https://www.anaisstupka.com/5d-portrait

Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. From my interviews with i-D magazine or simple small radio from my hometown, I constantly talk about how important it is for me to show the diversity of beauty. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

One of my Christmas presents this year from my sister was this video: https://we.tl/t-qToGIsF28c ( let me know if I should resend it since the links tend to expire ). To give some context, for some reason I find it hysterical when others imitate me and mock me. It is one of the things that will have my hands clapping my jaw wide open and a hyena sounding laugh coming out. And so my sister for my birthday got some of my closest friends to mock me and imitate me ( which is the most genius present to give to me) and it made me laugh so so so much but I also felt so grateful for her and everyone that was in the process of making the video. Whilst I believe the video speaks more about them then it does about me I thought it would be better for you to see my friends, family, and other people in my life perspective rather than my own so it would be more genuine. The one consistency of the mockery is how I note beauty in a lot of people and note gratitude for who they are which to me is my love language of people but also of life itself. I try and always speak from a place of truth, kindness, openness, unconditional love, forgiveness and understanding and it makes me feel incredible because it feels so genuine from my heart and I hope that it is truly felt with the people I talk with. This is an art piece I made of my sister, the words in it is a letter dedicated to her and the way I painted her is how she makes me feel: https://www.anaisstupka.com/5d-portrait ( just to get an understanding of how I communicate). Thank you!

Right now what I am doing through my art is celebrating the beauty that exists within all of us and I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen. This is what I am doing now. Essentially what I want to build is a world where I can celebrate all types of artists from everywhere around the world. I want to build an "art gallery"( more so home) where each floor has artists from different continents trying to bring their worlds into this new world. A bit of context I grew up in 10 countries and I know how challenging it is to be an artist if you are not in the hub of art, so I want to bring opportunities to artists all around the world from simple bases of the architecture of the gallery, the restaurant in the gallery, the shows, as well as the new things; monthly galleries, monthly shows, experiences. This is my dream, I am working on it now.

Creating art with purpose and intention makes me so happy. Through my art I try and celebrate others, I celebrate joy, true beauty, thoughts, poetry, music and I try to put emphasis on people the world has placed so many limitations on; people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. When we consistently practice art we realize every moment we live in is an artful moment. Something as simple as washing your dishes, when you give your entire attention to it; it feels so peaceful. When you walk in the street and watch the versatility of people walking by it feels magical, you see all types of shapes and you find the beauty in them because how can art ever be ugly. You find the beauty of living, of breathing, of joy. You find you through art because you are it, you find no fear, you find no judgement, you simply find being and celebrating all that is around.

When I was younger there were two reasons why I gave. Firstly, because I wanted to be seen as kind so whilst my actions would be seen as kind my intention wasn't as genuine as the action e.g. I would bring my grandmother her favorite mozzarella so that she would give me some prosciutto, tea, and sweets. Secondly, because I had "suffered" growing up, as an immigrant that moved to ten countries, as a kid that was bullied, in the household I was in, I "suffered" from a very young age and that allowed me to understand how I wanted to approach people, and how I tried to aid them in the ways I had wished I was aided. Now, I try my best to go beyond that, to be forgiving and to give any time I can without an expectation of an exchange; to simply give because it makes my heart feel so happy and full. To give means you have and what I find myself giving the most is the gift of speech, love, and gratitude as well as food- cooking is something that's been embedded in me since I was a small girl and I am always cooking for others ( that's how all the women in my family have left some type of genetic code in me). Though my studies I am trying to learn how to build houses for homeless people, how to distribute foods that will aid different people in different ways, and then through my passions ( photography, film, painting) I just celebrate people and try and teach them to celebrate themselves ( https://www.anaisstupka.com) . "Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have"- Jim Rohn

Being grateful comes from accepting every moment as it is. I wake up every morning whenever right before the sun is up so I do not feel like I need to rush through my self care and I can simply escape time. I make my bed and tip toe to the bathroom wash my face and prepare some green tea. Next I do either kundulini yoga or vinyasa yoga depending on what my body needs that day ( kundalini allows me to connect to my inner body more whilst vinyasa allows me to connect to my physical body). At night to reconnect with myself I clean myself with a lot of love and care, I will journal, or dance, or create art, or read or watch Trevor Noah:) To me these practices enable me to staying true to myself is about being consistent with balance, kindness and movement because when I am consistent with the things that make me truly joyful every moment I live in is peaceful and one I am grateful for. What I have learnt is everything is helping you, if you shift your perspective, and acknowledge this is helping you in some way shape or form you can only find that you will win in life. There is so much value and honour in trying and being active, it is the purest form of winning. If you create fear around failure you will be blocking yourself from any process or appreciation for the present moment. Failure does not exist. The only thing I think failure exists in is not ever trying, that’s the biggest failure you can commit.

