Lives of Women: A Photo Project

My dear lovely people, 

Those of you who know me, probably know my dream to be an artist. I used to think it was one of the most selfish things that one could possibly pursue as a career because artists are often mistaken as people who do not wish to have real jobs. I’ve realized that’s entirely incorrect. Being an artist is a full-time job - one that requires working for more hours with less pay (if any) than an average 9 to 5.

I have also realized that art holds immense powers:

The power to communicate ideas that may not be communicated otherwise;
The power to find beauty in the mundane;
The power to explore the depths of human experience;
The power to create and understand our identities;
The power to tease, to elicit, to provoke, to reassure, to question, and even to rebel;
And of course, the power to raise voices against obvious and subtle injustices in our society.


Why am I telling you all this? Because I am an emerging artist in need of help. I’m trying to navigate a rough system to tell the stories about human experiences that are important in my opinion. I have made art commenting on how our society stipulates ways for a woman’s “proper” existence, how women are often viewed as a sexual commodity, and many more related concepts such as ideas of revealing and concealing, femininity and domesticity, beautification and objectification, purity and impurity, freedom and oppression. I am grateful to have displayed my photography and videos in several art galleries.


 You ask what sort of help I need. Here it is: I have been offered a teaching assistant position in Mexico with a well-known D.C.-based photographer. She knows of my passion to tell stories of women and has also agreed to mentor me on my project of documenting the intricacies of Mexican women’s lives in small villages. Unfortunately, because of my financial situation, chances are I may not be able to take this great opportunity. (Let’s all laugh at the irony of having two bachelors’ degrees and despite applying to at least 50 jobs a month, working an unpaid internship!).


I have been doing my best to raise and save money. I have been approaching people to commission me for paintings; I have picked up weekend shifts at a farmers market; I have stopped buying my morning coffee on my way to my internship; and I have politely declined several friends who want to eat out. So far, I have $400. To be able to book my flight by the end of November, and to pay for lodging and meals, I need $1500 more. I am asking you guys to help me take an important step towards my dream. As a token of thanks, I will send you a signed print from a recent photography project or a print of one of my paintings. (Please leave your mailing address in the comment section!). I really appreciate your help! And if you do not feel comfortable supporting me this way, please commission me to make you a painting!


I hope you understand that it took me a lot of courage to begin this fund request, as I did not feel comfortable asking for money. But I keep reminding myself of what the poet Nayyriah Waheed said:

 “where you are is not who you are.”
- circumstances

If I can be of any help to you in the future, please let me know and I will certainly return the favor.

Love,
Sobia 

Note: All of the photos in this campaign are mine.