Traveling Dress Collective
One of the many things that I am so thankful for after achieving Click Pro Master is the fact that I get to collaborate with other amazing artists and Click Pro Masters from across the globe.
Shortly after being accepted into the organization, an opportunity arose to be a part of The Traveling Dress Collective. I had seen projects like this on Instagram before - a group of artists would each use the same exact dress, having it for a set period of time before mailing it along to the next artist, and would photograph it with their unique style and perspective. Then the images from each artist would be collectively posted. It was always so interesting to me to see how one dress could be photographed in so many different ways, and I was excited (and nervous) to be able to take part.
This time however, the vision had evolved and changed, so that artists no longer were confined to using just one dress amongst the group. Rather, artists were challenged to think beyond. And so, our group of artists formed, and we began to brainstorm how to approach this project, all in the middle of a pandemic, all experiencing the isolation and different hardships of 2020.
Through online communication, we ultimately settled on the use of a sheer or lace curtain - something we all had readily available. We encouraged each other, shared ideas, but never saw what was finally submitted until the entire collection was published to The Traveling Dress blog.
My approach to the project at first seemed disjointed to me, perhaps now more clear a reflection of the feelings I was experiencing at the time. One day I’d experience joy, appreciating the little blessings life while staying home and enjoying a slower pace. Other days I’d experience grief or despair, processing a death in the family with little opportunity to grieve in a normal way or to honor her by memorial service due to COVID restrictions. I experienced a broad range of emotions, and so likewise, the images I submitted also exhibit a vast range of emotion.
After waiting over a period of weeks, our group’s collection is published and I could not be more proud and humbled to be part of such a talented group of women. We titled our group “Isolation Creation” but in the end, I experienced not isolation but community. Not separation but teamwork. Yes, our images are vastly different from each other’s - that is the beauty of the project - but they are all part of a collaborative effort to say something with our art.
Please, check out the entire collection here, where you can also read more about my process working through this challenge, as well as the other artists’ process. They are: Kelly Brown, our fearless leader, Judith Krasinski, Kirsty Larmour and Melissa Richard. These women are insanely talented, and I am so honored to share this space with them.
Other images I took for the project but did not include in my final submission.
Even my husband helped! 😉
