Over the past several months, I have been working on a project that is near and dear to my heart. Now, it’s that time of year again to kick-start my project, to get motivated, and to make a difference within my community. I am photographing young men and women who have had experiences with abuse. Why am I doing this?
Great question. Let me start by saying why I am not doing this project. I am not photographing these unique people to exploit them. I am not doing this project to use them for my own selfish needs. I am not using these people to make good photographs. I am not doing this project to bring back bad memories for these people. Rather, let me tell you what I am doing. I am photographing these wonderful human beings because, since a very young age, I have had a keen intuition that allows me to instinctively know when a person has experienced abuse or is even currently experiencing it. My intuition allows me to know when people are in pain. I feel their pain, I see their pain, and I experience their pain with them. Many people would call this empathy. As a result of my empathy, I have an incredible desire to help others. Even more specifically, I want to help those who have had incredibly difficult lives…those who have been abused.
I truly believe that this project will provide an outlet for these people to express any suppressed emotions of their past, to help them forgive their perpetrator, and to help these wonderful individuals to be heard. With this in mind, I hope that my project succeeds with its goals and is able to positively impact our community.
Sometimes, I think we all just want to be heard, especially those of us with difficult pasts. I am here to listen and to help. If you know of anybody who may be interested in experiencing the power of photographic healing, please have them contact me at hschiavo@asu.edu. Bless you all!
hnsfineart 