I’ve been chatting with so many of my boudoir clients about the emotions that go with the Blush & Tease Experience. It is so much fun to break down every part of it, but also it leaves me wondering how many babes get stuck on the negative feels and don’t have the courage to keep going to get to the good stuff.
When I asked the ladies in my private Facebook group (go join if you haven’t!) which emotions stood out to them during their experience they said things like nervous, intimidated, anxious, self conscious. Well, THAT line up of emotions doesn’t make you want to commit…haha! BUT when they pushed through all of those they ended up in a very different place. Feeling comfortable, confident, free, powerful, seen and in total awe! All of these words from my clients remind me how much I love what I do. If you’re reading this and you’re stuck on your fears and negative thoughts, I want to explain why it is totally worth it to push through to the other side.
“She was afraid of heights, but she was much more afraid of never flying.” -atticus
In this conversation about emotions, one of my clients used the word “THRILLING” and it reminded me that the Blush & Tease Experience really is like a roller coaster. I mean, you step on and might immediately wonder if you made the right choice, you strap in and maybe think you can’t possibly handle it, a weird turn might make you question what’s up ahead, and overall you wonder how you’ll feel when the ride is over.
So, let me invite you on a little blog journey through these emotions, we will call this the intro. I want to explain all of the feels of this experience, piece by piece. And invite you into this space.
A few things I need you to know…
You don’t have to like roller coasters ha! Although it feels like an amusement park for your emotions, this experience won’t make your head feel like it’s going to explode or make you nauseous (well, depending on how nerves show up for you).
This experience is for EVERY woman. You don’t have to be in a relationship, at your ideal weight, as pretty as your cousin. I could go on and on here. Just know, if you want to see yourself like this, you just have to trust me, be vulnerable and commit to the process.
But I couldn’t end a boudoir blog without some gorgeous photos, right?
When I started thinking up this blog all about the emotional roller coaster of the Blush & Tease experience, I knew exactly which session I wanted to pair it with. I met this babe early last year as she was coming out of a longggg relationship. I remember sitting across from her at her planning meeting hearing her say how nervous she was. In her eyes I saw fear, I could tell she was so shy, but louder than all of that, I knew she wanted more. So as she explained to me how she wanted to feel during her shoot she used the word BRAVE. “Take up space. Don’t be small.” My heart was so excited to watch how powerful the next steps were going to be for her. AND THEY WERE! She surprised herself with outfit choices, she showed up for herself and made herself proud and she CAME TO LIFE in my studio!
About a year later we were ready to have another session in the studio and some things weren’t lining up and it felt like the timing might be off. She said she had been feeling down and was not really feeling like doing it at all so we started to brainstorm a bit. That’s when I invited her to do an urban boudoir shoot with me. Ha! Imagine! This shy babe shooting downtown! I knew it was completely out of her comfort zone, but in my own life I’m learning to choose courage over comfort so I thought I would offer that to her as well. AND WE MADE MAGIC!
Dream team of the day: Makeup by Heather B. & Jamie Lyn Hair Design
Although she was doubting the timing of the shoot, was unsure how to pull outfits together, showed up to the studio with crazy nerves, she pushed through because she knew what was going to be on the other side.
I know that doing a boudoir shoot takes vulnerability. As a photographer I’m asking you to show some skin in front of a camera and that can be ___________ (I’m going to let you insert your feelings here). Then as you understand the Blush & Tease Experience you realize that I’m asking you to take it a step further and show me your heart. I ask what you want to see in yourself. We talk about how impossible it seems to find sometimes. This is even harder work than talking about our bodies! But the work is necessary to reap the benefits. The babes you see in my photos are on a journey to find self love…not just see a sexy photo of themselves. And that is so powerful.
And then asking this babe to adventure downtown with me added a whole new element. I mean, we aren’t in the controlled, PRIVATE environment of the studio. We have no idea what we will find or what we will run into. We can’t control the light or the backdrops. And yet, as we let go of control and just show up, we learn to trust ourselves. And that is worth the risk.
To my past clients who are reading along remembering their experience, thank you for trusting the process and getting on the ride. I hope that I do your emotions justice as I tell your stories! And chime in, leave comments! We would love to hear from you!
To my readers who have been on the fence and are deciding if this experience is for them, I can’t wait take you on a little tour of feels! And just know that all of the emotions (good and bad) are worth it. The way you learn to love yourself through this process is incredible.
And to this babe who let me take her on an urban adventure AND post her photos…thank you for always trusting me. You are powerful and brave and absolutely breathtaking. I feel lucky to have you (I mean, since we are long lost cousins, you’re OBVIOUSLY never getting rid of me)!
