Born This Way

"I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes. I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way."

Last weekend, four days before she got here, Becca and I got an idea into both of our heads for a Born This Way photoshoot involving the two of us, our dearest friend Andy, and a whole lot of black Sharpie permanent markers.

We'd been talking a lot lately about vulnerabilities and insecurities, and decided to base an entire photoshoot off of all the things we were subconsciously ashamed of or felt a guilty sort of pride about. And, seeing as we were spending one last day with Andy who (we thought) was shipping off to bootcamp in August for 9 months (He still is, just not in August. In November.), we decided to go out with a bang and do something really artsy and out there, and to make a lot of crazy memories while doing it. And we did.

Here's a few of the finished results.

As I look back on it, I feel a lot of mixed emotions. This was a really fun project to work on, making all the signs and choosing fonts that portrayed each character, each flaw beautifully and staging the pictures to accentuate the expression; I like to think it generated a lot of thought for each of us, a lot of which we vocalized and discussed together, but most of which we kept to ourselves. Pondering. Mulling. Weighing it all in our minds.

Some of the photos we took were very silly, very tongue-in-cheek, but on the other hand, some of them were really personal. We really put a lot of time into showcasing our vulnerabilities, and it was pretty intimidating.
Nobody likes to admit they're flawed. Nobody likes to embrace their insecurities and waltz around a public park with the words "Fat Bottom" or "Attention Whore" emblazoned across their chests.

But we did it, and I like to think we accomplished something wonderful in the name of art, here.

Because really, our imperfections are what make us beautiful. Flaws just add character.
Insecurities make us human.

Not to mention, it was an exceptional bonding experience because the three of us were basically naked in front of a crowd of people, only instead of wearing nothing but skin, we were wearing nothing but the truth.

And that is the most incredible part of all. The memories we made were fantastic, and I cherish them, and I have three of the signs hanging in my room right now. The rest are tucked away in my closet, to be looked at in future times of love and laughter and memories.

Although it was really sad that we all knew we weren't going to see each other for very much longer, we also know we're always going to be a part of each other's lives. I can't imagine my life without either of these two, and I'm blessed they're both just as out there and crazy as I am.
Because this is the kind of thing that people always talk about doing, but nobody ever does.
And yet, we did. And I'm thankful for that.

And for the memories.

I love you both.

Sending you all the love and chocolate chips in the world, whether you're headed to Boot Camp or Fashion College.

Thank God for your flaws because He truly makes no mistakes.

Xx,

Hannah