Jo Buick
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I had the pleasure of visiting Jo Buick at her home and photographing her once again, this time at 9 months pregnant! It's amazing to see how much she has grown since we last captured her earlier in her pregnancy.
Jo's home is a beautiful space, filled with stunning pottery made by her partner Enrique. I couldn't resist taking some photos of the gorgeous pieces, which added a lovely touch to our shoot.
I first met Jo when she commissioned me to create her wedding ring, and I was immediately drawn to her energy and spirit. For those who don't know, Jo is a facilitator, somatics practitioner, and the founding director of the non-profit organisation, Collective Being. Her work is centred around cultivating embodied presence and connection.
Jo took some time to share some reflections on her journey…
“It’s a poignant and tender time to be photographed, at 9 months pregnant and teetering on the edge of transition. Everything feels simultaneously the same and different. As a somatic practitioner, the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that my body has undergone generate constant curiosity and I now understand the activism of birth workers. This process is strange, sacred, natural and complex, and as such, exists in contrast to the artificial systems and structures that wrap around us. The body naturally rebels, finding its own rhythm and timeline.
The rhythms of change that ripple through my body remind me of a feminist business course that I participated in almost ten years ago. The course focused on cycles over linearity, and collectivism over individualism. So much has changed in our cultural lexicon since then, but I remember a core teaching was that everything exists within a cycle, or a season - that nothing is permanent. This teaching resonated with me not only because of its reflection of Buddhist philosophy, but also because it encouraged a way of thinking that celebrated the natural rhythm of conception, birth, life and death that scaffolds all. I began to question my own desire for control, predictability and permanence, and began to (slowly) work with the notion of impermanence in all aspects of life.
In somatics, a core principle is that “we are what we practice the most." Especially at times of transition, this notion of practice is a beautiful reminder that we are always in process; always learning, changing and adapting.
xx”
Words by Jo Buick
