The Nimbus of Parenthood

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nim·bus

ˈnimbəs/

noun

1. a luminous cloud or a halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint. 

2. a large gray rain cloud.

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Parenthood is a struggle, there is no doubt about that. There are moments of darkness, where it seems everything you do is wrong, then at the most random of times, the light shines through. An ever evolving nimbus of struggle and triumph.

 

When I became a parent, I was tossed into a completely different universe than what I once knew. I thought being a parent was about raising a child to grow into a respectable human being, but apparently that's not what it is anymore. Its a world where every single move and decision comes with countless remarks of ridicule and judgment, depleting one’s self acceptance. As my son has grown, I have learned that there are many “wrong” ways to parent and everyone is going to have something to say regardless of what you are doing to make you feel like you aren’t good enough.

 

This motivates my work. Through my graduate career, I’ve been exploring the insecurities that motherhood brings on an individual’s psyche, and through photographs, bring them to the public light. I want to show others who may not know of these obstacles, and daily struggles being a parent entails. With social media being a predominant source of getting parenting advice, it also aids in developing the insecurities that mothers fear. Those are the moments I want to showcase. The in between moments that most people just look over, but actually are some of the most vulnerable moments for a parent. With these photographs, I aim to help other mothers, who like myself, have let the judgment get to them and help everyone embrace these vulnerabilities, so that viewers can see the beauty in the struggle on the road to self acceptance. A photograph tells a story; someone’s struggle, triumph and fears, which mold us to the people we are today.

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No parent is perfect, and like that, not every image will be perfect. The nimbus of parenthood is full of dark moments where you think you are doing nothing right, and then a glimmer of light when you look at your child's face and know that, no matter what, they are your world. That is all that matters, not anyone else's opinion or statements; Just them. I want viewers to see the beauty in the struggle on the never ending road of parenthood. Each photograph depicted is to show parenthood as it is; Raw and beautiful.