YOUR EMPIRE PHOTOSHOOT

These photos could not have come at a better time. Hello Gorgies! So last week was a very emotional week for me. Been getting a lot of modelling gigs which I am very grateful for but my personal life has been a bit meh, which has meant that I have been dealing with lots of varied emotions. These pictures have just reminded me of how much joy life has to offer despite the struggles and pain.

I worked with the amazing Caz Dyer again for this shoot for Lauren Doody's collection. This collection for me made me feel like a super hero. And the location just added the invincibility aspect of it for me. I have my natural hair out and doing what I love with people who are equally as passionate about their craft so I felt truly content and like myself (which is something I have been vocal about struggling with).

This shoot for me was like Beyoncé's Lemonade but my own version of black girl magic celebration. There are no limits to our (all human beings) capabilities except the ones we impose on ourselves through our thoughts. Tonight's post will be a bit more sentimental and deeper than usual because I am tired of people (myself included) thinking that there is someone with a 'perfect life'. Life is a dichotomy. The good comes with the bad and vice versa.

Anything that empowers you? Go for it with a passion that cannot be paralleled. Life is hard enough when you do the practical thing or the thing you are expected to do. What's the harm in going after what you love instead? I feel more alive than I have ever felt since I dropped out of my first uni and relocated to the UK. Don't take my joy to mean that I have it made, it just means that I have found something that makes life worth living.

You also never know how many people you will inspire just by chasing your dreams. This blog post is a typical example. I doubt when Lauren was designing her collection she was thinking, 'oh this is going to inspire Lorraine to be unapologetically herself no matter how much easier it might seem just to give in to society's expectations'. Sure I might have come to this conclusion on my own but I didn't. It took this photoshoot for me to realise how much power I have.

Besides all the epiphanies and emotional staff, there was quite a bit going on during the shoot. From the cold windy morning to almost being thrown out of the location, I think this shoot was possibly one of the hardest but truly most enjoyable. If you are anything like me, you get a thrill when there are a few curve balls thrown your way. I almost fell a couple of times from the raised platform I was posing on but hey ho, even more fun.

In the words of Keke Palmer, 'life is a f*****g fairy tale, ride that s**t till the wheels come off'. Sure there is bound to be plenty of tears but there would be no rainbow without the rain.

Special thanks once again to Lauren Doody for letting me model her awesome collection. The simplicity of your inspiration and theme is powerful and my family absolutely loved seeing your designs. Caz Dyer you are always an amazing collaborator. Thank you.

DESIGN AND STYLE: Lauren Doody

PHOTOGRAPHY: Caz Dyer

LOCATION: Hilton Hotel