We’re always so hard on ourselves. Many times I’ve held back from sharing a photo because it wasn’t ….what should I say… “my hottest.”
Maybe the way I was standing that made me look heavier. Maybe it’s a low quality photo or too grainy. {is that even a thing?} Maybe the way the hat fit oddly. Maybe I looked in the mirror and dug my outfit then saw a photo and realized okay yeah it really wasn’t as cute as planned. 😂
This isn’t my favorite pose. I didn’t really get any cool camera shots of myself on my trip. I just wanted a quick photo with my camera at this cool spot. It’s taken on a phone so it doesn’t totally match the aesthetic of this page. I realize now that the shirt tucked in made me look fuller and sometimes this hat fits my head kinda weird. (I gotta big head). But it was windy and rainy & it was a necessary. Blah blah blah. And I was comfortable and liked the fit.
But at the end of the day, it’s me. I didn’t go through and edit my forehead wrinkles, smooth my skin, fix the discoloration. I didnt pull out the shadows, brighten my eyes. I didn’t try to amplify my waist to make it look thinner.
Cuz it’s just me. The exact way I’d probably look if you’d walk past me. (Unless you walk by me now in my bath rob & wild bed hair 😋)
People hate when I say “sometimes that’s just the way your face looks” because in reality, it’s true. Sometimes we’ve got 4 chins!
I think the point of this is really —— if we are continuously telling the world to love their authentic versions of ourselves —- shouldn’t we (as photographers and humans) try to as well?
It feels easier said than when done. And I think when we fall off track, it’s mostly on the basis that we’ve stopped considering our needs as a priority.
So here’s my little list of ways to love your authentic self a little more today. 🤍
1) Know you have nothing to prove. Not online. You don’t have to show the world you’re good to be successful.
2) Know the dark is valuable. Having weaknesses is intrinsically human.
3) Know you matter. Not because someone tells you. Not on the basis or dependence of anyone else. You just matter for you.
🤍