The simplest form of joy to me is attention, I wouldn't call it pleasure because to me pleasure feels good but it eventually leaves you whilst joy comes from within and can come to me at any time. The reason I say attention is because any single moment in my life can give me infinite joy, or peace, or tranquility, or stillness when I give all my attention to it. Cleaning my dishes can bring me joy when I give them all my attention, drinking tea can bring me joy when I give it my entire attention, having my plans changed last minute brings me joy when I give it my attention and acceptance. I used to try and give my attention at the same time but it eroded me from the true joy of giving attention to one thing. For example with the tea I would drink I would play a show, text a friend, sip the tea; this felt easy and pleasurable but it didn't bring me joy. I used to automatically play music when I stepped outside, as well as I would think a lot, instead of just walking and paying attention to al the beautiful surroundings of a moment in a street. So the simple joy to me is being present and giving everything my all, when I am in that state I need nothing except all that I experience.

What was perpetual with every single country I moved to was how vacuous and different each country's standard of beauty was. Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice and through that my art. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

Being optimistic comes from true joy when I used to believe it came from moments of pleasure. To me pleasure, gives you satisfaction but it leaves you immediately; joy comes from within,now relaxation to me is joy. I wake up every morning whenever right before the sun is up so I do not feel like I need to rush through my self care and I can simply escape time. I make my bed and tip toe to the bathroom wash my face and prepare some green tea. Next I do either kundulini yoga or vinyasa yoga depending on what my body needs that day ( kundalini allows me to connect to my inner body more whilst vinyasa allows me to connect to my physical body). At night to reconnect with myself I clean myself with a lot of love and care, I will journal, or dance, or create art, or read or watch Trevor Noah:) To me staying true to myself is about being consistent with balance, kindness and movement because when I am consistent with the things that make me truly joyful every moment I live in is peaceful and one I am grateful for. What I have learnt is everything is helping you, if you shift your perspective, and acknowledge this is helping you in some way shape or form you can only find that you will win in life. There is so much value and honour in trying and being active, it is the purest form of winning. If you create fear around failure you will be blocking yourself from any process or appreciation for the present moment. Failure does not exist. The only thing I think failure exists in is not ever trying, that’s the biggest failure you can commit.

When I was younger there were two reasons why I gave. Firstly, because I wanted to be seen as kind so whilst my actions would be seen as kind my intention wasn't as genuine as the action e.g. I would bring my grandmother her favorite mozzarella so that she would give me some prosciutto, tea, and sweets. Secondly, because I had "suffered" growing up, as an immigrant that moved to ten countries, as a kid that was bullied, in the household I was in, I "suffered" from a very young age and that allowed me to understand how I wanted to approach people, and how I tried to aid them in the ways I had wished I was aided. Now, I try my best to go beyond that, to be forgiving and to give any time I can without an expectation of an exchange; to simply give because it makes my heart feel so happy and full. To give means you have and what I find myself giving the most is the gift of speech, love, and gratitude as well as food- cooking is something that's been embedded in me since I was a small girl and I am always cooking for others ( that's how all the women in my family have left some type of genetic code in me). Though my studies I am trying to learn how to build houses for homeless people, how to distribute foods that will aid different people in different ways, and then through my passions ( photography, film, painting) I just celebrate people and try and teach them to celebrate themselves ( https://www.anaisstupka.com) . "Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have"- Jim Rohn

Through my art I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen. Essentially what I want to build is a world where I can celebrate all types of artists from everywhere around the world. I want to build an "art gallery"( more so home) where each floor has artists from different continents trying to bring their worlds into this new world. A bit of context I grew up in 10 countries and I know how challenging it is to be an artist if you are not in the hub of art, so I want to bring opportunities to artists all around the world from simple bases of the architecture of the gallery, the restaurant in the gallery, the shows, as well as the new things; monthly galleries, monthly shows, experiences. This is my dream and the way I plan to achieve this is by understanding what I can do now, I am actively doing my best to connect, build my network and meet true talent.

