I am so happy to introduce you to Deb Taylor today. Although, now that I think about it, she probably does not need an introduction as I am certain many of you are familiar with her work. Deb and I met on the interwebs several years ago. I had a blog. She had a blog. We discovered each other’s blogs. The rest is history. She is an inspiring free spirit. She takes incredible self-portraits (among other things). Read on, you’ll see…

I am an odd combination of tomboy, boho-hippie and vintage lace dresses.
Never make-up, rarely hair product, always flip-flops.

On occasion a vintage dress shows up in my world. My mind goes wild trying to figure out all the stories that could be told by the woman who once wore such a delicate slip of silk.

I imagine my grandmother as an 18 year old virgin, blushing with nervousness while she awaits her soon to be husband arrive at the doorstep. My fingers run down the tattered panels of lace. I wonder how she could possibly get in and out of his car without ripping apart the tiny seams.

That dress hangs on my wall, like a sacred piece of art.
My imagination continues to invent brand new chapters while weaving old memories into this delicate drape of vintage silk that I wish could talk to me. So I create self portrait images that tell my fantasy stories.

One morning as I awoke the early sunrise light called my name.
I grabbed my camera, tripod, remote…and that dress.
I went to the river.
I wiggled myself into it. I felt pretty. It suddenly became a new part of me.
I danced and twirled. I posed and flirted with the camera lens.
I ignored the fishermen returning to the docks with their fresh catch of the day.
I giggled about the way I was barefoot and swatting mosquitoes on this balmy summer morning.

I wrote a new chapter that day, wearing a vintage dress that was waiting for someone like me to come along and reinvent her story.
And as for me, that day, my inner pretty girl emerged. I took her hand and we still dance together on occasion wearing pretty little slips of silk.

Tell me, what calls your name to dress up and play another role that does not fit your ordinary daily routine?
Is it a funky hat ? Maybe an old leather vest ? Or how about those black patent pumps ?
This is the time of year where costumes and parties invite us to become someone else…or are we really dressing up to be just like ourselves?

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Deb Taylor is a colorful mixture of artist-photographer-blogger-foodie-hippie-beachcomber-peace seeker. Her fervor for life is intoxicating. She believes that drinking in all the possible moments of every single day is vital to her Soul. You can find more of Deb’s work here…

What’s Deb Doing?
She is Three
Flickr