, but those projects failed. I do not look at any failure as really a failure, I look at it as growth and information and feedback. This feedback was telling me that this was not the direction that I was meant to go, and I had trust and have faith that something better would come. I really had that feeling, that burning feeling that my time in the industry was coming to an end. So, when Girlsway told me that I was going to be the July Girl of the Month, I knew that was going to be a great ending for my career. With getting that honor from them, I felt that I would be going out on top and that this massive accolade as a performer, that recognition would be a perfect ending for me. I started out as a contract star with Girlfriends Films, which was amazing and beautiful and I’m so thankful & grateful for that experience. Then, when Girlsway recognized me for being a Girl of the Month, I said to myself, “finally, right on!!” That goal was something I worked very hard to achieve with Girlsway, and I felt like what more could I ask for. Shortly after that, my head and heart were ready for a new path & direction in life, so it was clear to me to say goodbye and retire.

Which brings us to the end of part one. If there is anything that I can say to fans that simply must be known, it is that we live in a day and age where these legendary performers will never be forgotten. With each picture is more than just a look at Mindi’s most successful Girlfriends Films scenes and films, these are Xcritic's hand-picked favorite scenes of ours we thought we would share with the fans. What an honor it has been to work with Mindi for all these years. She is a woman who has done so much for this industry, it is something that will continue to have an impact years after we no longer see her Twitter or see her scenes but in a company’s archive. That is how all things go in life, but life is about growth and adaptation. In part two of this farewell interview, you will discover how to always guidance apart of your life with her evolution as a woman. You will discover even more about the woman and even more so, you will discover that this girl/girl performer will not only go down as one of the greatest performers ever, she will also go down as a woman who created a change, not just within herself but with all the people who are lucky enough to discover what her message always has been within all that she does. Until then fans.