It all started with girl talk. Just two girlfriends chit chatting about all the world said we should be and how even Barbie couldn't live up to those standards these days. My friend, Sue Ann, suggested that I do a photo campaign about body shaming (similar to one she had seen online from a photographer from another state). I loved her passion for the no body shame, but honestly thought that was just touching the surface of what women deal with daily. We have so many standards in life, so many list to check off, so many expectations coming from complete strangers that our physical is just one level of where we get targeted negatively. So I told her I would think on it.

And so I pondered, prayed, and then came the plan of Project Self Love 2016. Simple concept, I hand them a poster board, sharpie and their thoughts and photograph the results. What had someone said that had tattooed them negatively? NOW, flip the board, write what THEY KNOW FOR SURE ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT WAS POSITIVE?!   I jotted down 10 women I knew who were beautiful, strong, awesome and flawed...#realwomen. Women who had a "To Do" list that never got done. Women who were a size 2 and women who were barely squeezing on their size 22 pants, yet still ROCKING IT. Women who had been abandoned and broken, yet let the light shine through the cracks and lead them to a better path. Women who had made all A's in high school, went to college, had a career and yet their entire world still crumbled. Women who looked the devil in the face and said "NOT TODAY SATAN!" Women who had 0 children and longed for 5, and women who had 5 and barely made it through the day with all #mommin was asking of them. Women who said what they thought, did what they wanted, and made the world turn their heads constantly. Women who grew up with "everything", women who grew up with "nothing" and still climbed the mountain of life with Rocky theme song in the background. And my prayer for 10 women for the inaugural PSL became 16 women!

The day we met up, it was 900.6 degrees outside....WELCOME TO TEXAS SUMMER! But none the less these women met with me and my camera and my Dollar General poster board and sharpies, because they believed in what this project was going to be. I am forever grateful to that original crew who jumped with me on this crazy leap of faith that people would see themselves in one of them. That they could show that we can choose to tattoo ourselves with positives, just as much as we can negatives. That someone who saw PSL would see life is difficult, beautiful, frustrating, fun, amazing, emotional, awesome, heartbreaking, heart filled, disappointing, extraordinary and us women can find triumphs in our trials!

So here we are in year two of Project Self Love and I have 37 WOMEN! We make plans and God laughs. My goal this year was 20...God showed up and showed out once again! This year I chose women, had women who contacted me and had women who were nominated and even have women who are on a list for next year! These women migrated toward the rawness. The unedited words and physical aspect of this project grabbed people's attention. No filters! I am through the roof excited to see where this project goes and even more so how much it will touch women I have and may never meet! We don't have to have it all together. We are all a work in progress...that's what makes us human.  I hope as you watch this video below that you realize that BEING YOU IS ENOUGH! (And keep up with PSL for years to come!)

#PSL17 #beautifulinsideandout #projectselflove2017 #PSL16 #youareenough #lovethyself