Men learn to love... / February 4, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

“Men learn to love the woman they are attracted to. Women learn to become attracted to the man they fall in love with.” ― Woody Allen

Happiness / February 1, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

You know where to find your happiness. It's in your heart. Follow it. Fear and logic may lead you down the path of least resistance because it's easier and far less terrifying, but you'll never be able to silence the aching whine emanating from your chest. Listen to it.

Hard Flesh / January 29, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

I'm in love with your soft eyes boring into my hard flesh and I'm in love with your hands, the way your palms rest comfortably against the back of my heart and your fingers enclose it within the pulpy confines of your sturdy fingers, always grasping at the relentless breath escaping my throat.

Jessie / January 22, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

My illustration and process of my friend, Jessalyn.

With the Possibility of God / January 20, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

And inescapably, the sadness returned to the pit of my heart and the emptiness lingered in the pit of my stomach and because I didn’t know how to relinquish such feeling, they became something I learned to live with, like chronic pain you’ve heard there is no treatment for. I had completely forgotten who I was and my early beginnings at forming a relationship with my soul, with nature and with the possibility of God.

#freethenipple, the comic / January 14, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

The illustration and process for my #freethenipple piece.

Love of My Life / January 14, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

"Pretty sure you were the love of my life." -A.L.
"Why do you say that?"
"I can never stop thinking about you." -A.L.

Persevere / January 13, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

I will persevere, when your skin cracks open beneath my fingers, when your bones become too brittle to hold you up, when light and dark are indecipherable, when ribbons of your blood weep to the floor threatening to drown us both, I will laugh at the audacity, I will inflate my lungs in defiance and I will hold on, I will persevere.

How, Then, Shall We Live? / January 10, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

"Clearly our wounds need our attention. But when we concentrate exclusively upon our hurt, we learn to see the brokenness, losses, or injuries we have been given as the most important things in our lives. We cultivate an attention to these wounds in such a way that, over time, they come to occupy the most important place in our heart. Our wound lives in the center of our thoughts. In this way, we actually come to love our suffering." —Wayne Muller

Mr. O / January 6, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

Mr. O, a frequent patron of my heart but rarely the subject of my art.

Her Hands Will Embrace Your Throbbing Throat / January 3, 2015 by Rebecca Tillett

Her smile will level you
Quite like her big green eyes
Nestled unassumingly behind
Her fluttering lids
But her hands will embrace
Your throbbing throat and squeeze
Until your lips turn blue
And your memories of her
Dissolve into the blinding stench
f dreams unrealized.

365//365 / December 31, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

At 2013’s end, like a raging forest fire I burned everything in my life down and started over in 2014 as something new. I spent this year fostering new growth, and becoming reacquainted with myself. And it’s been one beautifully eye-opening experience.

362//365 / December 28, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

"The Church says: the body is a sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: The body is a business. The Body says: I am a fiesta." —Eduardo Galeano

360//365 / December 26, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

A friend once told me "Denver has no soul." Until then, I hadn't been able to articulate exactly why I didn't take to the city and ever since and in every comparably sized city I visit, I find myself searching for its soul, its unmistakeable aura and personality like the feeling you get when meeting a stranger for the first time, that primal sense based only on feeling and emotion and in almost every one, it is unquestioningly undeniable.

351//365 / December 17, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

Could I say it's been 16 years and I hardly think of you anymore? Could I say I've forgotten so many of the sad details of your life that helped to paint my own in such vividly dark colors? Could I say I've forgiven you for robbing me of a life without a father, the opportunity to open my heart to you and spill 16 years of pain, now doubled, the sudden way you changed and redefined my life, or the way you didn't say goodbye?

347//365 / December 14, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

My fingers follow the roads and highways of your back,
reading it like a map
Every mole and freckle, a rest stop
On my way to the scenic bridge of your neck,
An overpass with breathtaking views
Breaking there to get my bearings
To will the flashing of my life
Before my fingers’ eyes Jump, jump, fly
and I find them alive on the rugged trail of your jawline
tip-toeing through rough terrain
The land moves easily here
And my fingers sway in alliance
As they travel north and linger
On the rim of the hollow of your eye
The universe

Innermost / December 10, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

So what now? As I was shooting this intimate set last weekend and scrunching my face up in disapproval at each glance of every image, I thought to myself "Maybe this is it for my self-portrait work. Maybe it was a good run but I'm getting old and less thrilled at my appearance and maybe it's time to retire as my own model." And now especially, with a lack of a good spot for photos, the incentive to give this side of my work a break is quite high.

332//365 / November 29, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

What can you tell me now that you couldn’t one year ago? Could you tell me how your reflection in the mirror has changed with such fervent subtlety that you hardly recognize the person you once were? Could you describe to me the palpable feeling of the shattering of such long-held presumptions of yourself? Could you tell me how fucking beautiful the silencing of such familiar doubts in your head can be? Could you tell me how your smile is an accessory you rarely leave home without?

Brandice, Joel and Ethan / November 22, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

It's probably obvious, based on my usual subject matter, that family photography is not my forte. I sometimes make exceptions for those I've shot previously or anyone close to me in my life but even then, I tend to have a "Thanks for asking but that's not my specialty" ready to go in my arsenal of responses to the "Won't you take pictures of my family?" question, just in case.

Fall in Love Twice / November 20, 2014 by Rebecca Tillett

"I realized recently, that I've been steadily re-falling in love with him over the last six months that he's been here. That's a weird feeling: thinking you know and love someone so unconditionally and wholly but realizing there's so much more to this person that you couldn't possibly fall in love with before he was able to stand half a foot in front of you and put his arms around you while whispering "God, you're beautiful and shit, do I love you so much." I've been fortunate enough to fall in love with him twice. Did you know that was possible? I sure as shit didn't. It's an unearthly and dreamlike experience."