Who Do You Want To Be?
Or is the question: who are you?
Doing empowerment photography is fascinating because I get to see so many humans with so many stories. Many of them show up to the shoot telling me who they want to be for the day:
Powerful
Sensual
Strong
Confident
Bad Ass
Soft
Natural
Over The Top
Vibrant
Sassy
and those are just a few.
But what I hear them tell me is:
“THIS IS WHO I AM”
I am currently watching the show Worn Stories on Netflix, recommended to me by a fellow colleague and it got me thinking about how our wardrobe allows us to lean into who we ARE in that moment - not who we want to be - who we are.
In corporate North America, we’ve all grown up to stuff our trueness into
the back of the closet,
into suitcases, and
even, into second hand stores.
Which is why I think wardrobe in the studio presents such a challenge to the folks that come see me.
“BUT WHAT DO I WEAR??”
Is one of the most common questions I get as soon as someone books and we have a wardrobe guide to help with this to show you different examples of different items, but ultimately, it is not my decision to tell you who you are.
As someone who WAS photographed in bras, panties, and thigh highs as that was the recommended outfit I should bring, I felt even less like myself and so when I saw the photos, they were pretty, but I didn’t recognize who she was.
Because I was trying to be someone else.
And I appreciate that that experience happened because I needed to know,
I needed to see,
That while I COULD wear traditional lingerie,
It definitely wasn’t me.
And this is the point I always say
“I found out who I was, by finding out who I wasn’t.”
When you put on a garment of clothing
(or take it off)
pay attention to how it feels
pay attention to whether it feels “at home”
You probably notice a lot of my self portraits I am nude or semi nude
AND VERY RARELY WEARING PANTS
I AM someone who does not like pants
I AM someone who does not like to feel constricted
I AM someone who does not like structured fabric
I AM someone who loves to look at her body
I AM someone who loves to see the way her body moves
I AM someone who likes to challenge the status quo with her body
I don’t need to BE someone who does/does not do these things
because I AM someone who does/does not do these things.
So, I want to ask you
WHO ARE YOU?
When I ask this question, you probably heard a faint whisper that vanished as quickly as it appeared:
I AM Powerful
Oh, I could never…
I AM Sensual
What would my partner/kids/friends think if they knew?
I AM Strong
You aren’t that kinda person.
I AM Confident
No, I’m not. Not like those other people.
I AM a Bad Ass
That’s weird.
I AM Natural
But people might think that is ugly or gross
I AM Vibrant
Oh, do you mean TOO MUCH? You should probably tone it down.
That first thought
That quiet thought
That is the truth
That is the honesty
That will be the key
To your liberation
Fill in the blank:
I AM ____________________________________________________________________
Now, believe it.
