The Creative Confessional was created with the intention of building a physical space for artists to enter and discuss how to move their creative project forward. I was naive to think that’s all it would be.
The inaugural set-up for the Creative Confessional at Witching Hour 2017 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Because what I quickly learned is that it’s not an artist thing. It’s a human thing. Having the ability to share is incredibly powerful. Engaging in a moment where all that’s expected of you is to be honest, is rarer than I thought. And capturing that moment in time is rarer yet.
What would you confess if you knew you had a safe space to share? What would acknowledge in an effort to let it go? What would you share if you knew saying it out loud would be the first step in actualization?
I’ve let the perceived judgement of others inhibit me from doing what I knew was right.
I’ve let me fear of confrontation paralyze me from realizing my potential. For years.
I’ve said no when I desperately wanted to say yes. And vice versa.
I know what I’m meant to do with this life. After 39 years, I’m ready to live that life fully.
The Creative Confessional has evolved into a photographic philosophy for how I capture portraits. While sometimes it’s in a clear bubble, like seen above, it’s more so a way of life. I’m not interested in the curated and well-polished portrait (there’s another shoot for that). I’m interested in engaging you in a way that allows for the arc of conversation — moving past the talk of weather, shifting beyond the back-and-forth of your career and moving into that rich territory of real-life stuff. What will you create? What will you let go? What no longer serves you? What does stepping into your purpose really look like? Because in that moment, I see it. And I capture it. And it looks good on you.