Meet my girls! These AMAZING friends I've been blessed to know double as models! (L to R: Megan Thomas, Danielle Materra, Ashley Mahony, Me, Catherine Walder, Allie McKenzie. Not pictured: Courtney Martinez.)
Here is a video of the set up just before we took it all down.
Me spending the last few minutes of THE EGG OF THE PHOENIX alone in my yard listening to my favorite band on vinyl.
And now... the moment we've all been waiting for.. (including myself!) Here is the very first shoot of the show.
But first, the epilogue. The reasoning behind it all..
THE EGG OF THE PHOENIX
This time a year ago, I was making decisions that would affect me forever; I just didn't know it yet. I surrounded myself with people who I thought I could save; from their problems, from their anxieties, their addictions and themselves. I tried to drag them out of the burning salt water that burns to the touch. But instead I fell in with them. I didn't see it or realize it until I was completely submerged in a way of thinking that shaped me into someone I had never intended to become or could even recognize. I had to be stronger than my own understanding of the word. I had to cut off every tie, every rope and drain every drop of that water out of my life. The next few months following that major decision, I often found myself alone in a dark room. I then decided I can sit there and cry about the bad things that have just occurred or I can rise from them, learn from them and most importantly, move on. So I made some promises to myself to leave it in the ashes, rise from it as a phoenix and become something great out of utter destruction. In the process, I found five people that forever changed me by breathing hope into my lifeless self.
Each little detail of the shoots and show itself, were carefully created to symbolize each stage in my process of healing. Every location of the shoots I hold dear to my heart; for they are the places where, in the healing process, I have slowly transformed.
This, is my transformation from a sunless pile of ash, to the phoenix I didn't know I'd become.
Enjoy.
STOIC:[stoh-ik]: a person who can endure pain of hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
On to the second shoot, with my dear friend and amazingly talented model, Courtney Martinez.
Qualm: [kwahlm] noun: an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry or fear. especially about one's conduct; a misgiving.
Here is the third stage and photo shoot of the show with my good friend and long time neighbor, Megan Thomas.
Melee: [mey-ley]noun: a confused fight; skirmish, scuffle.
p.s. recognize the one of the feet? hehehe ...I cropped it A LOT to use it for the flyer!
I mentioned in the very first blog post, I didn't know what I would be shooting. I just knew I wanted to do an art show. That idea came up early October. I was planning shoots and gathering models for the show, asking around to see who was interested, they all accepted the challenge! Anyway, I was planning the shoots and buying clothes online for these shoots, and then I got to the third shoot and realized, I was subconsciously putting in details into the shoots that were literally things that happened while in my transformation from who I was to who I am now. All the locations are places I slowly realized who I was and who I wanted to be. So it was such an honor to be able to go back to these special places and do shoots that symbolize each stage of that process of really digging deep into myself and seeing who it is I want to be in life. A very deep soul search, if you will. I just used these places and a few people to finally find myself. Something I'll spend the rest of my life trying to understand.
I decided I wanted to be very hands on with this show, even so much, that I put myself in it.
Photography Credit: Jessica Lee
p.s. yes this 100% real mud.
Well, here is the part that comes after the big decision to change who I was.
This is my good friend since elementary school, Catherine Walder.
Sonder: [sahn-der]noun: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
Here is the stage where I get up and dance for the first time in a long time. This is my good friend, Ashley Mahony.
nd here it is folks. The very last shoot and stage of this story I call my crazy life.
This last shoot is featuring my dear friend, Danielle Materra.
Vanquish: [vang-kwish]verb: to conquer or subdue by superior force; as in battle.
Here is the moment we've all been waiting for!
The very last shoot of them all; the part where I take over my own life and not feel guilty about it. Because for a long time, I did. This shoot is symbolic of my victorious ending to this treacherous story of mine. I hand made the crown she's wearing. It took me close to two months to make that crown. Feathers, lace, beads, sequins and blood, sweat and tears, my friends. And lots of it. The stone she is wearing, is an agate druzy stone. It abolishes fear and uplifts courage; a few things I was lacking through this process. I put little bits of my personality and everlasting curious case of wanderlust: the shirt is actually from an online shop based in Australia. And the skirt I hope you'll recognize from a previous shoot. I did reuse some of the clothing from other shoots to really exemplify that I was still me, just a little bit different and stronger than the me I was leaving behind in those ashes.
But believe me, I'm the happiest I have ever been in my lifetime. The world is open and full of opportunities for you and me to go out there and grab! This 6 month project and art show has opened so many doors and opportunities for me. It was very overwhelming to receive so much support and love from you all.
But what I loved most of all about this whole experience is, for the first time ever, I was able to have a one-on-one viewing experience with my viewers. And that is something I've never done before.
My models and I have been so patiently waiting to show you all what it is we've all been keeping a secret all this time! I told the models to not share too many details of their shoot to too many people just to keep it a secret and keep the unveiling of the photos a bigger surprise. I have been living in this kind of dream world for the past 6 months. It was like living in my own little bubble of models and ideas and "don't tell anyone anything!" It was kind of fun to keep a secret this big from all of my viewers.
I thank you all who came out last weekend to my very first (of many) art shows and exhibitions. I hope to see you at my next big project unveiling! ;)
xx
Becca
Everything turned out so blissfully wonderful ! I love it !
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