facesoffortitude

Aaron and I met in the music scene over a decade ago. Thanks to the powers of social media, we have stayed in each other's sights over the years, mutually respected acquaintances with loads of friends in common.

In 2019, two years after starting this project, I got a FB message from Aaron, wanting to share with me a piece they wrote about the su***de of their mother, that was published on Medium. I remember being shocked that this person I had known on the periphery for so many years, shared such a similar painful life detail with me. It truly further proves the fact that we really have no idea what grief another person may be going through or what wounds they may be reacting from...UNLESS we are willing to have the level of discomfort that these conversations usually create within us.

One of the things Aaron shared with me during their shoot that hit the direct center of my heart, was how they keep the love and memory of their mom alive with their own child:

“I’ve done some things for myself to keep the memory of my mom present. To not make it about her absence. So for example I will take my daughter to a bookstore, and tell her to pick out some books she wants. Then I will buy them and tell her they are from her grandma. So she knows the love is there. We keep them alive because they were here to love us. They were here because we are here! We exist because of other people.” - Aaron Starkey

The rest of Aaron’s portraits, my photographers notes and poignant quotes from Aaron captured during their session can be read on the full post via the Faces of Fortitude website. Free to read, no paywalls needed. Linked below.

Thank you again to Aaron, for trusting me with your story and sharing the memory of your mother. We are so grateful to have you as part of the project. 🖤

http://facesoffortitude.art/aaron/