When Art Becomes a Love Letter to Self
What to expect
A deeply personal reflection on the transformative power of being witnessed through art, featuring a stunning poem written by a client, Ms. Terra Nova, about her intimate portrait experience.
TL;DR
My client Terra Nova wrote a poem about her portrait session with me, and it perfectly captures what happens when we allow ourselves to be truly seen. This isn’t about me or my photography, it’s about the magic that unfolds when someone gives themselves permission to be witnessed, to be held, to be immortalized exactly as they are. Her words paired with her portraits are a reminder that sometimes the most radical act of self-love is letting yourself be seen.
The Instagram Notification That Made Me Cry
This week I was added as a collaborator to an Instagram post. When I opened the post, I found myself staring at the intimate portraits I’d created for Terra Nova last February, overlaid with her words.
A poem. A love letter to herself. And honestly? Tears slowly moved down my face.
This Is What Being Witnessed Looks Like
Terra’s words, paired with the images we created together… wow hit me right in the feels.
Powerful doesn’t even scratch the surface.
This is what happens when someone steps into the sacred space of being photographed, not for Instagram,
not for anyone else’s gaze, but for themselves.
This is the alchemy of being witnessed and then seeing yourself reflected back as art.
Why This Matters (And Why I’m Sharing It)
As an artist, I’ve always been obsessed with emotional depth. I don’t just want pretty pictures, I want to create mirrors. I want people to see themselves the way I see them: raw, whole, magnificent.
When I first read Terra’s review of her session (which I’m sharing below, these are the actual images she posted on instagram with the text overlays as she created them), I knew something profound had shifted for her.
But this poem? This took it to another level entirely.
It’s vulnerable. It’s honest. It’s a woman meeting herself on the page and deciding she’s worth celebrating.
My mama artist heart was screaming: YES YES YES THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE.
The Unfolding Is Different for Everyone
Here’s what I want you to understand: everyone’s experience of being photographed by me is wildly different.
Some people cry. Some people laugh until their face hurts. Some people are quiet and contemplative. Some people leave the session and don’t fully feel it until they see the images weeks later.
But what they all have in common?
They take time to connect with themselves. To unfold. To explore what lies beneath the surface.
The parts we hide, the parts we’ve forgotten, the parts we’re afraid to love.
That’s what my work is really about. Not the camera. Not the lighting. Not even the final images,
as much as I pour myself into them, the same way my muses do as well.
It’s about creating space for people to come home to themselves.
Terra, This One’s for You
My dearest Terra, thank you.
Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your words. Thank you for letting yourself be seen and then turning that experience into something even more beautiful by sharing it with the world.
People need this right now. They need permission to be messy and magnificent. They need to see what’s possible when we stop performing and start being.
Your poem, your portraits, your willingness to be this honest? It’s a gift. You’re a gift my friend.
After years of dormant
Where did I find the courage
to dance again
Could I sense how vital
it was that I return
Reclaiming agency
entry point to revolution
In and through the body
Dance is love and devotion to every morsel of my life
Resonance rumbles in the belly
rising with every pounding beat
sweeping through my chest
Arms rise in lightness trying
to convey the heaviness of
our world
Liberation stirs
My foot is a mixing spoon
folding the energy of song into flesh and bone
The audacity of my hips to carve a new, yet familiar path
Fascism can not survive these curves
Dropping to the floor in a bundle of emotion
swallowed by the grief of injustice
it doesn’t have to be this way
Only to explode out of it when the cello sings
Resonance rumbles in the belly
rising with every pounding beat
sweeping through my chest
Arms rise in lightness trying
to convey the heaviness of
our world
Liberation stirs
In the mirror I see a dancer
I want to be seen that way through your eyes too
so how can I fight the mold set before me
our bodies have always been a battleground
Holding only a narrow, precarious value and I want more
I want than long lines, delicate fingers and small waists
I want strong shoulder and sturdy legs
to twirl tassels and throw punches
to slink and strut and carry neighbors to safety
Soft bellies as pillows for weary comrades
I want your heart to skip a beat
watching me because
I call you to presence like a siren
Be with me, be with yourself
Fascism hates when we pay attention
I started to dance again when
function and feeling mattered more
than the look
I keep dancing because
I’ve made peace that the look,
as beautiful as it is when washing over me,
comes and goes
But the feeling of dance
stays, grows, evolves, sustains, heals
In Closing: What Being Witnessed Really Means
Being witnessed isn’t passive. It’s not just someone looking at you.
It’s being held in someone’s gaze with intention, with reverence, with curiosity. It’s having someone say:
“I see you, all of you, and you are worthy of being immortalized exactly as you are.”
And when you let that in? When you really allow yourself to be seen?
That’s when the magic happens. That’s when you write love letters to yourself.
That’s when you realize you were never broken to begin with.You are SO worth it!!!”
Terra is also from Minneapolis and my heart goes out to her and her family who are still there and all the brave people that are taking to the streets to say Fuck Ice!
When we find connection in ourselves, on our bodies we then are able to forge forward and fight the power, so let’s all do that more because the world right now really needs us to.
Keep creating, keep connecting and keep disrupting oppressive systems!
Terra’s Review
“Words really can’t describe how wonderful I feel after a photoshoot with Michele and seeing the images we created together! Her eye for detail and use of gorgeous and interesting lighting, posing and composition is so apparent. She is very knowledgeable and professional yet has the warmth of a best friend wanting to comfort and hype you up. She made me feel extremely comfortable and at ease before, during and after the shoot and that is so important when shooting nude or partially nude like I was.
Her home studio is gorgeous and spacious and had so many beautiful props and pieces of clothing to add depth and intrigue to the photos. And the way she sees you as art and treats you as art is very special. The balance she had with suggesting posing and allowing for play proved to be expert level and the images speak for themselves, oh my goodness! Just go to her website and look at all the others who have stepped into front of her camera.
She was able to help me see my body in whole in new ways, and also see parts of me that I have always been self conscious of, in the most beautiful new ways. I am whole and I am ART! Seeing myself this way really disrupted some negative self perceptions and has brought me deeper into my healing journey.
Highly highly recommend a shoot with Michele. Who knows what kind of beautiful magic you will create together!! You are SO worth it!!!”
More from Terra’s Photoshoot
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Thanks for Reading!
Hi, I’m Michele Mateus, award-winning photographer based in Vancouver, BC creating bold, evocative, portraits and personal brand photography with an editorial flair for people who want anything but ordinary.
If something here hit the right note, let’s talk!
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