2011 was a rough year for me. I actually started therapy this year due to 2011. I never thought I would be a person to ever need therapy, but I’m glad I made the decision to start. On January 2nd 2011 I lost my Grandfather, Ira Whitley. On January 27th 2011 I lost my Grandmother, Dorothy Naville. Between April 22nd and May 1st of 2011 I almost lost my mother to Budd Chiari Syndrome. And on December 8th 2011 my dog Brew of 11 years died. This year was the first time I ever had to deal with death so close to me, and it was a lot at one time. I found myself crying everyday and it was hard for me to handle. In that time, June 17th 2011 I graduated from the Art Institute of Tennessee Nashville with a Bachelor in Photographic Imaging. But I just realized today that I had not picked up my camera more then 2 times since I graduated. I learn today in therapy that I really need to get back to being myself and loving the things I love again. So I plan to type out how I’m feeling and attach a photograph explaining myself as much as possible. When I started therapy I realized how much I hate to cry, and I shouldn’t hate to cry, it’s a normal, human thing to do. But in my eyes crying has always been a sign of weakness. So since I was twelve I have been bottling up my feelings and refusing to cry. Now that I have done that, since so much happened this year, I can’t seem to stop. So I am teaching myself how to grieve properly and tell myself its ok to cry. Crying to me makes me feel naked and that people can really see me the way I don’t want to be seen. I’m learning its ok to let a little bit of skin show, little by little. So I photographed myself this way expressing how crying makes me feel to others and in the processes teaching myself that its ok to let people see me this way. Ah, therapy.

2011 was a rough year for me. I actually started therapy this year due to 2011. I never thought I would be a person to ever need therapy, but I’m glad I made the decision to start.

On January 2nd 2011 I lost my Grandfather, Ira Whitley.

On January 27th 2011 I lost my Grandmother, Dorothy Naville.

Between April 22nd and May 1st of 2011 I almost lost my mother to Budd Chiari Syndrome.

And on December 8th 2011 my dog Brew of 11 years died.

This year was the first time I ever had to deal with death so close to me, and it was a lot at one time. I found myself crying everyday and it was hard for me to handle.

In that time, June 17th 2011 I graduated from the Art Institute of Tennessee Nashville with a Bachelor in Photographic Imaging. But I just realized today that I had not picked up my camera more then 2 times since I graduated.

I learn today in therapy that I really need to get back to being myself and loving the things I love again. So I plan to type out how I’m feeling and attach a photograph explaining myself as much as possible.

When I started therapy I realized how much I hate to cry, and I shouldn’t hate to cry, it’s a normal, human thing to do. But in my eyes crying has always been a sign of weakness. So since I was twelve I have been bottling up my feelings and refusing to cry. Now that I have done that, since so much happened this year, I can’t seem to stop. So I am teaching myself how to grieve properly and tell myself its ok to cry. Crying to me makes me feel naked and that people can really see me the way I don’t want to be seen. I’m learning its ok to let a little bit of skin show, little by little. So I photographed myself this way expressing how crying makes me feel to others and in the processes teaching myself that its ok to let people see me this way. Ah, therapy.