Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Spirit Portrait

me
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::breathe::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Writing this post is a good stretch for me. Stepping in front of the lens continues to be one of my challenges, but I've recently found some ease thanks to a new lovely friend.The kind of work I do necessitates having photos handy, so I decided to ask for help from someone I hoped would make the process easier. I scheduled a Spirit Portrait Session with Thea Coughlin. If I had only known, I would have done this years ago!

Thea has the power to quiet our inner critics and heal old self image wounds with her capacity for seeing. The spirit session we shared was far beyond anything I could have imagined.This past fall I was desperately in need of an updated bio photo for various new projects… including the book. I had seen gorgeous shots Thea had taken of other artists and hoped she could do for me what she did for them… but I had my doubts. I was exhausted and depleted after just giving my creative all to my book. I didn’t think a decent photo would be possible, but Thea worked a bit of magic into our shoot. She has a great knowledge of  how to illuminate with light and lenses, but her true gift is the ability to first create a safe haven for your soul. She was then able to coax out my true self… my best self. The result was so much more than a great shot or a flattering picture. She photographed that part of me I always hope to share. A significant transformation was set into motion that day and continued when I first saw the images she had captured. It’s as if Thea can see who you are and where you’re headed. I felt like she was shooting my future self as well as the me that was sitting by the lake that day.
Picnik collage
I'm so used to taking pictures of what I do... or how I do it. Having photographs of who I am is powerful. I am forever grateful to Thea for her sensitivity,  for  her ability to truly see, and especially for helping me to grow into my next phase of work and self. I'm excited to share her with all of you... she travels, so don't hesitate to connect with her if you are wanting your own Spirit Portrait Session. And guess what? Thea will be teaching and sharing her gifts at Squam this Spring and Fall! You can read about her class right here. Just something for you to consider as you make decisions about what you want for yourself in this new year.
************
Pin It

24 comments:

  1. It was such an honor to photograph you Maya. Our time together was special to me.xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful! You and the photos. :) How wonderful to have found someone that could make you feel confident and relaxed for the photos you need. Bravo!

    Happy New year, Maya!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful Maya, the real you comes through! Thea is quite amazing and her dazzling smile is a window to her soul too! xox Corrine

    ReplyDelete
  4. she captured that sublime spark, strength, beauty, sense of humor and humility that I saw in you when we met.
    much love for 2012 maya.

    ReplyDelete
  5. and you look radiant, beautiful and relaxed in every image!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Being photographed has always been a challenge for me also, Maya. I have actually been thinking lately of trying to take more self portraits to see if I can push pass the boundaries I hold up as soon as a camera is pointed in my direction. Thea's photos of you are beautiful. You are beautiful and I love the words you used to describe the process.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Do I recognize one of those from the squam teacher bio section? It was striking when I saw it there, too. I don't have many photos of myself I really love--not taken recently anyway--I think it's something I struggle with as a mother. I'm almost always the one holding the camera!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've heard it said that pictures someone takes of you are how they see you...so this Thea sees you gorgeous!

    These are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh my goodness, Maya! They are just beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Her images capture what I envisioned in my mind's eye when I think of you - beautiful, contemplative, joyful. It's all there!

    ReplyDelete
  11. In these photos I see the side of you that likes to giggle and cut loose every so often...! ;o)
    xoxo
    ~ joey ~

    ReplyDelete
  12. THANK YOU!! Your words make me feel even braver! I'm so lucky to have such good friends!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh Maya, these are such lovely photographs! Thea you are amazing and Maya you are beautiful...hooray!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't know you in real life, but after looking at these beautiful photos, I feel like YOU shine right through them. What a good friend Thea is to be able to do this.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Such fun pictures - you look beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful. I, too, understand the challenge. Thank you for your honesty, it helps us all with our own struggles.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Maya, you look stunning. Thea really captured your essence. Really quite lovely. xo

    ReplyDelete
  18. these photos are beautiful. you are beautiful inside and out! best wishes for a wonderful new year!

    ReplyDelete
  19. i was just reading about thea's squam class the other day...

    her photos of you here are beautiful. what a gift to have shared this experience with thea.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi! Just wanted to thank you for your blog posts. I've enjoyed reading for a while now. I'm unsubscribing you in my reader today, though, because I just don't have time to click through to every blog and you are only giving a snippet in your feed now so there isn't really anything for me to see. I know it is a decision that each blogger has to make. I just thought I should let you know. Feedback is always a good thing, right? Good luck with your new book and future endeavors.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow. What stunning images. You look amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gorgeous photos! These are really beautiful. Wish I got to go to Squam and take a class from her!
    x Katherine

    ReplyDelete
  23. Such great pictures! Really beautiful

    ReplyDelete