Blog Art Project!

As I've been thinking about what I want to do with this blog, the idea for a project has been forming in my mind. (Any thoughts on the nature of the project are welcomed, by the way!)

The Body Art Project:
I want to make pieces of art that help promote a positive body-image in others – art that helps people be more accepting of themselves and more able to see themselves as worthy, and art that portrays REAL bodies. I think everyone deserves to feel positive about and happy with their body, no matter what their body looks like.

I envision the process for creating a piece of art for this project as follows:

1. Someone emails me a photo of themselves.
2. I create a piece of art from it and post it on the blog.
3. I contact the subject of the artwork and get their thoughts it.
4. Depending on the subject's comfort, post their response along with the artwork.
5. Optional: if the subject of the artwork is interested in owning the piece they appear in, buying it from me is totally an option.

I'm not sure to what extent I want input from the subject - if someone wants to mention their favorite color, or a motif they like, or a way to crop the image, I would take those into consideration - but ultimately the creative decisions would be up to me. (If someone wanted me to do a piece with the express purpose of purchasing it, I would possibly (probably?) talk to them about having more input on the finished piece.)

In my head, I envision mostly creating nude depictions of the human body, but in reality, that might not actually be the case. I know that self-acceptance usually happens a little bit at a time, sometimes only a body part at a time. So if someone sent me a photo of a part of their body that they ARE happy/comfortable with, I think that would be worth painting, regardless of whether that means an art piece of someone's hands or right shoulder blade. Similarly, if someone wants to participate, but isn't comfortable being nude, I would definitely be up for discussing how to include them in a way they were comfortable with. Also, I don't plan on identifying the subjects of the paintings (unless they want me to).

I want to paint variety and I want this project to be inclusive – different genders, different body types, different ethnicities, different walks of life, different ages.

Why paint pictures of people? What do I get out of it?
Working on this project would be beneficial to me because I'm still working on my own self-image and body positivity issues on a near daily basis, and working on these pieces and engaging in the dialogue that they create would help me in my own journey of self acceptance.

I want to paint these pictures because I've always enjoying depicting the human figure in my art. I want to paint these pictures because I want to fight body-hate and body-shaming. I want to paint these pictures because making art is what I'm good at and it's my mirror to reflect the world back at itself.

Interested in participating?
Send me an email at bodypaintblog@gmail.com. :)