When Jessica reached out about doing an ELAN Session – I was excited! When she told me her reasoning behind her session, I was overjoyed!!! I created these ELAN Sessions because I believe every woman has a story to tell – whether you choose to share your story with the world and #theskirtproject, or not.
For me, my story was told the moment I put on my first skirt, The Kelly Yellow! I automatically knew that this article of clothing was something special and I wanted to share the feeling I got when I put it on and started twirling around with everyone!
Jessica also had a certain skirt in mind for her session, one that wasn’t in my closet. She found a black, floral skirt off of Amazon and wore that to her session. It just happened that my new, hunter green skirt arrived in the mail the same day and guess who LOVED that color?!? She did!! She was able to start in her black skirt, and, using it as a metaphor for her journey, she changed into the green skirt!
Meeting and working with Jessica opened my eyes even further as to why I want to keep doing these ELAN Sessions! Jessica opened up to me about life! I was not only able to take some really fun pictures for her, but was able to connect with her and ultimately make a friend! I am so thankful that she came to me, having such an impactful story and reasoning behind why she wanted this shoot – I was honored to capture this special time for her!
She deserved to be reminded of how beautiful she is! She deserved to treat herself and celebrate her accomplishments! She deserved to twirl around in a pretty skirt and feel confident in her own skin.
Find out more about Jessica’s story…
“The skirt project, to me, is about acceptance. Accepting the decisions I’ve made for my health and well-being. However, most importantly, it was about accepting myself. At a time when the world was chaotic, I was able to reflect on my life and decided I wanted to be fully present in every moment. I quit drinking, established a healthy diet, and started exercising again. I chose to wear a black floral skirt but I was so excited when Amanda pulled out a hunter green skirt and asked if I’d wear it. I said of course! The deep green represents growth, renewal, and rebirth. It’s also my favorite color and totally sums up the past year. There is never a wrong time to look at your life and better yourself. I’ve never been more confident and comfortable in my own skin. I’ve also suffered from a chronic inflammatory disease for most of my life and since these lifestyle changes, I’ve conquered most of my symptoms, lost weight, and I’ve never felt better!
This photo shoot embodied these changes. Amanda was welcoming, down-to-earth, and was even more excited to hear about my journey and it made it all worth it! Considering I had just met her she was so excited and happy for me which made this experience so much more amazing! When I put on that green skirt I felt so beautiful and proud of myself! Women supporting women is such an important thing! That’s what her project is all about and I felt it in every picture she captured. Her energy was awesome and made me feel so comfortable! While I usually feel out of place I was exactly where I needed to be that evening! Thank you for meeting me as I am and capturing my internal and external growth!” – Jessica
Thank you Jessica for not only allowing me to capture this moment for you, but for sharing your story!!
If you are interested in being a part of #theskirtproject, or want to learn more about the movement, click here.
Ugh! How beautiful!! <3
If you are interested in being a part of #theskirtproject, or want to learn more about the movement, click here.
