A Series of Women on Waves and Poetry on Postcards

Devon was one of the first women I met when I moved across the country from Maryland to San Diego. I was showing my photography at a women’s surf art/film festival where one of her short films was playing. I remember that she spoke on a panel that followed, talking about why the film was special to her. For a young girl trying to make community in a brand new city so far from home, I was awe struck by her to say the least. So awe struck, in fact, that I didn’t introduce myself. I watched from where I sold (or didn’t sell) my photography and imagined having a community of friends like her – a community of women who saw the beauty and magic in surfing the way I did.

Flash forward almost ten years, and Devon and I have since become friends. We still keep up with each other’s lives via good old Instagram (you can check her out here). When she’s not taking care of her precious young ones, Devon continues to surf and make art – now in the form of beautiful poetry – often just as connected to the ocean as that film was all those years ago. Her poems speak to her experience as a mother, a wife, a surfer and a woman of the world. Even though I no longer live in San Diego, I still cheer her on and feel inspired by her from afar. Meanwhile, in the time that’s passed, I’ve found myself fully embracing surf photography – particularly drawn to capturing in-water moments of women with my Nikonos waterproof film camera. I’ve taken shots around the world of women surfing all different kinds of waves in all different kinds of conditions, and I’ve found my own artistic style doodling on top of them with words from songs I love or thoughts floating around in my mind. You can see a few fun examples on my own Instagram, here.

One day, Devon sent me a simple message: “We should collaborate sometime.” It was enough to get my wheels turning, my mind mulling over the idea of collaborating with a person I was so inspired by. How could we do this? What could we create together?

Eventually, there was only one thing that made sense. Her beautiful poems and my photographs and doodles.

When I pitched her the idea, I was elated and surprised when she said let’s do it.

There was something very special to me about the way our partnership unfolded from that point on. I think it was the absolute absence of pressure throughout it all. Devon is a full-time mom of three. I have a full-time job and two other projects in the works. Both of us wanted this project to be an artistic expression of joy, not an obligation or a weight of any kind. From start to finish we maintained that, and I think it made all the difference.

One night, I found myself writing down the following words, which would eventually grace the back of every postcard:

This limited edition card series is a collaboration that attempts to illustrate the profound and dynamic relationship women have with the ocean.

In a time where women are in relationship to so many others – people, places, expectations (both from outside and within) – the ocean is a timeless and patient reminds, urging us to come home to ourselves.

With this as our compass, we took it one step at a time. We made every decision together. Devon shared her poems, I shared my photos, and we chose the ones we felt fit together and fit our project best. I drew some samples and sent them to her for high-level input before going back and designing them further. She shared some photos her husband had taken of her simply shredding, so we added those in. I suggested incorporating mandalas as an expression of the infinite nature of the ocean and the infinite nature of our relationship to it. We found a printer and collaborated to get them printed on the sustainable paper options we both felt were best. We identified the organization we wanted the proceeds to go toward and got their permission. We gave each other weeks to respond to emails and messages. Devon held patience and space for me when I needed to take two months off to deal with other things. We encouraged each other. We lifted each other up. We asked each other questions. It was so easy.

More than an effortless partnership, I feel so fulfilled by both the process and the outcome. Our postcards are tangible, visual representations of the relationship that Devon, myself and many other women who surf feel with the ocean. It transcends words – like an ethereal experience unique to each of us yet so deeply shared by others in our community. I felt it watching Devon’s surf movie more than a decade ago. It’s a feeling of true connection and presence. It’s a feeling of reuniting with ourselves in a simple and profound sequence of inexplicable and unrepeatable moments. It’s a feeling of being just us, and being held by something bigger than we are.

Maybe that doesn’t make any sense.

Maybe it actually does.

Either way, here we are – with a set of eight unique postcards for $20, all of which goes directly to the Changing Tides Foundation, whose mission is to empower women to protect the planet. (Yeah, we got behind that pretty quickly.) We’re elated that you can now purchase a pack of postcards online on Devon’s website or in person in Leucadia, California.

A tremendous thank you to Devon DeMint. She’s inspiring beyond words, despite somehow always having the words when things seem indescribable. I admire her courage and vulnerability above all else, and the bravery poetry requires. You are as rad as you were ten years ago – only this time, I’m lucky enough to say, that’s my friend.

I’m always open to collaborations – as you can see. If you’re interested, send me a message here.