In Their Own Skin: "A"
WELCOME TO THE “IN THEIR OWN SKIN” SERIES.
One of the biggest honors of my job as a boudoir photographer is hearing the stories clients share with me. While these stories are not mine to share on a public platform, I hold them close in my heart. They bring me inspiration, strength, and light in a way that only true humanity and vulnerability can.
I created the “In Their Own Skin” series to share some of these stories with you. The “In Their Own Skin” participants graciously consented to share their stories (told in their own words) alongside their boudoir pictures. My sincere hope is that these stories and pictures will bring you moments of strength, uplift your soul, and encourage you to keep moving forward, especially as we navigate these challenging times.
I am so excited to introduce you to “A” today! “A” tells her story of changing careers and the accompanying challenges in a sincere, self-reflective way. She also speaks about the importance of being goofy! Here are her words.
“My name is “A.” I am 31, I’m pretty sure (the age where you start to lose count!). I’m from Minneapolis and I work in public service. I love to sing -- I’m in this feminist, rock-n-roll choir. We do all kinds of alternative, rock, and folk music.”
“I’d get to be a small part of that.”
“I think I’ve evolved and changed the most I ever have in my life in the past three-ish years. I completely changed careers and went from working in medical education and administration into going to grad school and then having a pretty intense job in public service.
“I finally felt like I had a job that lined up with my values and goals after spending ten years in an office where I wasn’t fully utilized or living up to my potential. And all of a sudden, things were flipped on their head and I felt extremely stretched. While I was previously in a safe job where I felt very in control and like an expert, I moved into an incredibly unpredictable job where I felt like an imposter -- but it was the field I wanted to be in.
“I just wanted to be a wallflower and I was scared to speak up for the first time in my life because I had serious imposter syndrome. I thought everyone around me knew more than I did, and that I’d snuck into this place somehow (even though I went to grad school for it!).
“The nature of my job for the first year or two involved helping people in really distressing situations. All of a sudden, I’d need to be very present, very compassionate, and very quick and strategic and thoughtful. It was a very high pressure job because sometimes I’d feel like a person’s only hope. But I’d also see really beautiful moments of people looking out for each other and for their neighbors, finding their ways out of tough situations -- and I’d get to be a small part of that.”
“I still haven’t processed what it means to be a part of actually helping to change things for the better through public service. It’s been really rewarding, but a lot of the time, especially lately after the pandemic and the unrest, it’s been absolutely draining.
“I’m seeing myself simultaneously feeling like, holy crap, I’ve grown so much, I’ve learned so much, I’ve become so much more resilient! I have deep, meaningful relationships with the people in this work with me. And I’m also holding that I feel completely burnt out, exhausted, over my head, terrified… like I’ve lost my voice. When I think about how I’ve changed, I think about a big whirlpool of holding contradictory things.
“I know I’m going to need to do some processing and some work when I get a little space, because it’s traumatic a lot of the time, too. It’s worth it, but I’m now at the point where I need another change; I can’t keep going in this way. We’ll see what happens next.”
“I just like being silly… it keeps me feeling more alive.”
“I love my goofiness, and I love my ass! I have a great derriere, I’m a big fan.
“I think goofiness is something that I really admire in other people, like my family members and my partner. And it’s this wonderful thing where once I can be goofy, even if I’m feeling really down, it’s an instant reminder or perspective check. There’s always time to be weird, and there’s always an opportunity to be goofy, even in the most stressful of times.
“I just like being silly. Instead of feeling bogged down by everything I could be bogged down with, it keeps me feeling more alive.”
“A,” it was such a joy to work together. You are so intentional and thoughtful in how you approach your life. It was super inspiring to hear about your journey to a career that fulfills you and your honesty about the challenges you’ve encountered along the way. Thank you so much for sharing your story and portraits with us -- I so appreciate all that you do for our community!