Wordsworth once said that “What we have loved, others will love, and we will teach them how.” I love stories, books, and literature; they were my first obsessions. Passion for what I love drives me daily to get out of bed in the morning with a fire in my soul to create. Becoming a photographer was a natural progression into the land of stories that I adore. Nevertheless, I never imagined it would lead me to the opportunity to photograph the dress of my dreams, a custom literary book dress.
Meeting Sybil of White Knight Cosplay
Being an introvert, I have a terrible habit of being a hermit during the winter because I recharge in the quiet of my home. The intense push of fall and holiday shoots leaves me empty and hollow by the time the New Year begins. The exhaustion, coupled with the COVID restrictions, made me depressed, but it is hard to be depressed around my dear friend Sheri.
Sheri called me randomly at 8:30 PM one of the first weeks of 2020 and told me I was coming to her house for a small gathering. I laughed and said that I was in for the evening.
“Sabrina, I don’t care. I will come over and drag you out of your house if I have to! There are people here who want to meet you.” It didn’t matter how much I argued; Sheri persisted until I asked JJ if he wanted to go. He said he was tired, but I should go and enjoy myself.
When I finally arrived, Sheri immediately introduced me to Sybil, another friend of hers.
Within one minute, Sybil and I instantly connected and babbled non-stop, showing each other pictures. We connected through our love of folk and fairy tales and reading.
Sybil is the creator behind White Knight Cosplay and creates and designs costumes faster than anyone I have ever seen.
I now jokingly call her a “one-woman sweatshop!”
Planting the Book Seed
After we chatted for a bit, we were already bouncing ideas off one another for shoots. She told me that she would love to make something for me to photograph.
On a whim, I showed her a picture I had found on Pinterest of a book-themed dress, and she smiled and said, “I can make that.”
I had no idea what she would create or how fast she created.
We all had a great time that night getting to know one another, and before I left, I thanked Sheri for forcing me to get out of the house.
Sheri’s response, “See, I told you are awesome and needed to get out more.”
When the Book Dress Came to Life
A few months later, just as my photography season was starting to take off, I received a message on Instagram from Sybil. When I opened it, I squealed with delight and awe.
In shock, I ran outside to get JJ’s attention jumping up and down with excitement. Even he was in awe of how beautiful the dress was I was looking at.
Sybil took the tiny seed of one image we had both randomly fallen in love with on the internet and brought it to life with her masterful skills. Her interpretation was so unique, elegant, and breathtaking I didn’t know what to say.
What touched me the most was that someone of Sybil’s caliber actually wanted to collaborate with me. Many people believe I am an extrovert, but I’m not. I often lack the courage to reach out to other creatives because of my shyness and insecurity.
I can’t express how I felt when I realized that the ideas I had been dreaming could come to fruition and that other people out there wanted the same things.
The Missing Puzzle Piece of My Creativity
The experience of working with Sybil and Sheri this past year has pushed me creatively. I can’t sew, nor can I do hair and makeup. There have always been ideas, but I did not know how to bring them to life.
My own fears of rejection and insecurity have been holding me back. I’m thankful for Sheri as well because she pushed me.
These two women have been the missing puzzle pieces in my journey to creating what visits me in my dreams. They have given me focus, and we daily encourage and uplift one another.
This book dress is only the beginning because we have been creating for several months now. Wait until you see what we have in store for you to enjoy.
The lesson I have learned is what Wordsworth said, ““What we have loved, others will love, and we will teach them how.”
Sheri and Sybil love what I love, and they have been teaching me how to express myself in new ways, and for that, they have my deepest gratitude.
Our hopes are that you will also come to love what we create and go on this journey with us.
Come Back Soon!
Come back here soon because, in my next post, I will take you into the land of story. Now that you have seen the dress, don’t you want to know why it was created? I bet you do!
Continue on here to see Why are stories powerful? Plus you see more of this gown!
