Apaige Photography

Meet Alycia

I had the honor and joy to photograph Alycia. I met her about a month ago and was in awe of the photographs she created. We became fitness buddies and I asked her to be apart of this series on a whim. I'm really glad I did. She is absolutely gorgeous and we are a lot alike.

What do you like about yourself?

I take a lot of pride in my work ethic and being highly self-motivated. I like my wit and smart-ass-ness. I like my independence. I like my obsession with learning new things. Above all else, I like that I’ve gotten over putting my self-worth in appearance or other shallow, pointless things. It’s cliché but please, compliment me on my brain. I’ve worked hard for it.

Physically, I like that I look unique – I think my nose is a little big here, and my eyes are a little too big there, but it all comes together I guess.

What gets you discouraged?

Lately, caving into temptations. I’ve been working on cleaning up my diet and skipping all processed foods, excessive sugar, etc so when I eat a piece of candy or a donuts or something I feel let down silly as it sounds.

Physically, I get discouraged when I start comparing myself to others. I’ve always been thin, and with that comes an almost guaranteed unhealthy body image. Always wanting to be thinner, always measuring, watching weight. I’ve gotten better at understanding my hips are this big, my shoulders are this big; but sometimes when I see someone who I think is just absolutely beautiful, of course I’m going to be like “dang I wish I looked even half that good” – but I’ve learned to translate that into good energy and using it as an opportunity. I think women tend to shy away from feeling comfortable giving compliments. I think that’s stupid. If you see someone whose confidence is radiating; tell them! If they are dressed well or have amazing hair, tell them. Not only will you make their day, but there is a certain peace that comes in spreading love instead of envy.

How do you overcome your demons?

I don’t think I’m at a point where I can answer this question. Like I said, I get way too hard on myself over stupid things like eating one unhealthy thing. I tell myself “you are working to better yourself. All things take time.”

If I’m feeling really bummed out, I’ll usually grab a massive bowl of fruit and watch some social issue documentary on Netflix or pour through Reddit or watch the Daily Show. If I can’t feel good about my exterior, I might as well use the time productively. J

What is your Greatest Passion?

Equality. Honestly. I will rant for days about it because I believe so firmly in it. If you are a human, you deserve to be treated the same as your neighbor. Whether you are gay, straight, black, Hispanic, handicapped, female, whatever, it is 2015; there is absolutely no excuse for hate or a lack of acceptance. We live in a world where any information we could ever want or need lies at our fingertips. There isn’t any room for discrimination anymore.

I’m passionate about social justice. I’m passionate about sleeping. I’m passionate about bettering yourself as a person. I love hiking, kayaking, snowboarding, Red Wings hockey, Nike workout clothes, my cats, sleeping, and banana based smoothies.

I have a little photography business that I have been doing for about five years. I am passionate about making photography accessible to everyone. There are families who will go their entire lives without ever getting one good photo together. I think that is unacceptable. I get really frustrated when I hear stories of having budge be the reason a family cant get a single photo taken. I have a really, really hard time with that.

I have lost so many loved ones in the last couple of years and speaking from experience, photographs aid memory. When you have years and years of memories with someone it may take a little trigger to help remember these things. Whether its an iphone photo or a professional photo. I'm passionate about cataloging memories because you never really know when you are going to lose those memories. Yeah, I'm really passionate about that.

I was really excited to work with Ashley because we both share these views. It's pretty awesome meeting a fellow photographer who sees people as first, and compensations as a lesser priority. I think the world would be far more beautiful with a little more empathy.