love yourself

on the brooklyn bridge, nyc

This week, the photography prompt for the 52 Photos Project is in celebration of someone we love.  I hadn’t given the prompt real thought (with the exception of your typical…family, friends, animals) until I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and came across this sticker.  Being intrigued by the name, I checked out the website.  “We exist to inspire people to build a strong relationship to the self, mindfully creating a future with loving regard for all living beings and the environment; ultimately, manifesting a humanity that declares itself unwavering in its commitment to peace, loving-kindness, and compassion.”

What a lofty goal…but what if?  What if we all spent time doing just that?  If we all made the effort, surely we could have an impact on the rest of the world.  John Lennon said it best…”We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”  Bravo to the team at Love Yourself for taking on such a project!

And speaking of making an impact…I was saddened to read that photographer Deborah Turbeville passed away this week.  It was in my travels to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico that I was introduced to her photography, not knowing she also lived just a few blocks away in my neighborhood here in Manhattan.  You can read about her in one of my previous posts here.  Her avant-garde black & white imagery filled with decay, soft focus and lots of grain will always be a favorite of mine.  What an icon in the world of fashion and photography.  RIP Deborah Turbeville.