In this photo, I thought I was being kidnapped. I went to Afghanistan solo. It turned into a road trip with the T@l !b@n . He asked me for a photo, I asked to hold his AK and I was shocked he said yes. Then I did something even crazier, maybe even reckless.I dropped my hijab. For me it was an act of freedom for all the women silenced.
I’ve sat with drug lords who survived Duterte’s massacre. I’ve listened to women in war zones pour out their hearts I’ve laughed,cried, and connected with them. I carry their stories with me. I have so many more examples.
Then I come back to LA where I’ve felt silenced because my stories are too intense for most, where parties feel shallow, masks are everywhere, girls are so fake & I’m quickly judged as “just a pretty girl.” What most don’t know is that my soul has been branded by truths too heavy for most to hear. So I stay quiet, play along but inside, I crave raw, real, conversations that awake up your soul.
I walk between worlds glimmer and war, light and darkness, truth and lies. And yes, it’s intense. But it’s me ,authenticity. Hopefully this picture stays this time.
Working with soft white underbelly has been life changing. Some of the images and stories might evoke judgment,I get that. But the biggest lesson I’ve learned from working with the channel is the power of acceptance. I’ve learned to embrace everyone..and in turn, I’ve been embraced back the good,bad & everything in between.
This journey has brought me face to face with every walk of life. I’ve stepped into jails to meet with murderers, treating them with humanity to earn their trust and hear their stories. I’ve traveled across the world, sitting with the Taliban, visiting rehabs, and hearing the journeys of ex-drug lords. It’s been filled with raw, unfiltered connection.
Mark runs a very small team, and I’m so grateful that he not only gave me the chance to share my story but also trusted me enough to send me out into the world to capture the stories of others. It’s a humbling reminder that when you show up as your authentic self, the world opens up in ways you never imagined.
Life lately🦋🩵1-6 was this past week in Ibiza. So much beauty! Even in all this beauty I had a lot of ups and downs. The last photos are from home in LA. I live such a beautiful life in California that I didn’t realize I’m so distracted from processing things and it wasn’t until I slowed down away from home ,when I was actually on vacation all the emotions I was avoiding finally had space to come in and for me to feel fully. Wow what a wonderful experience💛 also a reminder that not everything is always as it looks this goes for good and bad but isn’t that just another beautiful thing about life? Ahh feels proper for transitioning into fall🍃
Thrilled to have watched @shaninblake grow over the past decade! She just announced her next tour yeeww!! 🦋 I've also been surrounded by so much love lately, so I've shared a few other special moments in the next slides🦋
