Last month the Project Ten ladies and I submitted our suggestions for 2015 themes. They’re good… like really good. And I’m looking forward to photographing all of them. However, as I put the list together, I had a moral dilemma at my hands. One of the suggested themes happens to be my arch nemesis. If you’re a part of the Project Ten Challenge on Facebook (and if not, join now!) then you saw my post that went something like this:

“Truth: I legitimately am AFRAID of January’s theme. You will giggle when you see what it is, but I kid you not. My heart rate rises, I get sweaty and nervous, and it’s been this way since Kindergarten.”

So what is is that happens to be this month’s theme that I’m so afraid of?

GLITTER.

I kid you not. I’m afraid of glitter. It gives me anxiety. Literally. We’re talking increased heart rate, probably high blood pressure, sweaty palms, scary dreams, and so on. I’m not exaggerating. When I taught high school art and students would request I buy some glitter, I would happily tell them no. I think the custodial staff probably loved me for this. It simply was not EVER allowed in my classroom… or my life.

So what is is that’s so scary about glitter? IT STICKS. TO EVERYTHING? Oh, you didn’t touch something glittery today? Strange, because you seem to have randon pieces of glitter stuck… TO YOUR FACE.

WHAT? Where does this stuff COME FROM!?

So when Stephanie suggested glitter, I hesitated. Like really debated. I sat at the kitchen table and actively tried to justify how glitter would NOT be a perfect theme… especially for January when there is plenty of glittery stuff leftover from the holidays.

And then I decided to challenge myself. To face my fears. And to let everyone else have their fun with it. So I put it on the list which then led me to then spend far too much time trying to think of how to represent ‘glitter’ without actually using or touching the stuff. I had a bunch of ideas and then I caved. I would just simply use glitter. ((shudder))

Luckily, being home in Michigan for the holidays meant I would have easy-access to a model and the leftover glitter from my pre-kindergarten days. My brother and I even labeled the container lids with our initials – proof I onceuponatime loved glitter. Maybe. So I pulled out the craft box, carefully (with only my thumb and pointer finger) picked out the glitter box and convinced Jordan to let me adhere it to her face.

Lucky for me, she’s not terrified of glitter. I got a little cosmetic advice from one of my favorite clients and we were off! I made it all the way to the final stage of this product (see final photo) before the lid of the glitter container jumped out of my thumb/pointer finger hold. This may seem like not a big deal (so what, Casey, a lid fell out of your hand) except that it was FILLED.WITH.GLITTER.

Are your hearts racing yet? Mine was. I had worked painstakingly to apply all glitter with a makeup brush so that none of it touched me. I made Jordan hold a trash can under her face while it was applied so that no single grain of glitter escaped and would be later stuck to my face. I shook out only what glitter I needed into the cap to control (have you gathered yet that the real reason I’m scared of glitter is that I’m a control freak and you can’t control glitter!?!?) where every single grain went.

And then the cap squeezed out of my fingers – semi-projectile-like – hit the shower door and clattered to the floor where the cap promptly exploded glitter onto two rugs, my slippers, and the tile floor. I am pretty sure I just froze. It was sort of like a black out. I think I remember Jordan laughing and saying something semi-calming to try and get me out of my trance. I bent in half to get a better look at my slippers… the glitter… was… TOUCHING ME.

I hope you’re laughing. You all should be laughing. AT me. It’s okay… go ahead… I am.

And that was the moment I GOT OVER MY FEAR OF GLITTER.

I shrugged my shoulders, shook off my slippers, and silently thanked the greater good that I was at my Mom’s house and not my own. 😉

We finished up the last shots and I set about cleaning up the glitterpocalypse that was the bathroom. I was completely successful and managed to return the bathroom, and myself, 100% to normal without a single speck of remaining glitter on the floor… or my face.

So now you know. Hello my name is Casey and prior to this shoot I was a glitteraphob. I’m not sure I’d choose to use glitter again in the future, but I am overly pleased with how these images came to life. It’s not easy going from a vision in your head to a completed image, but I’m chalking these up as a success.

Head over to Stephanie’s blog to see her take on glitter…and be prepared to have your mouth water!!

<3

casey and her camera is a family, couple, lifestyle, senior, and wedding photographer in Indianapolis, Indiana and surrounding areas.