Inside my shell

Inside my shell is born from a collaboration with artist and photographer Mariana Alegra from her project Lumina Creator Collective.

There was a time when I retreated into my shell—a sanctuary I had built to shield myself from a world that felt too harsh, too chaotic, too unkind. Within this cocoon of quiet, I faced myself. The walls of my shell held my vulnerability, giving me space to heal and to regrow.

It was during this tender time that someone else saw me. Truly saw me. Through her lens, Mariana captured the intimate, unspoken story of my transformation. I remember the way I sat, cautious yet open, feeling the presence of her gaze. She didn’t intrude; she didn’t judge. She simply held the space with her camera, allowing me to unfold in front of her.

The photographs revealed a version of me I was only beginning to understand—a raw and delicate self, protecting what was still fragile yet fiercely alive.

My hair, barely more than a soft crown of new growth, became a symbol of everything I was reclaiming. Each strand was a testament to my resilience, a quiet rebellion against the forces that had tried to strip me of my essence.

I was guarded, yes, but not broken. The photographs showed the way I held myself: arms wrapped around my body, a shield and an embrace all at once. My gaze—direct, hesitant, defiant—spoke volumes. It wasn’t just the vulnerability that Mariana Alegra captured; it was the strength growing beneath it.

Looking at those images now, I see the chrysalis for what it was: a sacred pause before I would emerge, magnificent and whole.

Today, I wear that crown of regrown hair proudly, no longer needing the shell to protect me. The woman in those photographs was not diminished by her vulnerability—she was forged by it. The photographs remain, not as artifacts of who I was, but as sacred reminders of the journey: the rawness, the regrowth, the rebirth.