The story behind the creation of The Diversities of Gifts is one of many close calls. Many times I told myself “I can’t do this. I won’t be ready in time. I’ll just finish this photo later.” But a New Year’s resolution I made back in January helped me to push through and complete the task. To finally, after three long years, finish Daughters of the King. I don’t believe I’ve felt such an immense amount of relief since I took my last exam in April of 2013, a few short days before I graduated from university and said goodbye to tests and class projects forever (…hopefully).

 

 

This story begins back in October, when some insane part of my brain decided that starting a 365 the very same month I had planned on doing three large scale photo projects (meaning creating costumes, scouting out locations, and finding models) was how I needed to finish out my year. What this meant was that, for the remainder of the year, if I wasn’t out taking photos for my 365, I was seated in my little project room in front of my sewing machine, bringing corsets and skirts to life underneath my hands.
Maybe you’re wondering why the image, which represents the value of Individual Worth, a value that stands for self-confidence in your own individuality, has three girls in it and not just one? I certainly thought about doing it that way. But once I found the scripture that inspired this piece, using more than one model seemed to be the only way that made sense to me. Here is why: in 1 Corinthians 12: 4-12 it reads:

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

I wanted this image to showcase all the unique spiritual gifts each of us comes to this earth possessing. Almost every aspect of this piece was well thought out in advance, with the books, plants, snake, magnifying glass, and even the stars in the window all representing one of these spiritual gifts. For example, the books on the floor and in the hand of the model represent the gifts of knowledge and wisdom mentioned in verse eight.
The gifts of faith and healing are represented by the orchid plant and serpent slowly creeping up its stem. Many months ago, I mentioned in my post for To Bring Forth Fruit how plants remind me of the value of faith. With their start as a tiny seed, plants are much like our testimony, growing and growing the more we water them into a beautiful flowering plant. The single snake, winding its way up the stem of the orchid plant seems at first an ironic choice to represent healing, but the inspiration for this was drawn from the Rod of Asclepius, the ancient symbol of healing and medicine in which a solitary snake winds around a simple rod.

 


To represent the gifts of prophesy and discerning of spirits, I utilized a magnifying glass and stars. The magnifying glass was placed in one model’s hand, for the gift of prophesy is the ability to see the details that are not normally able to be seen, while stars are seen through the window. Representing the discerning of spirits, each star is meant to symbolize an angel, or spirit, as they are often depicted in ancient Christian art.
Lastly, the gift of interpretation and speaking of tongues is simply alluded to by the sheets of music in the third model’s lap. Having grown up playing the violin and piano, I have often felt that music is another language, one that is capable of capturing the complexities of a person’s emotions, conveying them to someone else in its entirety, without a single word ever having been spoken.

 

 

Knowing all the symbols I wanted to bring into this image and actually executing my vision are two entirely different things, however. I had planned on taking the images when I was home in Arkansas visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, a task I hadn’t realized would be as difficult as it was. Time seemed to be playing for the rival team in the weeks leading up to this piece, dragging me closer and closer to my deadline, all while I seemed to be falling further and further behind with my preparations. The give you an example of the frantic scrambling I was doing, the costumes in this image were literally being sewn five minutes prior to my friend pulling up to my house to take me to the airport. Grabbing the skirts I had completed, as well as the fabric and patterns needed to complete what I hadn’t, I threw it all in my carry-on and ran out the door.
I spent the next few nights and early mornings while in Arkansas trying to complete these costumes. In fact, the morning of the shoot found me shut in my parents dining room, frantically sewing the very last skirt and under-dress before my models were due to arrive. Many, many times I debated contacting the mother of my models and telling her I just wasn’t ready, that we would just have to take the photos when I was home next.

 


However, the promise I had made myself on January 1, 2016 kept forcing its way into my thoughts, pushing me through to the end. I wanted to finish this project so badly. To feel like I had accomplished something monumental for myself. And I knew, despite the fact that I didn’t “feel ready”, that I was. And so, with my three models sitting in my parent’s living room, our Christmas tree lighting the room with its faint glow, the last image in this three-year project was finally captured. Just a week and a half before the end of the year I am finally sharing the last of this project and fulfilling the promise I made to myself almost 365 days ago.