My 20th Birthday and a big fat thankyou!

Today was beyond wonderful. Today I received so many messages of love, support, friendship and kindness I didn't know what to do with myself.

I got cards from friends and family - and one postcard from Andy Billman, a flickr friend who attended one of my workshops in London. As soon as I read the first few lines, I BURST into floods of tears and had to have my mum read it out to me. I can't explain how lucky I feel today to be surrounded by so much love, and be surrounded by so many kind-hearted, warm friendly people on the web.

This is my old friend Amber and I! She came along with me today while I took some self portraits in the woods. Amber has been there for me every step of the way - when I came back from America feeling hopeless and lonely, she picked me up, took me out and talked all my fears away. I love Amber to pieces, she is one of the wonderful people in this world who truly are special.



Now for the serious stuff :P

This past year has been the hardest one of my life. From moving out to a different country, complete and utter disappointment in myself and experiencing some pretty darn horrible feelings, then finding myself working and photographing Maroon 5 and on a billboard in Times Sq, NYC, it's been pretty unbelievable.
This time last year I was sat outside a motel, in a car park, crying to myself. I felt completely lonely, completely lost and ashamed of the person I was.



This time last year a woman walked past me walking her dog, stopped and gave me a hug. She asked me what was wrong, and took me back to her motel room where her entire family embraced me, hugged me and talked it out with me. Complete and utter strangers - that night they became my family.

Today I got to spend the day with my family, both offline and online. My faith in humanity as a whole has been restored time and time again by the people I have met in my life.

I have a bad habit of being really really hard to get hold of, with everyone - my friends in real life always give me so much support and so often I don't find the time to tell them how much I appreciate it. So for every facebook wall comment I got, I wrote to each person and thanked them.

Amber sneakily snapped these shots of me when I got some happy birthday texts earlier :)




And I want to say thank you to everyone online who has supported me and my photography this past year - seriously guys, I wouldn't have come this far without any of you.

You guys are just so wonderful. For a person to take the time out of their day to say something nice to me, or give me advice, or just say hello - it just makes me realize how wonderful people are. And it inspires me and it motivates me to do the same to the people I encounter in my life. And to help people in my situation - whether it be photographically, or with relationships, or loneliness, or alopecia, anything.

It's because of you guys that I am the happiest I have ever been, and as determined and motivated that I have ever been. I have faith in love after reading all your stories, and I have faith in humanity, which is just a huge thing to have.

So this is just a big thank you, from me to you and anyone who has ever been kind to anyone without want or gain. I can only hope that I can become as wonderful a person as you all are.

keep on snappin' ;)

Rosie xxx