The premise: one dress, eight photographers. Each has a week with the dress to get creative and make art with their own twist before sending it on to the next photographer in the group. The images remain top secret until all have the opportunity to shoot, unswayed by what is created by those that come before. It’s a movement called the Traveling Dress Collective, and these dresses have been around the globe, showcasing some amazing creatives and their unique voices. You can read more about it at www.thetravelingdresscollective.com.

Last year I volunteered to model for @julieelizabethg as she participated in this project (you can see her amazing images from that shoot here), and this year she became a group leader and asked me to be a part of her team. (You can follow our blog circle and see everyone’s images by starting with Julie’s post).

I was completely honored at the invitation to join, and I so looked forward to this project during the planning phases, but as my week with the dress came closer my personal life was turned unexpectedly upside down. There was much turmoil and a huge decision to be made weighing over me, and I worried that I didn’t have the focus or the energy to give that this creative pursuit deserved. But I can honestly say that pushing through this project has served as both a much needed escape and a kind of therapy in working through this rough phase of my life.

I often find with self-portraiture, which is what I chose to do for this, that it isn’t until culling the images when I learn what actually emerged during the shoot: the marrow, what revealed itself. It’s often very different than what I intended. It’s always better because it’s truth. That’s where, for me, the healing lies. This experience, specifically, has helped me on my journey to a more solid sense of self, worth, and strength. I am learning that those things have actually been there within me along.

I hope you enjoy these images.