Guest Post - Start Something Beautiful

It started with an idea, I planted the seed and I'm watching it grow. 


I had this little idea that I could make a big change in the world if I was able to gather amazing breastfeeding photos of women of all sizes, shapes, colours and with breastfeeding children of all ages, and turn them into something beautiful. I wanted it to be a grassroots project with photos of real women breastfeeding their often hilarious children. I wrote a little blog post, and shared online. I created an email account to receive the photos and it's grow faster than I can imagine. 


Women from all over the world are submitting their photos into this breastfeeding project, and I'm not sure how I will ever choose between 10-20 to use in print - I'm still keeping the end product under wraps as I work out how I will finance this project, but that isn't stopping women submitting them. I started a facebook account for women to share their photos of them breastfeeding their children that weren't good enough quality for the finished print version and it's beautiful seeing what it has become. The wall is filled with photos and people wanting to know how they can be a part of this project. 

Start Something Beautiful will be a grassroots breastfeeding activism project, that will go to print in November, and pre-sale will begin in the Autumn of 2012. I hope that it will be a huge worldwide success and fill the days of people around the world with the sweetest images of love at its purest. The only incentive these amazing women had to share their images is knowing that they could win a free copy if their images was chosen - and they don't even know what the free copy is of! Women truly are opening their hearts, knowing that someone with a passion for changing the world, one woman at a time would do great work with what they share. I'm in awe. 


I want to include photos of twins, and tandem nursing, adoptive nursing, relactation breastfeeding, breastfeeding while babywearing, in cloth diapers or while practicing elimination communication, brand new babies, long lanky children, on top of a mountain, in the ocean, women of colour, women of all shapes and sizes! I want to make it feel totally acceptable, to embrace everyone, to make breastfeeding seem normal.


As a huge believer in seeing breastfeeding will help improve the breastfeeding rates and to help re-normalize breastfeeding. I hope that Start Something Beautiful inspires new mothers to try breastfeeding who may not have otherwise, or to give women who think she is the only person in the world nursing her 3 year old a sense of deep belonging. I want to celebrate the beauty that is breastfeeding in an accessible and daily way. 


So, please excuse me while I go calculate wholesale costs for your Midwifery office, and work out shipping costs for my new friends and collaborators around the world. Pre-sales of Start Something Beautiful will be available shortly....as will the reveal of what exactly this project is. 


I hope you'll submit a photo, join the facebook group, tell your friends and support breastfeeding pairs in all the ways you can. 


Join the facebook group Start Something Beautiful to stay up-to-date on our growth and for the peoples choice voting! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/305667892853840/


Warmly, 
Amber Skye Morrisey 
A student Midwife, Childbirth Educator, Doula, Placenta Encapsulator, Reiki Practitioner and Babywearing Educator 
www.birthroutes.com