Staying true to myself comes from true joy when I used to believe it came from moments of pleasure; a cheat meal. To me pleasure, gives you satisfaction but it leaves you immediately; joy comes from within,now relaxation to me is joy. I wake up every morning whenever right before the sun is up so I do not feel like I need to rush through my self care and I can simply escape time. I make my bed and tip toe to the bathroom wash my face and prepare some green tea. Next I do either kundulini yoga or vinyasa yoga depending on what my body needs that day ( kundalini allows me to connect to my inner body more whilst vinyasa allows me to connect to my physical body) for 30 minutes- 1 hour. After that I workout for a specific part of my body and then I am ready to start the more technical parts of my day, I open my phone ( not very relaxing), check my emails, and will probably go to a class. During the day I will eat foods that intuitively now I know will make me feel good after eating them; most of the time it is lots of veggies but sometimes it's a lava cake or a delicious cheesecake. At night to reconnect with myself I clean myself with a lot of love and care, I will journal, or dance, or create art, or read or watch Trevor Noah:) To me staying true to myself is about being consistent with balance, kindness and movement because when I am consistent with the things that make me truly joyful and feel less pleasurable every moment I live in is peaceful and one I am grateful for, what more could I possibly ask for?

Right now what I am doing through my art is celebrating the beauty that exists within all of us and I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen. This is what I am doing now. Essentially what I want to build is a world where I can celebrate all types of artists from everywhere around the world. I want to build an "art gallery"( more so home) where each floor has artists from different continents trying to bring their worlds into this new world. A bit of context I grew up in 10 countries and I know how challenging it is to be an artist if you are not in the hub of art, so I want to bring opportunities to artists all around the world from simple bases of the architecture of the gallery, the restaurant in the gallery, the shows, as well as the new things; monthly galleries, monthly shows, experiences. This is my dream, I am working on it now.

Right now what I am doing through my art is celebrating the beauty that exists within all of us and I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen. This is what I am doing now. Essentially what I want to build is a world where I can celebrate all types of artists from everywhere around the world. I want to build an "art gallery"( more so home) where each floor has artists from different continents trying to bring their worlds into this new world. A bit of context I grew up in 10 countries and I know how challenging it is to be an artist if you are not in the hub of art, so I want to bring opportunities to artists all around the world from simple bases of the architecture of the gallery, the restaurant in the gallery, the shows, as well as the new things; monthly galleries, monthly shows, experiences. This is my dream, I am working on it now.

I believe there are two beautiful elements of the human experience; one is the gift we are given and the others are things we can learn and be taught. I believe one of the gifts I am most grateful for that I hold is my ability to find true beauty in others, in moments, in living. I feel blessed for feeling gratitude and appreciation of beauty with whoever I meet, wherever I've lived, and with each moment I experience. This I believe to be my gift *and also being extremely humble ;)*. With this gift I have been taught from everyone I have met, essentially everyone has become my teacher in some way shape or form and every moment I have experienced has helped me ini the art I create. I was taught by my dad how to use a camera, I was taught by my sister how to paint, I was taught by moments to accept them as they are and now the galvanization of everything I have experience and am experiencing is what inspires me to create my art. I create mixed medium pieces that celebrate true beauty, I began my journey by wanting to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the color of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting (https://www.anaisstupka.com). Now it's evolved to celebrating the gift we all hold, the beauty we hold within when we stop resisting what is and we just are. I want to celebrate others (https://www.anaisstupka.com/5d-portrait). Thank you so much for your consideration. I wish you all the best, Anais

Relaxation to me used to be moments of pleasure; a cheat meal, a face mask, watching TV, things I still appreciate in balance. To me pleasure, gives you satisfaction but it leaves you immediately; joy comes from within,now relaxation to me is joy. I wake up every morning whenever right before the sun is up so I do not feel like I need to rush through my self care and I can simply escape time. I make my bed and tip toe to the bathroom wash my face and prepare some green tea. Next I do either kundulini yoga or vinyasa yoga depending on what my body needs that day ( kundalini allows me to connect to my inner body more whilst vinyasa allows me to connect to my physical body) for 30 minutes- 1 hour. After that I workout for a specific part of my body and then I am ready to start the more technical parts of my day, I open my phone ( not very relaxing), check my emails, and will probably go to a class. During the day I will eat foods that intuitively now I know will make me feel good after eating them; most of the time it is lots of veggies but sometimes it's a lava cake or a delicious cheesecake. At night to reconnect with myself I clean myself with a lot of love and care, I will journal, or dance, or create art, or read or watch Trevor Noah:) To me relaxing and self care is about being consistent with balance, kindness and movement because when I am consistent with the things that make me truly joyful and feel less pleasurable every moment I live in is peaceful and one I am grateful for, what more could I possibly ask for?

