The Motherhood Project
Writing about The Motherhood Project is probably the hardest post I’ve ever had to write. Not because it’s bad news, but because it’s an extremely vulnerable post and I’m passionate about why I do this. Pouring my heart and soul into photography for the past 20 years, creating this 14-year-old business and freezing your most cherished memories has been an incredible blessing for my family and me. With it, it also brings a lot of heartbreak.
It started last year, when one of my favorite Instagram accounts posted that they’d suddenly said goodbye to their 12-year-old daughter. A daughter the same age as Emi at the time. It was a frightening realization that a healthy young child could suddenly be taken from us, without a single symptom something was wrong. It reminded me of Emi’s whole story, and the nine months we spent with MRIs, neurologists and tests, only to have the cyst they were watching suddenly disappear. Those nine months I went through all the phases of grief, as a brand-new first-time mom, with no idea if I would still be holding my baby girl today. Thankfully, our prayer warriors came out tenfold and we survived many sleepless nights by the Grace of God.
This moment also triggered something in me that I’d worked very hard to suppress: Our moments are numbered. Growing up, that reality was so far ingrained, I would get upset or angry with a family member who left without a hug and kiss because it could be our last. It was a major point of contention in our marriage even, as Jake didn’t grow up with those same ideals. Even now, I still assume he’s mad at me when he rushes out the door late, thinking I’m still sleeping, without a kiss goodbye. (Disclaimer: He’s not, he’s just LATE!).
A Passion Project with a Twist
It’s a little-known fact that I photograph memorial services, but over the years I’ve had the pleasure of honoring the final Goodbyes of the most amazing people. People who’s services filled auditoriums, who’ve risked (and sometimes given) their lives for our country, and people who’ve left the deepest marks on our hearts. It’s been an incredible honor and makes this project so much more than just another “offer”.
Most of the time when our loved ones leave us, all we have left are photos and memories of them. Some of the more technology savvy people might save voicemails from their loved ones, and the crafty among us might make pillowcases from a loved one’s favorite shirt. But what if we could leave our kids with something more? Something a little different that allows them to relive the most everyday memory? Both of these questions, along with a request from a potential client, had me brainstorming and I came up with The Motherhood Project.
The Motherhood Project Ideas
Over the past year, I’ve been focused on creating videos on my cell phone for personal use. Capturing things that are normal, everyday to our family as a way to continually document the weird and funny things my kids do. While I’d toyed with professional video in the past, it wasn’t anything I was super excited to break into. Photography was hard enough… and the last thing I wanted to do was add more to my business-owning-homeschooling-mom plate. But we kept getting asked for it, and I decided this was a good time to jump.
I finally got the nerve to ask for people who might be interested in participating and found that it was a more popular thing than I imagined. I suddenly had to solidify this project and come up with an actual sample, instead of just flying by the seat of my pants. This brought me to a realization that I SHOULD do my own video as well. So, with my mom in tow, the kids and I set to work.
Trying to video yourself might be a bit easier than trying to photograph yourself. Although the videos aren’t exactly what I had in mind, the end result is more than I could have imagined. I have some ideas on how to perfect this, and I cannot wait to get started with our models.
Currently, The Motherhood Project is taking applications for models. There is a small fee to cover location costs (as we want privacy during the session), and some homework you’ll need to do before your video can be completed. Those interested may fill out the application below:
