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This is an excerpt from the I Am Project. Each woman is photographed nude and asked to author her own personal statement starting with “I am…“ and followed by one word that inspires her positively. For example, “I am courageous“. She is also asked to explain her statement and talk about how this project empowers her and why she wanted to be a part of it.
I am giving
(age 27 – Indiana)
For me “I am giving” is multifaceted. It is giving of your time , your possessions and yourself.
I have a favorite quote…
There are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.”
-Kahlil Gibran ~ from the book The Prophet
I am one of those that gives with joy and that joy is my reward.
Growing up in my family really showed me what being giving meant. My mother and my grandmother, who must have gotten it from my great-great grandmother, have always been the care takers and the providers. They have always shown me what it means to be there for those you love. To notice when you need to be there and why that’s important. We all need someone at some point. There is nothing like doing something and putting as smile on someone’s face. Whether they are having the best day of their life or the worst, to put a smile on a the face of a friend of family member is priceless.
This is definitely a worth while project to be involved in because we are all different. It’s a way to take a stand and prove to.. if anyone yourself, that you are OK with who you are. And getting naked is definitely a powerful statement. It’s who you really are, the naked you.
Women are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images from advertising every day, from all directions. We need to be reminded that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and colors.
One of the things that I have always been self-conscious about is my height. I will never be six foot tall and I have come to the conclusion that I need to accept it and be happy with it… and I am. I am also very pale. I will burn, peel and repeat for the rest of my life and I’m OK with that too. I always tell my mom that she is beautiful and she helped make me, so, gosh-darn it! I am beautiful!
So, I think showing that you can be happy with who you are is important.
You have to let go, it’s a nice way to embrace you.. everything that you are. It’s taking the good with the bad and realizing we all have qualities that we may not like but we all have lots of really good qualities too. There is no use in focusing on anything negative. You are who you are, have fun and smile!
