Jennifer Bastian
How We Keep Our Fears
December 2016 - January 2017
“I am afraid all of the time. Of losing my family, my friends, my country, my life. Those who know me know I’ve had several experiences one might call ‘near death.’ Walking through life holding my breath and waiting for the next dangerous experience to befall me is no way to live. Yet fear lingers.
So I ask questions. Who else is afraid? Is everyone? I want to learn from people I know, people I have not yet met, people I will likely never meet. I want to hear their stories. Try to comprehend fears I have never been exposed to, pull myself out of my own experience for long enough to feel something different. Shake myself out of complacency and remember that there are many other realities in the world.
The first time I started asking people questions, it saved my life. I was severely depressed and was turned completely inward. I realized that if I did not reach out and discover how other people coped with the same life struggles, I wasn’t sure where I would end up. People were generous, they answered, and it propelled me forward. I felt lucky (and selfish!) and I wanted to know more.
So I continue to photograph. I continue to ask questions.” —Jennifer Bastian
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