boardwalk – Maui Goddess Project

Maui Goddess Project Chelsea Vitiligo Love

Love Yourself Inside & Out

Published on January 12, 2020 by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

Chelsea & I connected in the Facebook world when she asked for a portrait session. I was the lucky one she messaged back and we talked, I realized she had an incredible story to show. She lives with a skin condition called Vitiligo in which her pigmentation began to change around age 9. She was very embarrassed by the condition as it came in and had a heavy heart about exposing herself to classmates & other community in fear of being bullied. In this day & age, we all know how real this issue of bullying is and how deeply it has effected our youth. Now that Chelsea is in full blown adulthood, she has had a shift in her heart and is ready to show how much she loves herself, especially her Vitiligo. We followed through with this photo session to raise awareness about this skin condition and encourage others to embrace what life hands to them. As Chelsea & I walked the beach and she shared her story, I was so completely honored to be the chosen one to bring her message through in the form of imagery. I expressed to her that she was a perfect fit for Maui Goddess Project which allows women to see their beauty EXACTLY how they are. She also resonated with this deeply. We had high winds and rain surrounding us on all sides, yet we had sunshine and calm conditions right where we decided to photograph. It was truly, truly magical. We both opened our hearts to each other and I was so filled with joy that Chelsea was able to express self love with such grace & ease.

Chelsea… I can’t thank you enough for your bravery, courage, and self -love. You were able to show these attributes in such an exceptional way and I am sure these photos will make an impact on the Vitiligo community. It is the beginning of something great for all humans who live with skin like yours. My hope it that this photo shoot will help to shift their beliefs from Vitiligo being something wrong into the belief that it is incredibly beautiful because it is!!!!

Cheslea ~ I Honor the Goddess in You

Much Aloha…. Desiree

Cutting to the Core of it All

Published on July 10, 2018 by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

Meet the beautiful Sarine and the lovely ladies that came fully prepared to support her clothing line Cut 2 a T Hawaii. It was so amazing to answer the call to photograph Sarine’s custom tops, leggings and bodysuits. The clothing was so fun to capture as each piece had so much personality and something unique about it. The beautiful backdrop of Kealia Boardwalk made for stunning lighting and great areas for the girls to bust out yoga poses & relax. It was so wonderful to promote the sisterhood we all share through each woman embracing the other and enjoying the moment. Please support all of these ladies in their endeavors and find Sarine at the Swap Meet in Kahului to check out her clothes. When she isn’t busy designing, you can find her serenading a crowd somewhere on the island as well.

Mahalo for having me….

I honor the goddesses in all of you ~ Sarine, Melanie, Cameron, Allarah, & Brandy

Manawahine

Published on December 20, 2017December 21, 2017 by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

I have had a long time friendship with the lovely Kate Griffiths, who is the creator of the Maui Mama Magazine. As a mother of two, this magazine became a monthly ritual for me for tips, advice and support especially throughout those younger years. Kate wrote me about contributing to the front page of the upcoming issue because the theme is Manawahine, the Power/Essence of the Woman/Girl as it seemed to be a perfect fit for Maui Goddess Project.

She connected me with a beautiful family of local girls and we set out to create imagery honoring the message of Mana Wahine. The super cute 8 and 4 year old daughters of Mama Pili were giggly, loving and very playful as we walked along the serene setting of Kealia Pond Boardwalk. I kept thinking I should have the girls give me strong, tight lipped faces with fists to show power and strength but it just didn’t seem right. As I watched the sisters help each other and explore together and interact kindly with their mother, I realized that this is our feminine power. Women are wired to have compassion, gentleness and to hold space for these to emotions with ease & grace requires immense amounts of internal strength. The imagery that we have been shown through mass media of what strength is and should be, isn’t all that power and strength actually entails.

Enjoy these photos of what the Feminine Strength can look like from the Maui Goddess Project perspective and continue to let this Manawahine in all of us shine.

Mahalo Kate for making this magical connection happen.