Dear World is more than just a picture; that’s the lesson I was fortunate to learn on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

For years, I’ve followed the images put up on Facebook by friends called, “Dear World” pictures, and I’ve always thought they were cool. From a pseudo-philosophical youth view, I loved the messages written on the participants. From a developing photographer, I loved the self-portraits.

Needless to say, I was interested since the first time I ever saw one of those pictures, and I’ve wanted to do one.

I flopped for years, imagining the day I’d finally get to take my picture. What message would I write? I played around with the idea, “You’re still with me in here,” with a heartwarming pose of one hand over my heart. Another day, I thought, “I’ll make it my own way,” just as something inspiring.

I went through hundreds of possibilities, forever anticipating the day I would finally get to write on my skin and share some quote or phrase with me with a posed stance.

Finally, that opportunity came; Dear World came to my school, and nothing would stop me from taking that picture.

I was standing in line, wondering just what I wanted to say and how I would say it. I was reading the writings of those who were in front of me, hoping to draw some inspiration from them. I didn’t know if this would be my one and only chance to do this, and I wanted nothing more than to get it right.

The trend I noticed from all of those around me was they all shared a simple theme: they were personal messages. They weren’t borrowed inspirational lines or movie quotes that could be instantly recognized by a majority of who could see the picture. The words were the people in front of me. They were the heart and soul and very essence of the person who was wearing them.

People were telling stories of happiness and tragedy. Of successes and failures. Of frustrations and goals.

Of life and themselves.
And that was when I realized what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.

Dear World Picture Reveal at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Photo by Karley Nugent

“I’ll change the world with my photography.”

That is the message I chose to share.

Is it a message that will change someone’s life? No. Will it inspire some great movement or some great change in the future? Not at all. But it is my message. It will change my life. It will inspire me to start a great movement and change the future.

It is my promise to myself, and that’s what is incredible about this project.

It’s about letting the world know exactly who you are. It’s about saying what matters to you and letting people know why.

Photography is everything to me. It is my past, my present, and my future. It’s my lifeblood and the air that I breathe. It is everything that makes up who I am and who I will become.

I want nothing more in life than to use my photos to change the world just as great photographers of the past did for me.

And Dear World helped me spread that message; my message, to everyone.

Realizing that Dear World was more than just a picture on the internet changed my perspective on life and those around me.

We all have stories, and they all beg to be shared. Whether that means writing it on your skin or screaming it out in a crowd.

Dear World taught me that my story matters, and so does yours.

Share it, always. And be proud, always.

And happy exploring, always.