‘finger paint’ the art of self expression
Model: Jazmany Reyes
styled, creative directed + shot by Maia Feruzi
Wednesday April 21st 2021 4:13pm
📍Dorchester Center, MA
shot on: canon eos rebel t3i 18-24mm
concept
Exploring child like wonder through an artistic medium. As adults we often forget what it was like to be children, particularly the freedom of joy and self expression. As children there are much fewer societal barriers when it comes to saying one’s opinion and feeling your full range of emotions. If you don’t like something you say so. If you love something you tell everyone you can. If something inspires joy you feel it to the fullest extent and allow that feeling to work it’s way through your whole body and then into whatever tools you use for self expression. As adults we often fall into the ‘time and place’ mindset, where we must segment our emotions and refrain from fully experiencing them until we are in an acceptable area or in front of the proper crowd. In this shoot I wanted to tap back into that raw emotion of childhood where making a mess was just a part of life. A time when you lost yourself in the process of creation and worried about clean up after. A time where laughter flowed as easily as tears and emotions were not things that came with conditions.
Jazmany’s background in dance came to play a lot in this shoot, allowing him to flow from each pose organically the way he would in a contemporary setting. The only directions I gave him were to have fun and to be as messy as he wanted with the paint. I did not tell him where to draw on his body, what colors to use, or how to do anything. I simply provided him with the tools and the space to express himself how he saw fit and then I captured it all with my camera. For that reason this was one of the most enjoyable shoots I’ve ever done. Ten bottles of paint, one white canvas, an empty room, and two creative individuals unlocked something sacred about humanity. Our love of freedom in the tiniest of actions. Our desire for community and spaces where we can allow our soul to resonate at higher and more peaceful frequencies. And of course the simple joy of creation. As products of creation ourselves it is only natural that we do so carefree and without abandon.
When asked post the shoot if he was drawing anything specific Jazmany stated no, that he just painted with no thoughts or specific design in mind. That makes it all the more interesting the natural symmetry that developed on his chest and arms as well as the core like golden center, that almost appears to be a shining soul.