The sorrow and the joy of being who we are.
Even though I’ve lived in 4 different countries there is no rhythm and melody I like more than bossa nova. There’s a raw kind of poetry in bossa nova lyrics that I wish all of you reading this post could understand them. But even if Portuguese isn’t your forte, you can still enjoy flowing with its rhythms.
For those who aren't familiar with this Brazilian rhythm here's where you should start: Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Ney Matogrosso. Spotify will take care of taking you on a longer and delightful journey.
When I started my self discovery journey - as in developing my emotional intelligence, actively paying attention to my feelings and being my truest self for me and for others - I would constantly reminisce this one sentence of a song by Caetano Veloso at time of pain and loneliness: cada um sabe a dor e a delicia de ser o que é (in free translation: everyone knows the sorrow and the joy of being who they are).
This sentence alone would give me comfort in appreciating pain for the power it has to teach me something new, and in celebrating the resilience within me.
At times of ‘toxic positivity’ I surely don’t want to contribute to that and claim that we can always learn on pain and fear. Sometimes we can’t, sometimes it just hurts. And for those times, there’s always bossa nova.
The photos on this post is a celebration of the joy and the sorrow of an expat who is still finding her way into a new country - something I can certainly feel empathy for. Moving overseas means changing who you are, finding out a person you didn't know you were, starting from scratch, having to meet new people and also getting a blank canvas to re-start writing the story of you. There's a lot of pain and discovery in the process, and that is why it also has the ability to speed up our self development.
I met Dominique through facebook. I was looking for a subject to shoot in the beautiful backdrops of Utah on the 3 days I was spending there due to a last minute educational trip, and she was just looking for herself. We found each other and I hope I've helped her finding some other pieces she's been looking for.
My self-expression sessions are a beautiful way of celebrating this moment: regardless if there is more pain or sorrow at this moment in your life, it is about continuously showing up for yourself and finding love and home within you. At the end of the day we will always have ourselves to get back to, and I am all about documenting that.
If you read all the way here please comment with the best song that helps you on difficult times or keeps you going on the good days. I’m always searching for something new to my Spotify!
Obrigada,
F.