about last night

My friend Chloe took this picture with her phone outside Woolies on George street in the city last night and I love it. We’d just left a bar where we were celebrating the opening of Small Town Girl – Australia, South Africa and the USA at Gaffa gallery and I was feeling so happy. An hour or two earlier I was in a room full of people I love and people I’d never met. 23 framed photographs representing the best and brightest experiences I’d had over the previous two and a half years were lining the walls. Looking around that room, I realised that the Small Town Girl project encompasses so, so much more than the images. It occurred to me that it really isn’t about the photos at all. It’s about relationships and connection. The camera is the ‘key’ that gives me access to the girls’ lives – it’s my reason for being there – but the experiences we share, the things we learn from each other and the reciprocal understanding we gain is the real reason and purpose. The photos are just evidence, you know?

I’d like to thank everyone who came along and said kind things and told me that the photos/words on the walls made them feel something – the highest compliment. I’d especially like to thank dear, dear Justin – my mentor and friend – who spoke so beautifully about the project and tied it together perfectly. I am so fortunate. The world is abundant.