I’m not that great of a photographer. Quite frankly I want to confess that I actually wing it with crossed fingers most of the time, with some very frail knowledge of how light falls on skin and hair and eyes and flirts with the softness of a shadow. Mastery wasnt in my cards, however love for photography took me by surprise my senior year of high school (1996, yup, a while back) because of an incredible teacher at Tucson High, Mr. Halfmann. It all began in the darkroom though, so my relationship with histograms and curves and my more-valuable-than-both-of-my-vehicles-combined-and-everything-else-I-own Digital Nikon is still developing, waiting to be fixed (you photo peeps might be rolling your eyes, but, it’s true…)
What I am good at, and I am confidant in admitting, is listening to people and looking into their eyes and seeing THEM, the real, beautiful them. Yes, I am really good at that.
This journey of being a mother has been possibly the most incredible and challenging part of being alive that I have ever experienced. I had no idea I could function so well with little to no sleep for the last year since my boy was born. I have reached the most incredible highs and some of the darkest lows being a new mother. It is for this very reason, this becoming a mother, that brought forth this Beautiful Body Project. Through this journey which motherhood in all her glory and raggedness has generously gifted me came a newfound ability to connect to other women on a much deeper and more meaningful level. This inter-connectedness, this unity with other mothers and other women has been one of the most precious gifts of all (besides my gorgeous and perfect son, of course).
I’m still the photographer, dance teacher and social entrepreneur that I was before I gave birth and yet this new life and this freedom from agreeing to needing to ‘bounce back’ into a life that no longer serves me has been unexpected and has a sweetness that is completely new to me.
It is with joy that I share this journey with all of you.
Thank you for being part of our community of women who are coming together to redefine beautiful, to praise one-another and leading by example what self-love looks and feels like.
-Jade Beall
The on-set crew that makes this project possible: my partner, my biggest fan and my best friend and our son:
Contact me and please also add my incredible partner Alok Appadurai on any emails because I am completely overwhelmed by all of the responses we’ve been getting.
We will do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible! Please be patient, we are a small team of 2 + a tiny human who can’t talk yet!
Thank YOU!
-Jade & Alok
I live in Tucson, have taken your classes at Providence and followed closely what you have done. I am executive director of Tucson Values Teachers, write a blog on the Citizen site, Learning to be Female, and was executive producer of The Body Project, a documentary version of the book by Cornell Historian Joan Jacobs Brumberg. I am a writer, fundraiser and have a huge passion about body issues. I have an MSW degree and did doctoral work in clinical social work and have worked as a therapist and led many groups on women and body. I also just completed 50% of yoga teacher training through Kripalu. My expertise is also communications and outreach - I did this work for the Washington Post Company/Newsweek Productions for a national PBS program, HealthWeek. My husband was executive producer of NPR’s Talk of the Nation. I would love to work with you both, begin to write a regular blog on all the stories you are getting, produce radio spots of the stories and find funding to produce the documentary version of your book. We moved to Tucson 10 years ago from Washington, D.C. and I still have good national connections, and am a great fundraiser in Tucson and Arizona also. I would love to meet to discuss. My cell is 520-780-1034.
Oh my goodness! I will email you and alok or i will call you! thank you thank you thank YOU! -Jade
Dear Jade, dear Alok and dear, sweet little Sequoia,
thank you for your absolutely stunning work. First time in my pregnancy, that I feel really beautiful and close to myself!
I can’t wait for more photos to see and I’m sad to live in germany. Way to far away to get the chance to meet you.
Wish you all the best, health, love and friendship you need for your project!
With Love,
Bianca
Ok….that’s it….I need to drive from Portland to Tucson to see you! I love what you are doing and have been totally inspired by you.
Debbie
Dear Jade,
Last year I set up a secondary school for highly sensitive kids, ages 13-18 who dropped out of the traditional school system because of their sensitive natures. Financing the school has been a continuous struggle and a few months ago one of the mothers suggested we’d bring out a semi-nude calendar to bring in funds. As terrified as we all were we dis go along with the photoshoot 2 weekends ago. It was an absolute amazing and love filled weekend for all of us, including our (male) photographer. We are 12 women aged 16 - 59 and varying between 42 kg and 110 kg. We were so proud and happy, up until this week when the photographer posted the photoshoot on our private Facebook group. People were in shock at how ‘ugly, fat, old, wrinkled …’ they looked and started demanding that the pictures would be photoshopped. And then, amidst all the havoc, out of nowhere a friend of mine shared your film on her profile. I posted it on our group and the women were touched. Most of them said it made them ‘think’ about their bodies in a different way. So THANK YOU Jade for influencing them. Thank you for being a beautiful, brave soul.
Oh this story makes me want to DANCE IN THE STEETS with joy!!! Thank you thank you thank you for writing these words to me. You make my life so much richer. I want to see that beautiful calendar!
<3 I'll make sure you do!