M O U L T I N G
(O F A B I R D) T O S H E D O L D F E A T H E R S,
H A I R, O R S K I N T O M A K E W A Y
F O R A N E W G R O W T H
M O U L T I N G
(of a bird) to shed old feathers, hair, or skin
to make way for a new growth.
I have known I was a lesbian since I was in kindergarten, but I have never quite processed all that led to my realization - and what came after. I have never directly told my family; although I am sure many of them have their assumptions. This project started out with the intention of creating a body of work to come out to my Mom, but I soon realized it wasn’t about her accepting me - it is about me accepting myself. I have never been against being a part of the LGBTQ+ family, but I also never embraced it below surface level.
The photographs in this series represent the three steps I have taken on a path to becoming who I am. Remembrance, Acceptance, and Resilience are three words I continue to associate with this work as it has taken years to get through each of these phases. Through the remembering of significant moments in my childhood, I am finally able to accept that I am who I am because of everything that happened to me - good or bad. Through the process of accepting who I am, I have become resilient to change and have entered a new phase in my life where I am outwardly becoming a part of a different kind of sisterhood. Through my newly acquired resilience, I am finally comfortable with the idea of shedding old fears in order to make room for a new growth.
