The Composite Project

You remember that thing I was really excited about a week ago? Well, it's finally here.

This is The Composite Project. It is, simply put, a bunch of pictures of things you like. Although I guess the simply-put version isn't particularly useful. So a story instead!

This was inspired by a couple of things, truth be told. First off, I'd been having a bad few body image days. We all do, it's human nature, or something like that. I'd written up a love letter to my body, and in it was a list of the things I absolutely loved about my physical body. I'd come up with the idea between writing the post and putting it up, and I went to Casey the second it hit me.

She was very, very enthusiastic about the project I proposed it to her. Her message had caps and mis-typed punctuation—that's how you know someone's stoked about something. But she immediately volunteered to be the photographer.

Finally, yesterday, we were able to hang out. After watching Star Wars and eating cereal, she grabbed up her camera and we went outside to shoot. The photos turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself, and I am so grateful for her enthusiasm and faith in the project.

So here's what the project actually is. It's about pieces of the whole, sort of. You write out a list of the things you love about your body and you take pictures of them. Simple, right? Except sometimes, it can be really difficult to accept those things surrounding the parts you love. There was a breakout on my chin when Casey took the pictures, and I wasn't at all pleased with my bra straps showing, but then, when I finally got to see what I loved and at such a different angle—it was something else entirely.

To have a photo shoot devoted entirely to the most ridiculous little parts of your body that you love just feels amazing, even if it's weird to have your best friend say, "Okay, left forearm!"

Enough chattering from me, here's my list, and here are my photos.

Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go out and write out a list of what you love about your body. You don't have to justify it, you don't have to have a special story behind it, you just have to love it. After that, you can take photos if you want. You don't need a photographer best friend, you don't have to be all dressed up, nothing like that. Take cell phone pictures in your pajamas. I don't care. Make blog posts. Tag your photos on Instagram and tumblr (which will soon be seeing my own photos, don't you worry). Tell your best friend who's a size three to join you. Ask your ten-year-old cousin to do it too.

But most of all, realise that if you love this much of your body, how can you possibly hate it?

Sappy though this is, the real moral to this project is: If all these things are beautiful, then you are to! Yeah! Rainbows and unicorns and high-fives all around!

If you do a blog entry, please put the link to it in the comments here! You can also submit to my tumblr. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!