*iNiNa* Tracey Christina Photography
*64* I am Beautiful
This was done for Amy Spanos, and the project that she is doing as described a little further down.
However I wanted to give you my explanation first for the shot.
I wanted to participate in this project because we all are beautiful in lots of different ways and beautiful is really what you want it to be.
I spent many many years hiding from my disease and not telling anyone, but as I have grown older I have come to terms with it, infact I have embraced it! I was diagnosed with an incurable bowel disease when I was 14. It took nearly 2 years to diagnose and lots of ridiculous and incorrect diagnosis along the way such as anorexia! I have Crohns Disease but I don't let it rule my life. I don't wake up each morning and say to myself 'Good morning, I have Crohns Disease'! I have a motto which is 'I have it - it doesn't have me'
I have had many abdominal surgeries for my disease and have scars not only on my stomach as you see here but scars on my neck from central lines from the many times in intensive care and many scars all over my hands and arms from cannulas particulary where they haven't been able to gain access to the vein because I have very small veins that are well hidden!
I've spent lots of my life in pain and in toilets! and I also have a lot of health problems as a result of my disease and the medications and operations that I have had to have. But inspite of all of this I have a lot to thank my disease for. If it wasn't for my disease I wouldn't make myself exercise, I wouldn't watch what I eat, I wouldn't make sure that I appreciate that health is such a gift! I haven't had surgery for 4 years now and this in itself is AMAZING! Long may this remission period last!!
Do I get stares in changing rooms - yes! Does it bother me - No! These scars that I bear are the a reminder of why I am alive today! I'll never have a flat tummy - no matter how many sit ups I do the muscles won't flatten as they have been cut so much they don't work now - infact I always joke that I have a 'front bum' because of the way the muscles now lie - hehe!!
The saddest thing though through all of this and the one thing I can't control is the suffering that I put my loved ones through when I have to have surgery. I wish I could take away the pain that they suffer when they have to see me that way - it breaks my heart.
Ok - enough from me about me - please read below from Amy:
"Whoever reads this, you're beautiful and someone out there is crazy about you. So smile. Life is too short to be unhappy.
Hello my name is Amy Spanos. I was asked to make a video for self-harm awareness day on the 1st of march, and I thought about what to do, and then decided where better to do it then here on flickr with the most creative, beautiful, inspiring minds out there. One in ten people have harmed by the age of sixteen and approximately three teenagers self injure every hour in the UK, mainly because they don’t feel like they’re enough. I want you to all know you are, you are all beautiful as you are, and you have something no one else ever can, and that’s you.
But instead of boring you all with more statistics I will tell you about the project. I started a project last year called The Around The World Project, where I found out loads of fun facts about your countries. But in this project I want to find out more about you, the people of flickr. I want your photos to represent you as people, if you’re silly wear a funny wig or glasses, if you’re crazy cover yourself in paint, if you love cats let your pets join you in your photo. I want it to represent your personality completely, be as crazy and imaginative as you like. Like the Around the world project, I would like written in the photo (on paper or on your body or wherever) the words ‘I am Beautiful’ because you all are so damn beautiful! :p Please try and get the photo added to the group by the 1st of March, which is when I will be making the video to bring people out there a little more confidence and hope for self harm awareness day, if you want to take part in the project but won’t be able to get a photo done by then you are still invited to add your photo in the group later on as I will leave it open! I guess all that is left to say now is have fun and i hope to find out more about you all!"
*64* I am Beautiful
This was done for Amy Spanos, and the project that she is doing as described a little further down.
However I wanted to give you my explanation first for the shot.
I wanted to participate in this project because we all are beautiful in lots of different ways and beautiful is really what you want it to be.
I spent many many years hiding from my disease and not telling anyone, but as I have grown older I have come to terms with it, infact I have embraced it! I was diagnosed with an incurable bowel disease when I was 14. It took nearly 2 years to diagnose and lots of ridiculous and incorrect diagnosis along the way such as anorexia! I have Crohns Disease but I don't let it rule my life. I don't wake up each morning and say to myself 'Good morning, I have Crohns Disease'! I have a motto which is 'I have it - it doesn't have me'
I have had many abdominal surgeries for my disease and have scars not only on my stomach as you see here but scars on my neck from central lines from the many times in intensive care and many scars all over my hands and arms from cannulas particulary where they haven't been able to gain access to the vein because I have very small veins that are well hidden!
I've spent lots of my life in pain and in toilets! and I also have a lot of health problems as a result of my disease and the medications and operations that I have had to have. But inspite of all of this I have a lot to thank my disease for. If it wasn't for my disease I wouldn't make myself exercise, I wouldn't watch what I eat, I wouldn't make sure that I appreciate that health is such a gift! I haven't had surgery for 4 years now and this in itself is AMAZING! Long may this remission period last!!
Do I get stares in changing rooms - yes! Does it bother me - No! These scars that I bear are the a reminder of why I am alive today! I'll never have a flat tummy - no matter how many sit ups I do the muscles won't flatten as they have been cut so much they don't work now - infact I always joke that I have a 'front bum' because of the way the muscles now lie - hehe!!
The saddest thing though through all of this and the one thing I can't control is the suffering that I put my loved ones through when I have to have surgery. I wish I could take away the pain that they suffer when they have to see me that way - it breaks my heart.
Ok - enough from me about me - please read below from Amy:
"Whoever reads this, you're beautiful and someone out there is crazy about you. So smile. Life is too short to be unhappy.
Hello my name is Amy Spanos. I was asked to make a video for self-harm awareness day on the 1st of march, and I thought about what to do, and then decided where better to do it then here on flickr with the most creative, beautiful, inspiring minds out there. One in ten people have harmed by the age of sixteen and approximately three teenagers self injure every hour in the UK, mainly because they don’t feel like they’re enough. I want you to all know you are, you are all beautiful as you are, and you have something no one else ever can, and that’s you.
But instead of boring you all with more statistics I will tell you about the project. I started a project last year called The Around The World Project, where I found out loads of fun facts about your countries. But in this project I want to find out more about you, the people of flickr. I want your photos to represent you as people, if you’re silly wear a funny wig or glasses, if you’re crazy cover yourself in paint, if you love cats let your pets join you in your photo. I want it to represent your personality completely, be as crazy and imaginative as you like. Like the Around the world project, I would like written in the photo (on paper or on your body or wherever) the words ‘I am Beautiful’ because you all are so damn beautiful! :p Please try and get the photo added to the group by the 1st of March, which is when I will be making the video to bring people out there a little more confidence and hope for self harm awareness day, if you want to take part in the project but won’t be able to get a photo done by then you are still invited to add your photo in the group later on as I will leave it open! I guess all that is left to say now is have fun and i hope to find out more about you all!"