Shifting timelines & ancestral patterns

A favorite from the archives...

Hey there, how is your heart feeling? Let’s take a deep breath, shall we? I’ll wait…

How are you feeling now?

If you’re reading this, I love you, thank you for being here. You may have noticed my emails are now coming from Substack. What I love most about this platform is its versatility and ability to have an archive of all my posts. It’s an email newsletter/blog/publication/podcast/art project/whatever I want it to be.

When I exported my list from Flodesk to here, I noticed it did not take into account people who have unsubscribed from my list in the past. So, if you are one of those people now receiving my emails again, this is why. My sincerest apologies, technology is weird. If you do not wish to receive my emails, please unsubscribe…again. You also have the option with Substack to stay subscribed, but not receive my posts to your email. You can change this in your Substack settings.

Ok, had to get that off my chest.

Now, let’s get into it. This post was originally written on September 29, 2022. Occasionally, I want to share past emails I’ve sent to have them in this beautiful Substack archive. Here’s one of my (and your) favorites:

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As I stepped into the exhibition space with my dear friend and curator, Christianne, I shared with her a defining moment on my journey as an artist.

In 2018, I created my largest body of work titled, 100 Days of Body, a self portrait series that explored my relationship with my body in an intimate and sensual way. This was a challenging yet deeply gratifying experience that set me on a path toward learning to love and honor myself in a way I never knew existed.

I chose to share the creation of this series on Instagram as an act of liberation and declaration of my transformation as a woman and artist.

Cue the shameful comments and side-eye stares.

Sharing intimate parts of myself with the world was not easy, especially when those intimate parts come in the form of nude photos.

I remember sitting at a table at my nephew's 1st birthday party and my mother sharing my brother's concerns with my photos. He said to her, “have you seen what Olivia's posting on the internet?” Mind you, my mom is for sure not on social media. Instead of adding the layers of shame to something so meaningful to me, you know what she said to him in response?

“She's making art.”

Those three words shifted my reality instantly. Even though I already knew I was making art, to hear my mother stand up for me was a life altering, defining moment that I'll never forget.

To have my mother's approval meant my inner little girl could breath again. She could express herself freely with loving arms of support.

It's one of those moments that rippled through time, breaking generations of shame that chained women down. It was THAT powerful.

Your authentic expression shifts timelines & ancestral patterns.

A few days ago, I was reminded of this moment when I had the spontaneous pull to have an impromptu photoshoot with my grandmother. As she sat outside under our Japanese maple tree looking up at the sky, I glimpsed the light framing her joyful face.

I ran upstairs to grab my camera and began shooting. I could see the light in her eyes get brighter as I captured her natural beauty in our front yard. She asked to see some of the photos and as she looked, she exclaimed, “I look sexy!”

We both laughed and I knew this was another defining moment. She felt the joy and beauty that I aim to capture with my clients. To gift her this moment was a beautiful testament to the power of my work as an artist. 

She felt it, at 87 years old.

So here's my message to you: keep doing what you love.

Keep being you. There will be people in your life who won't get that and they will run away. That's ok. Just keep going. And remember to celebrate the subtle and powerful moments along the way.

With joyful innocence,
Olivia