Yesterday would have been Mom’s 76th birthday...she’s been gone now for almost 24 years. She was strong, loyal, smart, stubborn, kind, and so very generous.
Not a day goes by that I don’t wish she was here to celebrate life’s blessings and to console me during the tougher times. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish my kids could have her earthly unconditional love and vice versa.
There are so many ways that my mom, her battle with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer, and her loss have impacted me...the most outwardly noteworthy being my chosen career path.
Despite a lifelong interest in photography, I was still too young and inexperienced to have known how to produce a professional portrait of Mom before she died. I so wish I could go back in time – to have been able to photograph her in a way that would have allowed her to see her beauty the way we all did.
With that devastating experience, a seed was quietly planted… it would take years for me to understand that that seed would become my purpose; and it would take even longer for me to make the conscious decision to tend to it.
My journey has had defining moments and one came 10+ years ago. A woman, Jeanette, had been referred to me by another client; she was participating in a fitness competition and wanted to capture her hard work between judging sessions. It was my first time working with a lone woman in front of my lens (outside of some headshot work I’d done) and became a pivotal experience for me —> realizing the joy I gleaned from helping this woman CELEBRATE her life, her strength, her hard work & dedication, her journey. The power in the room that day was palpable: the camaraderie, the trust, the laughs, the focus on HER, the collaboration…it was profound. I’ll be ever grateful to JB for her trust that day, for helping me hone in on my life’s mission, and for the years of friendship & working together since.
Today, I feel as though I am at another juncture…
I’ve long let my business flow organically - always thrilled to work with every woman (man or family too) seeking portraiture; however, in the recent few years, I’ve begun to understand that I could - and should - be doing more. I want for little girls all over the world to see women that ‘look like them’, doing the things they want to do…I recently saw a young woman, who was born in India, speak of what it meant for her to see another Indian woman become an astronaut and how that visual allowed her to think ‘I CAN DO THAT TOO!’ For far too long the mainstream media and products have showcased: attractive, affluent, and white, as though that is what ALL women ‘should’ look and be like —> a disservice & loss to our entire society, and a travesty for those who have been so egregiously excluded for no reason at all. (don’t even get me started on how women in general continue to fight for equality 😡…a blog for a different day.)
What if - by actively seeking to diversify my portfolio - I might be able to help more consciously inspire others: be it a woman who sadly feels unworthy to exist in print (we are our very own worst critics😔) or a little girl who is looking for a role model of what is possible 💪🏾? I want for girls & women to look at my portfolio and see themselves - beautiful, strong, resilient, aged young to wise, accomplished, unique, kind, all body shapes and sizes, quiet or loud, loving whomever they choose, from all walks of life, and living their life’s purpose - from homemaker to astronaut to seamstress to doctor to detective to <xyz>. What if, in my own small way, I can help move the needle forward on how girls & womxn view themselves?
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Last week I had the extraordinary privilege of spending the evening with this beauty, who’d been nominated for the session by a client and mutual friend/colleague, as part of my conscious effort to diversify my portfolio ((thx, GA❤️). 'Sunny is an accomplished woman - mom, wife, officer, and ‘sunshine spreader’ 😉 ; a proud Indigenous woman; and someone who - trust me - will wow you with what is possible… blog entry about this effervescent soul coming soon!
While there is no going back to the days when, in a perfect world, Mom is still here and I have the knowledge & skills to create a worthy portrait of her...I will pursue my passion & purpose by endeavouring to provide empowering portraiture to the women who are here today. Mom’s loss has been a defining life circumstance for me and I can only hope I’m using the experience as proactively as possible, in a way that honours her memory by honouring the women in my midst.
Ladies: whether you’re celebrating a milestone, picking up the pieces after divorce, or confronting a diagnosis —>
portraiture is so much more than ‘a picture.’ It can – and should - be an experience that leaves you feeling buoyed and beautiful, worthy and strong, while also holding up a ‘mirror’ so that you might see the inherent beauty your loved ones see in you.
Never be afraid to celebrate TODAY…we can’t ever know what tomorrow holds, all we can do is make the very best use of this moment.
With gratitude & humility,
Lori
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