Bold Beautiful Perfect

Leanna, Bay St. Louis

 

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“Beauty isn’t a feeling; it’s what’s in your heart.”  – Leanna

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Tell us about yourself, Leanna!

Hello! I’m Leanna Garcia and some of my passions are loving Jesus, being a wife, raising kind and loving children, caring for children in foster care, and creating beauty through art.

When I was selected to be a part of this project, I was surprised but excited to be a part of this conversation about beauty. For so long, I’ve clung to this idea and expectation of beauty that was impossible to achieve, and I see so many women doing the same thing.

Being a part of this project really made me dig deep and focus on what being beautiful means, and I hope that it encourages others to do so as well.

How did you come to understand your inner beauty?

As a teenager, I thought that the attention of others would make me feel prettier or give me more validation of being beautiful. As a young adult and newly married, I started putting less meaning on physical beauty. Instead, I thought that in order to be beautiful I needed to be a “good” person. I thought the better a person I was, the more beautiful I would be and feel.

However, that too was impossible to achieve. How good was “good enough”? How would I ever hit that mark if I didn’t even know what I was trying to achieve?

I had to really ask myself, does goodness equal beauty? Does having long hair equal beauty? Does my weight determine my beauty? Does my happiness equal beauty?

I began to understand what beauty really meant when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Beauty isn’t a feeling, it’s what’s in your heart. Beauty doesn’t ebb and flow based off of how we feel, but it’s secured in who we are.

When I realized being beautiful isn’t dependent on my goodness or how much I weighed, but that I am all together beautiful because I was created in the perfect image of God, everything changed for me.

My beauty isn’t about me anymore, and any beauty in me, is His. The hope, joy, security, and love for others that I’ve found in Jesus is beautiful. Once I allowed that beauty into my heart, I found such a peace. It’s not about me, but about the One who created me.

I am beautiful because of the stony, stubborn heart that Jesus has wiped clean and made new. No one else can take that away.

What parts of your story can you share to help women to understand their own beauty?

You are beautiful, just as you are, because of our Heavenly Father who perfectly created you. No one else can take away, judge, or determine our inner beauty.

When we step into that truth, we are taking back the power of others opinions and handing it back to God. His Word tells us how He sees His children, in all of our beauty, so we don’t have to guess. That is what we should focus on and cling to.

We are beautiful. For the one who created us created us in His perfect image. He is the ultimate artist, and we are each His masterpiece.

 

 

What was your experience with the photo shoot?

For me, the shoot was a moment of really pressing into and shaking off the worldly perception of beauty. I feel like the shoot really gave me the voice and opportunity to share my story.

My photo shoot with Brandi was such a beautiful and spiritual time. Brandi and her team made me feel like a queen. They went above and beyond to carefully curate and create such a beautiful and peaceful environment and experience.

Brandi and I were able to share our hearts and experiences with one another during the shoot and it was a moment in time I’ll forever cherish.

She truly loves and values people and I am grateful to have been chosen to be a part of this experience and message.

 

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Are you ready to feel like a queen?

To book your own Portrait Session, contact us through the inquiry form below.

 

Much love,

Brandi

Award Winning Portrait Photographer