To tell you the truth, whilst many "accomplished" and "successful artists inspire me the piece of art that inspires me the most is my sister, Rosie. Whilst she is an artists to me she is the art herself. The way she gives art, people, nature her attention is like something one has never seen before. She guides her speech with kindness, slowness, and curiosity and she guides people to be kinder to themselves, she guides them to slow down and be present and she introduces them to new thoughts and places she has never been before. The way she communicate is Art itself and enables people to create art. On top of that she is a "traditional" artist as-well, she is a painter, a sculptor, a poet, a discoverer and she is forever growing as an artist. Her and I share a room and the amount of art she can create in one day is remarkable, every day she brings something new to the room all inspired by her walks, her pain, her joy, sharing a room with her feels like the most beautiful and enchanting journal of her human experience. Linked is a portrait I made of her, of how I perceive her as art, words can not do her existence justice. Thank you so much for your consideration, Anais

When I was a little girl, I would walk around my street and I would create magical worlds of mushrooms, rays of sun, magical creatures and love. Having my teachers or relatives read me stories was one of my favorite things for it allowed me to enter so many versatile magical worlds and it let my imagination run free. I would cook meals and decorate them in shapes that where I had never seen in my life before. I would cut my hair and create all types of forms. I would decorate the sounds and movements of my life with laughter, singing, dance; I felt complete and utter freedom of being myself; a creator because there was no fear. When I got older the stories that were being told to me shifted. I was told stories of right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, good and bad. I digested these stories as truth and created a new world of fear, anxiety,I was overwhelmed with thoughts of moments that never actually exists ( what could happen, what had happened, a romanticized past or future, a fearful past or future). Little did I know these were just stories that where told to me. Since the pandemic, I've managed to be alone, to be still, to not rush and it has been such a gift to me. Now as I walk around my town I get inspired by every moment, by every sound, by every person. I used to be bothered by a caring baby, a dog barking, construction sounds now I just embrace it because it is the very moment I live in. I feel like a child once again and I create my art to tell stories of beauty, love and acceptance. Here is my portfolio: https://www.anaisstupka.com .

Art is everything we breathe, everything we see, everything we feel, everything we touch- art is all around us. From the taste of a succulent fruit, to the sound of laughter, to the shapes of our faces- how our faces are maps of how long we've been here it is all so overwhelmingly beautiful and beyond a simple explanation ( that is when art comes in). Everything was created by someone, something, a moment and it is all art. Without knowing it, we are all artists for we are all story tellers. This is how I describe beauty and what motivates my creations, "I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the color of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. " The way you would describe beauty to me, the way your relative, teacher, friend, enemy would describe beauty to me is its own beautiful story and completely different from my own. How you painted the picture of these words through your imagination vs. how your relative, teacher, friend, enemy would paint the picture of these words is utterly different, yet it is all beautiful and we are all artists. Art is necessary to us because fundamentally we are all creators that hold infinite talent, beauty, love that all comes from within. Art also brings stillness to us. Our minds are always rushing somewhere that doesn't exist, ideas of fear, a better future, a future to fear, a romanticized past, or attachment to the past, our minds feel are constantly making noise which sometimes can blind us from where we are right now. When we are creating art, we give ourselves entirely to our creations. All our attention is given to whatever it is we are making and it brings us to a place of stillness and presence which is needed in our society and in our hearts. Eventually, when we consistently practice art we realize every moment we live in is an artful moment. Something as simple as washing your dishes, when you give your entire attention to it; it feels so peaceful. When you walk in the street and watch the versatility of people walking by it feels magical, you see all types of shapes and you find the beauty in them because how can art ever be ugly. You find the beauty of living, of breathing, of joy. You find you through art because you are it, you find no fear, you find no judgement, you simply find being and celebrating all that is around. Through my art I try and celebrate others, I celebrate joy, true beauty, thoughts, poetry, music and I try to put emphasis on people the world has placed so many limitations on; people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. Thank you for your consideration I truly appreciate it. All the best, Anais

