Be You 2018

   

So we are bringing back our Be You project this year and I'm going to do my very best to explain it here.  Oh wait, every time I attempted to do that the first time around, a couple of years ago, it kept changing!  Let's face it some things just can't be defined because they are just supposed to BE!  They are to be whatever each individual wants it to be.  

This Be You project works the same way.  We want to help people create their statement about how it is alright for them to be exactly who they are.  My favorite quote that came about in the office as we started making plans for this project was "Be you, but be the more fantastical version of you. The version that you would like to be, but the one that's harder to achieve everyday in real life."  I loved that statement so much from our meeting that I actually wrote it down.  Something about it made so much sense to me, something about it helped me decide what I wanted to do for the very first photo.  No I didn’t set myself on fire!  I live in the desert and that is just a way bad idea!  I wanted to create the photo that would hopefully help define this whole project though.

Everyday we hear that we should do this, or we shouldn't do that.  Every day we traverse a world that is filled with people who are ready to point out our shortcomings, faults, and frailties. We judge ourselves by standards that are set by...well who even knows who, and we beat ourselves down.  We beat ourselves down and therefore allow those in the world who seem to enjoy that downfall to get their voices stuck in our heads.  I want to shred that cycle apart and burn it up!  How awesome would it be to figure out a way to do that for the whole world, although I'm not really sure just how to accomplish that just yet.  I do know that in my small area of the world, I can try to do something and that is why we return with the Be You project this year.  

So what is it?  What does it all mean?  Well, what does Be You mean to you?  It all boils down to you and what you want to create for your statement.  Mine is I want set the world on fire with a desire to create and just be different from one another without fear.  To not listen to all those voices that have collected in my mind telling me that I'm not good enough, that no one understands my work or that I should stick to what I'm good at.  That if I'm not willing to do everything, that I won't be successful at anything, but oh let's not forget that there is a list of things that I shouldn't do also.  If it were possible for me to insert any eye roll right now I'm pretty sure there would be several.  

This isn't going to sound like something a lot of people are going to be interested in doing, and that is alright.  It doesn't have to be something for everyone.  However, if you have found yourself giving thought to what Be You means to you.  If you have been trying to figure out what your statement would be that you would want to make.  Then this project might just be something that you want to be a part of.  Now let’s lay out the ground rules for this.

The Be You 2018 is a project for Angelstorms Photography LLC.  If you want to be a part of the project you must be over the age of 18 and willing to sign a release of photo usage rights.  Our goal is to share the photos that get taken during the course of this project on our social media platforms and website.  Once the photos are ready you will get digital copies of the ones that have been edited.  This is open to ANYONE!  While yes we realize that there are probably more women that will have the thought of being a part of this project, men are welcome to be a part of it also because we all battle with the whole thing of being who we are.

What this isn't.  It is not an offer for getting the whole family together and getting family portraits done for free.  It is not something that I need to build my portfolio so I'm doing free photos.  I have years worth of portfolio and add to it when I feel I need to.  This is a project about creating a statement photo for people who feel they are wanting to say out loud or even just silently to themselves that they are perfect just how they are, and that are done trying to be someone or something that they aren't.  They just want to be them!   

I look forward to what this project can become and all the design and ideas I get to create. This is not just a Be You Project for you, it’s a Be You Project for me to show me what I’m capable of and how I can express and capture someone’s love for life and for themselves. To spread confidence and joy throughout my part of the world.