Harmony
Digital Drawing
Femessence Series – Vulva Art for radical self acceptance
2021
A collective journey of radical self acceptance, worth & opportunity to receive adoration.
My intention for this series of work is for increased embodiment and spiritual awareness. It’s an opportunity for women to see, appreciate, accept, and approve of themselves, and realise their power and ability to create (magic, life, relationships, art).
Whilst the subject matter has evoked reactions and conversations around culture, gender specific values, experiences and opinions, this is not intended to be political or gendered. More of a self appreciation and acknowledgement of the spiritual and creative power of the feminine essence. Hence – “Femessence”
Acknowledging women’s sacred space and building a relationship with our bodies is a process which can bring you back into alignment and understanding. Simply, I believe we are created to create. By acknowledging our creative centres and power as females, this is a step towards creating the life we desire.
The artwork created is not mine; it’s the beauty of others represented on paper. It was a co-creation and I thank and appreciate every one of the participants in this series; for their grace, beauty, vulnerability and bravery.
As an arts therapist it’s not about the end piece entirely, it’s about the process of making the art and the beauty of the journey behind the piece – from the photography, to the conversations, to the displaying of the final pieces and emotions that occur, and the gifts that are exchanged after the work is “complete”. It’s a forever evolving experience – the start of a new intersubjective relationship.
Thank you to all for joining the experience and being a part of the creative process.
Age: 25
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Have you given birth vaginally?: No
Model’s Testimony:
For a girl, growing up and into yourself is never easy. In fact, the playground is where you learn most about the most intimate and sacred parts of yourself. From the countless whispers of boys to the magazines thrown around by girls, we grow up expecting to be like what we hear we SHOULD be like. And, when we realise that we don’t fit into this one-size-fits-all outfit, we criticise, pick at, and alter ourselves until we come to understand that those standards were never real in the first place.
Just like my youth, going on this journey was challenging. It asked me to face the most vulnerable part of myself, and see all the ways in which I’d been judging something that, I now see, is pure magic.
After so many years of believing that something was wrong with me, and that I was an anomaly, I now see that we are all incredibly unique. And, in fact, NO ONE fits into that one-size-fits-all outfit that was so forcefully thrust upon us as young, impressionable girls.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Caris. For helping me to find a new sense of love and appreciation for a space that is SO sacred.