Dear Body is a podcast and photo journalism series telling stories about people's relationships with their bodies. The intention for this series is to celebrate diverse bodies, honor the resilience and wisdom of the body, and shine a light on real, authentic stories that shift our cultural narrative.
I’m overly excited to share episode 002 of Dear Body with you all. Jillian and I have crossed paths many times in our mutual communities and our approach to photography and art are so aligned. This was absolutely one of my favorite conversations I’ve had this whole year! Enjoy this empowering conversation with myself and Jillian Martino.
Jillian is an art therapist, photographer, model, and artist. She was inspired to share her story in hopes her vulnerability would resonate with other women. Jillian strides to support others and create community as seen through her various endeavors.
You can find more of Jillian’s work on Instagram: @__toomuchwoman and join her circles and events with Sisters Rising, a sisterhood community for spiritual women based in Long Island, NY.
“Dear body,
I’m sorry it took me so long to see your worth and make you feel worthy. I adopted the beliefs and narratives of others and because of it, I often looked at you with shame and anger. I had the inability to see all of the incredible things that you do and that you are and I’m sorry.
I want you to know how much I love you…I am in awe of the way that you create life, the way that you grow, the way that you shrink and all of the ways that you change and adapt to each new phase in my life. You have always been there for me, supporting me and changing with me.
My body holds a story and I am grateful for it. I am grateful for each and every experience I’ve ever had, good or bad, that has shown me how to love myself, and how not to love myself. It is still work in progress, and some days I fall back into old habits, but I am so excited for the journey back to myself, the journey of falling in love with who I am.
Thank you body for being such a beautiful teacher.”
“I definitely went through phases. At first, I liked how I felt in my body. Then, the attention aspect was fun. Because I needed that validation from people at that time because I just didn't have a strong enough sense of self. I didn't love myself, really. That's what it was. I had been through so many shitty relationships and I had been through assaults and things like that.
It all made me question myself and my body and what my worth was. Growing up with a difficult parent did the same thing. So it felt like this, ‘oh my God, people like you,’ which was something I hadn't felt ever, really. So that was really hard.”
“There’s a psychology theorist who believes that humans were born innately perfect with oodles of potential and the only reason we lose our potential and the only reason we stop falling in love with ourselves is because we meet each other.
We start to get worried about whether it's a cultural belief or a societal belief or a gender norm or this or that, that we start to put ourselves into these boxes that sometimes don't fit us. And then when they don't fit us, we're like, oh my God, there must be something wrong with me and none of that's true.
It's just figuring out the box that works for you. And Your box might be a cultivation of many different boxes. It may look super different than someone else's and none of it's wrong. Because everybody deserves to take space.”
Dear Body is supported by Heart-led Creator, a Substack publication that explores the sensual delights of the body and creating from the heart. Subscribe for updates on new Dear Body episodes and weekly love notes for creative souls. Upgrade to a paid subscription for monthly therapeutic art classes, on-going library of guided resources, and private group chat to share your creations, inspiration, and curiosities.
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