Sinopsis
Exploring our curiosity is something we sometimes allow our adult fears to deprive us of, and we no longer take the time to reach out, ask questions, and really listen. I’ve found that through connecting with complete strangers over the last couple years, by simply acknowledging their presence, asking to photograph them, and exploring their lives and hearts with a variety of sensitive, compassionate, and reflective questions, the boundaries that seemingly separate one human being from another are merely a manifestation of our fears, labels, and stigmas. What I’ve learned and hope to showcase through this collection of portraits and human experiences is that we are all connected to one another, share many of the same experiences, have incredible resilience, and are willing to share our stories, which are often silenced by shame, guilt, and fear, to help another human being who may be feeling hopeless, alone, and afraid. This I think is a beautiful example of how we may all practice more authenticity and connect with one another in deeper and more meaningful ways that foster unconditional supports and a sense of community, but also how we can all transform our pain and darkness into both healing and light. I found very early on in my own recovery from depressions, anxiety, addiction, and becoming suicidal multiple times, that our stories hold the potential for us to heal and help others begin healing themselves. When I began to get rid of my own guilt, shame, fear, and stigmas about my past through sharing my experiences in a very raw, vulnerable, and authentic way on social media, I realized quickly from the continuous messages I was receiving that not only was I healing publicly, but I was allowing others to acknowledge their own wounds and challenges, and giving them daily hope and inspiration that they were not alone and could also recover and heal from their pasts at any time. Taking off our figurative masks that we wear to convey the message to people in our lives that we are okay requires courage, vulnerability, and a willingness to be seen and heard as we are, authentically, with no façades, armor, or veils. The tools we use to hide what we are ashamed of act as barriers preventing us from being seen, heard, and valued for who we truly are at our core. I believe that no matter where we are on our individual journeys, there is beauty to be found, gifts to uncover, and tools that we can learn how to use to repair, rebuild, and recover from whatever damage we’ve endured. It is my hope that by combining the beautiful faces of the courageous hearts who have shared their experiences with me, we may remember how little we can tell about the contents of someone’s heart simply by their packaging. In other words, what someone’s exterior may project to the eye is not a true representation of what only the interior can communicate . . . heart to heart. In this book you will find a selection of many heart-to-heart conversations between two strangers. I like to think that in these moments of stranger-to-stranger, human-to-human, heart-to-heart connections, both lives are changed in some way for the better. In these conversations I hope you will learn, as I have, just how much we can learn from each other, if only we were more willing to open our hearts to each other despite our wounds and fears. I believe this formula, which has organically evolved since I began photographing strangers on the streets years ago, embodies many of the principles of psychology, recovery, and wellness. This book, I hope, will be a useful tool in gaining new perspective, inspire change and growth, and offer many the knowledge that they are not alone, that there is hope, and that healing is possible at any time.
Acerca del autor
Over the years I have suffered bouts of depression, anxiety, and addiction, and have been hospitalized for becoming suicidal twice. I faced challenges as a teenager with accepting my sexuality and dealing with my parents’ divorce. I dropped out of school during my second year in high school to begin working and supporting myself. I spent many years pursuing a culinary career that was unfulfilling to me, only to convince myself that money and security were enough to make me happy. It wasn’t until I picked up the camera almost five years ago that my life and the way I see the world around me began to change. I had been taking psychology and art classes at a community college, thinking that I was going to try to make a career shift into some form of psychology that would allow me to work with people where they are, with whatever form of expression they were comfortable with, and help them open up, confront, and work through the feelings that made them uncomfortable. Though I have yet to complete a college degree, I have found a way to do what I love without a degree. I call it art or photojournalism. I have always had a gift for being present, listening, and trying to see the good and light in people. By forgiving myself for my mistakes, which actually led me to the right path, surprisingly, and extending compassion and love to myself despite my imperfections, I have been able to offer the same to others. For once in my life, I feel aligned with my gifts and my passions. Every time I take a step in uncertainty and faith, the road rises up to meet me. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people contribute to my life and project in such meaningful and generous ways. I would not be where I am today had it not been for the darkness. I would never have found my own light had I not been where I was. Now I have the potential to not only see others’ light, but to ignite it within them when they have lost sight of it themselves. When I was feeling hopeless and ready to give up two years ago, I thought my life was ending. I thought it was over. What I realize now is that the walls—walls that had prevented me from growing and really embracing all the gifts, beauty, and love that were there for me—had to come crumbling down in order for me to have the freedom to rebuild a life and world around me better suited to who I am and what I am about. So, in short, my life wasn’t ending at all; it was just beginning.
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