My Experience

I hopped on late. 

Didn’t check the details. 

Turns out sometimes jumping in head first is exactly what we need.

My friend and Art Coach Sandi Keene and I have discussed, at length, the need to put my face out there a little more.  If you visit my Instagram feed you’ll find a ton of glorious art photos but hardly a peek of me.  Connection is so very important to me but so is my privacy AND let’s face it – putting yourself, literally your full face, half face, full body out into the world is downright terrifying.  Talk about taking vulnerability to a whole
new level…

Maybe it brings me back to those middle school days where every single aspect of your being is scrutinized by your peers.  Or my extreme self-consciousness in high school.  Always trying to fit into one group or another.  I feel so safe and strong in my art community.  So why the hesitancy?  I’m close to 50 years old – when will I grow out of this nonsense? 

I’ve been a fan of Ali Edwards for over ten years.  What started with my fascination of her early scrapbooking days has turned in to a real appreciation and admiration for a woman who lives her life open, vulnerable, honest and so full of connection.  She ignited the spark that lead to many years of personal growth for me through her wildly popular year long, prompt based One Little Word Class.  She has revolutionized storytelling and the process of documenting the everyday pieces of our lives.  I cannot even begin to describe how much I admire her as a human being and a kick ass business woman.  She encompasses the definition of whole hearted living.

A few weeks ago I jumped head first into Ali’s Pieces of Us Self Portrait Adventure.  You can find more information about the challenge here.  I had decided to share the challenge in my Instagram Stories.

The first few days were a breeze – the prompts were feet, then hands…..I’ve got this.  On any given day you will find my painted toes and tattooed feet on my Instagram feed.  This is going to be a
breeze.

Day 3 – HOLD UP!!! Stop the presses.  Did the prompt read Face Forward?  Say what now?  Face Forward? My whole face?  The laugh lines, the tired eyes?  That face forward?  So at this time it becomes apparent – I have to walk the walk.

I sat in my car (always the best light) and snapped a few pics.  Chose one and then really debated about tossing a filter on it before posting. In the end I didn’t add a filter at all.  I hit “Add to Stories” and I couldn’t have been prouder of myself.

Why? Because this face has lived a very full life.  And as the challenge progressed and I had to post a full body picture I told myself – girl, you can do this.  I’ve laughed and I’ve cried.  That full front face of mine has felt the warmth of the sun and been burnt from too much of a good thing.  That full body has birthed babies and loved people hard.  That heart in my chest loves unconditionally and hurts when I watch my babies growing up into adults.  That Half Face has felt shame, guilt and uncertainty.  Those wrinkles are from laughing with my friends and cracking jokes at work.  That soft belly is from loving snacks and hating to exercise.  Those pictures – they are me.  I am that woman.  Whole. Filled with love. Vulnerable.

What did I take away from this adventure?  I shifted from self critic to self love.  And as I scrolled through the hash tag on Instagram I couldn’t have been prouder of these women who showed up, put themselves out there and loved themselves. Hard.  After all if you don’t love yourself first how are you going to love everyone else around you? 

I urge you to take the time and scroll through all those photos on Instagram – search for the hashtag #aepiecesofus.  There is so much love and connection – woman after woman, showing up, being vulnerable.  This was more than a Self Portrait Adventure.  This was an adventure in self love and empowerment – and for that, I’m all in.