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365 days of {gretchalina}

when i read the email inviting me to be part of a 365 project for this year…
well, you have to know by now how much i enjoy projects.
when i read a little further and saw that it was a 365 self portrait project…
well, that was a different story altogether.
really, how many people are truly comfortable in front of any camera.
how many people genuinely love having their picture made?
how hard do you think it is to make a photo of yourself everyday for 365 days?
my point exactly.
initially i thought…no. but, i met this group of seriously talented women through susannah conway’s
unravelling e-course
from last year {a simply amazing journey, if you’re so inclined}
and i wanted to be a part of another project with them.
so, i said yes, but that i could never promise one everyday for 365 days straight.
i would, instead, try for 365 days total.
even at that, i am lagging behind quite a bit.

so…the pictures…
first, let me share that the physical act of making photos of myself, day after day, was quite surreal.
it wasn’t long before other feelings like…very intimidating sprinkled with feelings of
egotistical~ness, vanity, shock of the visual truth through the lens…kicked in.
this was really hard on so many levels.
not surprisingly, i didn’t like what i looked like. this wasn’t what i thought i looked like…or felt like.
not fair at all. i was so ready to give it up. this was brutal.
then i started looking around at other sp projects and decided to try again.
i knew i’d have to get over the nasty negative thoughts that were circling around in my head about how i looked
and i better get more creative if i was going to survive this.
i started to think up different shots, trying to think way outside the lines.
i also realized that i could do anything i wanted
including showing exactly how i felt that particular day.
so what if it was a quiet day, a sad day, or an all i want to do is hide day. it was real.
and it was, after all, for me to look back and reflect on at the end of the project.

so…the pictures…
going way out of my comfort zone to post them on my own blog, but they are part of me and this journey.
…the good, the bad, the ugly.
and, maybe, you too, will be inspired to think about your own journey and how you might document it for yourself.

365 {so far}

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yes, i like butterflies.

June 15, 2011 - 4:28 pm

Lexi - Looks like you are having a blast! Love it!

June 15, 2011 - 6:34 pm

Ilene - Each one is so YOU.

June 16, 2011 - 1:47 pm

Anne - i love how you created a uniquely different shot for every portrait! i don’t think i’m ready to take that challenge yet (i am hardly in any of my photos) and kudos to you for stepping in front of the lens!

June 16, 2011 - 4:01 pm

Susannah - oh wow, these are all amazing! πŸ™‚

June 19, 2011 - 9:20 pm

jessz - these are so beautiful, each in their own way. good for you for having the guts to do it. i’m the same way about photos of myself. πŸ˜‰

June 20, 2011 - 1:39 pm

Karen, FL - Hi Gina! Can I just say that you are stunning!?! A 365 project takes dedication, for sure, but your daughters (and their kids one day) will have an amazing record of you and your many ‘personalities.’ If I had to pick two favorites, they would be the one snuggled up in bed, and the one holding the umbrella. Keep it up! And thanks for sharing!!!

June 23, 2011 - 4:04 am

athena - You are gorg, my friend! I could never do this, much less with the amount of creativity and thought you put into each image… bravo!

peace, love and {clover chains}

who hasn’t made daisy (or any other flower) chains while growing up?
what is it about them that are so nostalgic, so little girl, so memory making good stuff?
these two walked in last night and my heart immediately smiled and then
my own childhood memories came rushing in.
i asked gabriella and sylvie if they had a few moments to step outside.

friends and clover chains {and lots of hair}

 

 

 

 

June 14, 2011 - 1:06 pm

Ali - We were at the park yesterday and I saw clover flowers too and it immediately drew me back to those same childhood memories! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

June 16, 2011 - 8:05 am

Annie - So incredibly lovely… It makes me remember my childhood self. πŸ™‚

a {key lime} kind of night

an innocent trip to the market.
a produce bin full of baby key limes in that green that i love.
three girls in the kitchen…

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June 13, 2011 - 7:59 pm

jessz - Beautiful Gina!! Green is my favorite, and that pie looks scrumptious!

June 13, 2011 - 8:33 pm

Lexi - Love it!

June 13, 2011 - 9:03 pm

Rachael - Love! Those limes look so pretty!

June 13, 2011 - 9:38 pm

athena - mmmm, this looks sooo delicious… and the photography is stunning. wish we lived closer so i could come by for pie!

June 13, 2011 - 9:39 pm

athena - mmmm, this looks sooo delicious… and the photography is stunning. wish we lived closer so i could come over for pie πŸ™‚

gigi & lexi {a collaboration}

here is what we have so far.

 

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June 8, 2011 - 8:30 am

Natalie - I absoultely love it. I hope you print a coffee table book of this when you get done. What a conversation piece! I would buy one! It’s all about Mother-daughter & personal interpretation! β™₯
From two of the most talented artists I know!

June 9, 2011 - 7:48 am

Ilene - love, love, love…but you already knew that.

June 10, 2011 - 11:27 am

Anne - love this project!