I used to think that having a child would be the death of me.
In a way, it was.
Read MoreMy daughter was the death of the weakest parts of me and the birth of the strongest
family
Why Mom is the most important person in the photograph
in family
“In another world, my mother does not become a mother. She doesn't meet my dad or at the very least, she never falls in love with him. Instead, she goes to a college out of state and pursues her dream of becoming a nurse and she travels the world in her free time, taking photos in france and trying new foods in tokyo and maybe she adopts a dog, a four year old golden retriever named Sparky who sees the world with her and she never has to wonder about what if's in life because she is too busy living it. In another world, I do not exist, but my mother gets to live, not just survive.” — Mae Setrova
Read MoreSurrendering What "Could" Be In Motherhood
I've been fighting motherhood since Maeve was born. I have a hard time letting go of control. There is something so hard about surrendering your thought of how parenthood "would" be.
But, the other side has been incredibly beautiful.
It's not Maeve's responsibility to inspire my growth, but she has just by her sheer existence. I'm facing hard truths about myself and areas I need to stretch and improve upon. This is the work I should have been putting in long before I had a child, simply to become a better person. But, I wasn't. She pushes me to see my areas of weakness and make them into the strongest parts of me.
I never realized how resilient I can be until the process of becoming pregnant and everything that has followed.
She's also made me the best version of an artist to date. I've always served mothers, but now it goes much deeper. The way I can empathize and strive to give them an experience that will mean more as the years go by. This time in our lives is all about survival and my mission is to give mothers a few moments of breath...a few moments of letting go of control and expectations.
"I feel there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people: - Van Gogh
Where Is My Village | Postpartum Depression
When there were villages was postpartum depression as prevalent? We feel we have to preface every complaint with, “I love my child, BUT…” It’s out of fear of judgement, or hell, fear of saying how hard this is out loud and admitting that we don’t know how or when it will get better. We weren’t designed to live this way. Maeve was designed to have many sisters and brothers, in a village. My husband and I were designed to have others around us who told the same stories and helped us look after our little love. I don’t know the solution, but I write all of this because I don’t know where else to put it at times. I write all of this because I know we could fill so many villages full of people who are out there, crying, because they don’t have a village.
Read MoreThe Breakers Palm Beach Family Session Turned Into Legacy Wall Art
The first photograph is my client's wall after installation.
The second photograph is what I designed in my software.
My client said to me, "It's rare that you see something that is exactly how it looked from conception and you did that for us."
That is a magical feeling.
I'm really proud of this one. I'm most proud because of the text I received last night, from said client, "Shannon, our house feels like a home. Thank you, thank you."
I'm an artist and a big part of me is a narcissist at heart. I love the feeling I get when someone "likes" one of my photographs on social media. But, the truth is that it's so fleeting. After I post the photo, and it is liked by others, it is soon forgotten. These photographs will not be forgotten. They will live on in my client's home. Every day, when they walk downstairs, this is the first thing they will see. Sloan, their daughter, will see how much she was/is loved.
This is why I do it. The love this family will see for each other, every single day, that is my why.
