CLICK & COMPLETE
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
The seed for this project was first sown in Brazil when I was at the beginning of my photography journey. It's a vivid memory among ones of travel and adventure. I'm standing in the kitchen and listening to our Nanny/babysitter. She's upset and talking fast; my limited Portuguese is struggling to keep up. I'm missing the details, yet I understand her sorrow. She fights back the tears, and I listen. It's all I can give her at the moment. Later, I see our similar feelings of motherhood, yet our lives differ. We want the best for our children, and while it brings us immense joy, motherhood hurts. I imagine a book filled with motherhood stories from all over the world. I plant a seed, not knowing when or how I can create this book or use this idea.
We returned to Australia, and I started a series of motherhood portraits. And while I am proud of the work I created, I felt something was missing. I never voiced these thoughts, but there was a spark that I could not capture. I couldn't see it, yet I felt it. I decided to pause my project and waited for my skill to catch up to my creativity ( thankfully, she's patient). It's only now, years later, that I realised my mistake. Motherhood wasn't the star; she was a prop in the photo.
Recently, I googled "motherhood portraits". I wasn't surprised to see images of white mothers with one or two children. I then google "diverse portraits of motherhood", and the images portrayed mothers in villages, living in shacks or huts. As a Mum to 5, I often feel outside the norm and not seen. And I am guessing many others sit between these two parameters that also feel the same way. Sadly, so many motherhood stories are left untold.
This is a long and winding story. I needed to share all of it to get to the heart of this project. Like motherhood, it has many layers, and hopefully, this one will see the seed I planted in Brazil blossom into a beautiful garden.
PROJECT GOALS
to capture and tell diverse stories, including race, heritage, social, religion, family size, and relationships.
to create portraits where motherhood is the primary subject. She is the star, and the children are the props.
to use words and poems as threads to gather images together.
to curate a book about motherhood
to change the narrative about mothers only having 18 summers with their children
to connect with other mothers and share this motherhood journey
to connect with other Artists to tell motherhood stories.