Rising

The soul is irrepressible.
It cannot be lost. It cannot be held down. It cannot be broken.

This book features the photographs from my collection called Rising.

In it, I explore through words and visual art how the power of sexuality, creativity, and life always rise to the surface. No matter how harsh the conditions around us, no matter what hardships we have been through, no matter what oppression we face, our wildest selves will always rise, always prevail.

Get the full collection.

The hardback book includes all 21 photos from my collection, Rising. Each photograph is printed with the written description, which, when stitched together, read as a story.

It is, in part, the story of my own journey to find myself and the wildness within me after years of repressing my true self. It is the story of all women who face similar circumstances in this culture, navigating rules and mores that insist on controlling her sexual and creative expression. And it is the story of all living beings – humans of all genders, animals, the plant world. We have all found ourselves at the mercy of a system that tries to tame the wild soul, control the uncontrollable, and define what is not ours to define.

I feel it. The sense of expansion inside me. It is rising. It is moving me. I can feel myself unfurling. I want to stretch into this - to reach out and take up space. I want to spread my wings.

— Rising