Hi, I’m Joy (they/them). I’m an artist and freelance photographer, and I’m raising funds to support my recovery from upcoming gender-affirming top surgery.

My work is deeply physical and embodied--carrying gear, moving through space, and being present in my body--and I’ll need to take six to eight weeks off to heal. Because I’m a freelancer, that pause also means a pause in income. This fund will help cover basic living and care costs during recovery, including groceries and delivery fees, post-op care supplies, rent, utilities, and other everyday necessities, so I can rest without rushing back to work before my body is ready.

This fundraiser is rooted in the kind of community care I believe in: where we take turns supporting one another through transitions big and small. If you’re able to contribute, share, or simply hold me in your thoughts, I’m deeply grateful. Your care makes a real difference as I move through this healing chapter.

BIG LOVE,

Joy

More of my story...

I’m preparing for gender-affirming top surgery, and I feel relieved and excited to welcome more ease into my body as I move through the world.

For much of my life, I’ve been guided by the belief that allowing ourselves to be seen can be healing — that our bodies hold stories, and that there is real power in taking up space honestly. Photography became one way of living into that belief: slowing down, listening, and helping people feel seen not only as they are, but as who they want to become. Being seen, to me, isn’t only about how others perceive us. It’s also about learning, over time, to see ourselves more clearly.

In many ways, this decision feels like a continuation of that same practice. I’ve spent a long time holding space for others, and I’m learning to offer that same care to myself. I’m deeply grateful for the ways my art, my friendships, and my community have helped me arrive here.

My work is deeply physical and embodied. It means carrying gear, moving through space, lifting my arms, and being fully present in my body. After surgery, I won’t be able to do those things for a while. To heal well, I’ll need to take six to eight weeks off from work — real rest, not pushing through or asking my body to perform before it’s ready.

Because I’m a freelancer, time off also means a pause in income. This fund will help cover the basics during recovery: groceries and delivery fees, nourishing meals, post-op care supplies, and everyday necessities — including the unglamorous things that make it possible to rest and heal with dignity.

My hope is simple: to move through this window of healing without rushing back to work before my body is ready.

I’m launching this on my birthday because it feels right to mark this moment as a celebration — not just of another year, but of choosing myself, my comfort, and my future. As I step into this next year of my life, I’m doing so with hope, softness, and trust for what comes next.

Any support you’re able to offer helps me enter recovery with more ease and less stress. And if you’re not in a position to contribute financially, sharing this or simply holding me in your thoughts means just as much.

I’ll share updates here as I’m able, and I’m deeply grateful for the care that surrounds this chapter.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support.