When I was younger there were two reasons why I gave. Firstly, because I wanted to be seen as kind so whilst my actions would be seen as kind my intention wasn't as genuine as the action e.g. I would bring my grandmother her favorite mozzarella so that she would give me some prosciutto, tea, and sweets. Secondly, because I had "suffered" growing up, as an immigrant that moved to ten countries, as a kid that was bullied, in the household I was in, I "suffered" from a very young age and that allowed me to understand how I wanted to approach people, and how I tried to aid them in the ways I had wished I was aided. Now, I try my best to go beyond that, to be forgiving and to give any time I can without an expectation of an exchange; to simply give because it makes my heart feel so happy and full. To give means you have and what I find myself giving the most is the gift of speech, love, and gratitude as well as food- cooking is something that's been embedded in me since I was a small girl and I am always cooking for others ( that's how all the women in my family have left some type of genetic code in me). Though my studies I am trying to learn how to build houses for homeless people, how to distribute foods that will aid different people in different ways, and then through my passions ( photography, film, painting) I just celebrate people and try and teach them to celebrate themselves ( https://www.anaisstupka.com) . "Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have"- Jim Rohn

When do you feel most free? When do you feel no fear? When are you not busy thinking of what was or what will be? When do you feel love? Before you continue reading, please stay still and bring these questions to yourself and don't answer immediately; just feel. What you just experienced, to me, is the meaning of life. When you are present there's nothing you need except that moment, there is no problem when we are present, there is no fear, there is only you; love. There's two distinct elements that make us who we are. one is what we know, things about ourselves, thoughts, hobbies, this is what separates us as people and brings such beautiful versatility in the human experience. The second is the thing we all share, a consciousness, presence, unconditional gratitude and love; this is who we truly are. I want you to laugh right now. When you laugh, you experience who you truly are because there is no fear, there is no thought, just the feeling of who you are. I don't try to achieve the meaning of life because it exists within me as it exists within you. It's nothing I have to try and get and it's nothing you have to try and get either. However what I do try to achieve is to create experiences through my art to allow people to experience what they already have and have had their whole lifetime; https://www.anaisstupka.com/5d-portrait . Thank you for your consideration and time. Lots of love, Anais

Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. From my interviews with i-D magazine or simple small radio from my hometown, I constantly talk about how important it is for me to show the diversity of beauty. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. From my interviews with i-D magazine or simple small radio from my hometown, I constantly talk about how important it is for me to show the diversity of beauty. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. From my interviews with i-D magazine or simple small radio from my hometown, I constantly talk about how important it is for me to show the diversity of beauty. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

Fighting beauty standards is something that has been a constant in my photography. I want to represent the diversity of beauty of wrinkles with deep lines like carved wood, hair that women wear like a garden on their skin, skin the colour of the earth and the moon, lovers that no matter how much you pluck and pull reconnect with the unibrow, to stretch marks that are a woman's babies first painting. I want to teach young girls that other women’s bodies are not our battle grounds. I want to create a world where diversity becomes a natural part of life. From my interviews with i-D magazine or simple small radio from my hometown, I constantly talk about how important it is for me to show the diversity of beauty. My past experiences, good and bad, have now become a weapon to combat injustice. Through my photography, I am engaged with politics in a way where I feel like I can change the course of history as opposed to being a part of it. I already am photographing the diversity of beauty, documenting the stories of the people in front of the camera and even though it is a small gesture it is part of the change because no real change can happen overnight. The world we’ve lived in has placed so many limitations on people of colour, members of the LGBTQ community and women, so simply representing them in our current world has become limited. What I am very conscious of is trying to correct that, trying to find and unearth talent and voices that maybe haven't been reached out to. It’s the active versus passive; if we say we want the change we have to make that change happen.

Social media: @photographyanais . Being able to create life, having beauty that never fades with time; true beauty that comes from within, my sisters understanding as if my heart is carried within them, intuition, endless strength and resiliance and unconditional love: to be a woman. All we ever need already exists within ourselves, society likes to convince us otherwise; but we are strong and we are intelligent beyond words.