I knew before leaving for this trip that I wanted to shoot a red dress in the dunes. So with that in mind, I packed only one outfit to wear and set out with that restraint (or rather, world of possibilities!) to play with. I had this idea for a few weeks and wasn’t entirely sure how to execute it, given that sand can be a bit tricky to work with, but I was open to this visually looking, perhaps, different than I anticipated…so long as the concept was still there.

I was with my husband so he helped me shoot myself laying on the sand dune against the horizon. I guided him into where he should be standing (or squatting, for a low angle), and I set the exposure, etc. I knew I had clouds to add in later so that wasn’t a problem, but photographing the rest of the sand was.

I was going to create more of a static wall by shooting the side of a dune and then try to photograph sand being thrown up into the air. I would then composite that together to create the illusion of sand falling down a wall. This seemed futile even as I was photographing it as I wondered how it would go together. But then my husband stepped into the sand and we both noticed how the sand created a natural wall with streams of sand running down it. I photographed that, and that is exactly what you see here.

The red of the dress I knew would be contrasted with the sand, but I also chose it for the unique symbolism the color red brings. It feels urgent and deathly to me if used in the right context, and here that seemed very appropriate. Falling sand has long been a symbol of time passing (need I quote from Days of our Lives?), and so I wanted to use that symbol in this image. The sand continues to fall down the wall into darkness, and our subject sits very close to the edge.

A question that comes up is wondering if she too will be consumed by the growing crag and if so, what her fate will be. I love creating images that ask more questions than they answer, and in this image, even I do not have all the answers. I know the questions being posed, and I have my own ideas based on how I’m feeling on different days.

That is the beauty of creating: to continually surprise yourself & always keep yourself reaching for answers to new questions. 

To be able to see your future self as the role model to look up to would be an interesting and truly incredible idea. Envision who you want to be. What would your perfect self behave like, create, give, experience, etc? That person, the potential YOU from the future, could very well be likened to a celebrity, or someone that we hold above ourselves as something to strive for.

I believe that life is far richer and more fulfilling when we understand who we want to be, and then try to become that person. Each part of life can be enhanced because of it, from our work to our personal relationships, to how we experience the world. If we identify our flaws and work to correct them in the future, everything we do will seem brighter.

When I look to my future I cannot help seeing my creative endeavors, whatever they might be. I am not looking at specifics, but simply the idea that I will always create, no matter what the medium. When I think about who I want to be when creating the works of the future, I want to be someone more inspired, more passionate, and with more fire than ever. I want to hold my future self higher than I ever have my current self. I want to paint my future in a positive light and make sure that I grow into the best person I can be.

Celebrity is something that has always been around but, arguably, has taken hold of culture in ways never seen before. It is based around the idea that there are people out there better than we are in some way, and so we look to those people as role models for our future. And absolutely, there are plenty of people out there who deserve that status. But why not try holding yourself up and looking to that person to be inspired.

Do something with me. Humor me for a few minutes today…

Write as though you ARE that future self. Write as though you are YOU, but 10 years from now. What three things would you tell your past self?

You will become content.
You will become self-less.
You will become less competitive.

I look up to my future self instead of someone else who I can never become, because after all, the best person you can ever hope to be is the best version of yourself.