We all enjoy receiving love letters, but have you ever thought about writing one to yourself?
Didn’t think so.
But it’s an idea Erie-based photographer Iman Woods has taken to heart and built into a website, .
Woods was suffering with postpartum depression when she came up with the idea to turn the tide on her troubles. “I’ve been working with the Boulder Community Infant Program, and felt I needed to tell myself that I was going to get through this, it wouldn’t be this way forever,” she said.
Next, she realized other women could benefit from a similar act. “We always wait for someone else to tell us” we’re great or we’ve accomplished something important, she says.
So through her Facebook friends and fans a month ago, Woods encouraged women to write letters, and it caught on quickly.
The Inner Beauty Project asks women to write what they need to hear in order to overcome whatever hurdles they are dealing with. “All of us are survivors, of different kinds, and this is about finding the beauty and ownership in that. Identifying as a survivor, not as a victim,” Woods says.
The site is full of stories of women coping with death, illness, infertility and other serious issues.
Need a little encouragement to share your story? Woods is offering it in the form of a $2,000 gift package that includes a photo, makeover and life coaching. But act fast, as entries are due by midnight Sunday. Send letters to info@imanwoods.com.
Readers will vote online to choose the most inspiring story.
