It is possible
to have children
and no descendants.
My friend Jimmie taught me the term "disenfranchised grief" earlier this year. It signals a loss that is not perceived legitimately by society. My experience with disenfranchised grief comes in two forms: First, in saying goodbye to my foster kids, and Second, in letting go of the desire to be a mother in a permanent way.
However you have experienced disenfranchised grief, I want you to know that I'm dedicated to creating work that legitimizes your experience, especially in my forthcoming series that I'm beginning work on soon.
//
"Fallen Fruit" self-portrait October 2022
Inspired by the phrase "fruit of my loins", and further questioning what life looks like without.
Tags: conceptual image fine art photography disenfranchised grief raspberries self portrait
© All Rights Reserved
I've been terribly negligent with my Flickr account, so I'm finally getting caught up on uploading some of my favorites from the last year+!
Tags: fine art photography brooke shaden sonyalpha conceptual bones elk death grief
© All Rights Reserved
I've been terribly negligent with my Flickr account, so I'm finally getting caught up on uploading some of my favorites from the last year+!
Tags: fine art photography surrealism birds nest home foster care grief emptiness
© All Rights Reserved
I've been terribly negligent with my Flickr account, so I'm finally getting caught up on uploading some of my favorites from the last year+!
© All Rights Reserved
It has been 2 weeks since my foster son River left me after 10 months together, and each day it is a little easier to breathe. But every moment of levity, every laugh or bit of joy, comes at the price of suffocating guilt. Every small happiness is a moment I'm not actively mourning him, and those moments feel like little betrayals.
How do you move forward after loss?
For me, it's the knowledge that I don't honor anyone with my guilt. I cannot live my life in service to unhappiness.
So each day I laugh. Each day I find a small joy that overrides some pain, and I let myself feel worthy of that joy...Worthy of the pain, too, because I was worthy of the love that caused it.
Tags: rainbow grief foster care fine art photography conceptual photography surrealism compositing self portrait umbrella watercolor paint mixed media
© All Rights Reserved