Posing nude with over 3,000 people changed me in a deep and profound way.
Back in 2004, I was one of thousands of men and women who gathered in an old, abandoned building in Buffalo, New York, to participate in the Iconic Artist Spencer Tunick’s art installation photoshoot.
At the time I was an art columnist for View Magazine and Pulse Magazine. Each week I wrote about a different artist and their creative process. As a result I received all the media releases for upcoming shows, art events and creative projects. When I saw the press release for Spencer Tunick’s art installation, I knew I didn’t want to just write about it, I wanted to experience it.
Even though I had an unexplainable desire to participate in this naked art event, I was terrified!
The idea of being naked with thousands of people, both men and women, was not something on my ‘to-do’ list, it was something on my ‘don’t do’ list. I had body insecurities, people anxieties and a whole host of beliefs that didn’t support ease with nudity with people. In fact I had always secretly admired people who could freely roam around at nudist colonies with a sense of ease in their bodies. I didn’t understand it, but wished somehow I could.
Despite the fear, I was called and I answered.
This is the final image of Spencer Tunick’s art installation that day. I am one of the women on the right side towards the middle.
Now over 10 years later, I have had some distance from the experience to reflect on what this monumental event did for me and harvest the lessons learned. These lessons can be applied to anything in our lives that call us to stretch into nü(de) spaces.
As you’re reading these 4 lessons learned from posing nude, pause and notice how you can apply these lessons to your life right now. Where are you being called to stretch into nü(de) spaces?
4 lessons learned from posing nude
1. Create Internal Safety
Feeling at ease isn’t about what anyone else is doing or being, it is about what you are doing and being internally. I realized that in order to pose nude I had to create an internal space where I felt safe. To create internal safety I established trust in myself. I practiced listening to myself and noticing my comfort level moment by moment to discern the difference between fear and healthy risk so I could act in favor of my true desires. I learned to honor what is best for me even if it is uncomfortable.
How can you create internal safety for yourself in your life?
2. Show up
Simply showing up to this unusual experience taught me that there are opportunities to grow and expand all the time, we simply have to show up to the opportunities. Simply showing up changed me, it rearranged the particles of my being. I made a decision and I did it. Showing up is about hearing the call of your spirit and moving in that direction. Showing up is about being willing to step into something where you don’t know exactly how it will go, and being willing to find out.
Where is there an opportunity for you to show up in your life?
3. Surrender
I had (have) body issues, I’m starting to believe they never really go away, they just become teachers on the journey. Even though body issues were (are) present I made a decision to surrender to the moment and let go. Let go of the fear of someone looking at my bum, let go of the fear that someone may deem me ugly, let go of the fear that I may smell unpleasant to someone else, just let go. Surrender is about trusting something bigger than fear.
What do you trust that is bigger than your fears?
4. Connect
When I saw all the men and women bouncing into the space for the art installation, I realized, we’re all just people. We all have beauty and some ugly. We all are going through a process of creating internal safety, showing up and surrendering. Even if it is never spoken, we are all connected in our humanness and our common desire to be in this unusual situation. Being willing to connect in unspoken ways alleviates anxiety because it releases the belief of separation. Separation consciousness feeds fear, connection consciousness grows love.
Where are you feeling isolated or separate in your life? How can you uncover a sense of connectivity in your life?
Posing nude for Spencer Tunick’s art installation was a gift. It reminded me of the power of art and the power of transformation through connecting our humanness with our creative spirit. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and all the lessons learned.
Have you ever posed nude? What was that experience like for you? Did you learn something from my 4 lessons learned from posing nude? I’d love to hear about it. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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