Hardships shape us. They expose our resilience and widen our perspective of ourselves and the world around us. This was the concept behind creating these images. In conversation, these words stuck with me:
‘I’m living more boldly now – life is short and unpredictable.’
I wanted to try to capture ‘bold movement’. As I was suggesting ideas for Marissa to try, there was a moment of ‘wait, that wasn’t quite right, let me try that again’. There was shared laughter and lightness about it all.
I didn’t think much of it when photographing. But when I was culling the images, one from that moment really stood out to me. It added depth to the expression I was working with. The two portraits together felt significant. The first one might be the more obvious expression of what courage looks or feels like – head up, looking forward, leading with the heart, forward movement. But I think the second is just as important.
To me, it’s like learning to not take yourself so seriously. The ability to lovingly laugh at yourself is a form of self-compassion.
A leading researcher on self-compassion, Kristin Neff, links self-compassion to courage. Neff identifies three core elements of self-compassion:
Self-Kindness: soothing and encouraging yourself instead of attacking
Common Humanity: remembering “this is human” rather than isolating in shame
Mindfulness: brave willingness to stay with painful feelings rather than suppress, flee, or over-identify with them
Together, these elements deepen your capacity to face challenges honestly, they deepen your courage.
These were created for someone else, but I think I will be printing for myself as well!
