A dear friend of mine had an idea for a self-love/self-portrait to be given to one another each Valentine’s Day. The rules are that it has to be a declaration of self-love in the form of artistic expression. I chose to challenge myself to a self-portrait sitting, my mode of artistic expression, my camera, of course. 

I kept putting off the shoot. One day I felt bloated, the next, the sun wasn’t shining, then I thought I should first get a haircut…This went on for weeks. My oh my, did I have an insight in what my clients must go through before booking a shoot. The resistance, the self-criticism and the putting it off until “one day when…”.

I gave myself a deadline and had to do it on that day at that time and just show up for it. NO MATTER WHAT.

So I did.

And It was hard. 

So I hugged myself and did what my yoga instructor taught me to do: kiss my shoulder and say “I love you”. 

And you know what, that was the photo I liked best. Amazing what a little self love can do.

As my precious momma always tells me “love yourself through it”. That’s what I did, with all the photos that made me cringe to the ones that made me appreciate my uniqueness. 

A Valentine’s Mission Completed: A Self-Portrait made with Self-Love.