Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Tran.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is a story of how darkness and pain can be transformed into light and healing. A story full of trauma that has been alchemized into freedom of expression, activism against victimhood, and inspiration for creativity and sensuality to be birthed into reality.
As a woman, a mother, a lover, and a business owner, I go through personal moments of complete emptiness and self-doubt as I try to fulfill all of these roles that society has told me I must keep up with in order to be a valuable and worthy human being. I was getting drained, filling the cups of others without the resources to keep my own full. In my childhood, I have experienced sexual abuse, causing me to feel disconnected with my body and mind for the longest time. Being the first born Asian American, my family dynamic did not allow room for pleasure or play, nor did we take much pride in being emotional creatures.
This disconnection leads me to spiral into depression, addiction, and self-abandonment during my teenage years. It was creativity and sensuality that provided me an outlet to healing when I least expected it.
Women & Wildlife birthed from one of the lowest points of my life. I experienced the death and loss of my mother in 2016 when I was barely turning 18. I numbed myself from processing her death for a while. I was constantly putting myself in toxic relationships that didn’t align with who I wanted to be. I felt disconnected and detached from my friends, my relationships were falling apart due to my own trauma and toxicity. I was slowly slipping into my own demise without support or relevance in the world around me.
The only outlet I had was my photography, my words, my love for hiking in nature + my background in meditation, yoga, holistic healing, and spirituality to guide me through these times. Out of desperation for community and connection, I envisioned a world where women could gather together and share their strengths, their weaknesses, their interests, their passions, and be fully accepted and embodied on their personal journey. I imagined a space where I could share everything I loved that has helped me, to make an impact in another person’s life in the same way I was desiring to feel accepted in mine.
With my background in nude modeling and being a photographer myself, I personally experienced this raw form of acceptance, expression, and liberation through the sensual works of art I was able to experience, which empowered me to share more of myself, to live a life of vulnerable authenticity, and that decision has lead me to form a community where I can support other women in their own personal journey towards self-actualization. I created a space where we not only get to experience nature but also where we can get deep into our emotions, to express ourselves authentically, in our rawest form. Nudity, art, and nature has become a healing therapy for me. I aim to naturalize the human form and capture humans in those moments of pure embodiment, reminding them of the magic that is within, is the same magic we get to witness in nature.
The decision to chase what once was a far-fetched ideal, has ultimately shifted my life direction dramatically. I pivoted from fear, insecurity, doubt, scarcity, and loneliness to feeling love, confidence, assurance, and abundance in my life. I feel a universal alignment towards my highest purpose and how interconnected we all are. I realize the importance of every individual’s existence as I bear the responsibility for my own actions and thoughts, knowing that it has an impact, even when I can’t seem to see it or feel it. I aligned myself with everything I dare dreamed of, then took action to make it happen. And I am here to encourage you to do the same. I couldn’t have done this without my community, without first being vulnerable and willing to change myself.
Women & Wildlife is a creative and sensual retreat program for women who desire lifelong connection, whether that is happening internally within yourself and your inner-dialogue, or externally through the support of other women there, willing, ready, and able to hold you accountable and remind you of your beauty, beyond just the physical. I’m here to challenge the status-quo, help you embrace your sensuality, find comfort in your own body and mind, and quite honestly, change the f*cking world by impacting those around me first. Women & Wildlife is a summation of everything that brings me joy, manifested into reality, for others to enjoy.
Since 2018, we are expanding the team to include an ample amount of resources such as embodiment coaching, art therapy, yoga, meditation, sound healing, reiki, plus so much more, all at the tip of your hands to help you connect with your deepest and truest self, and find the courage and voice to share it with the world.
I’m only here today due to the ongoing support of my community of women near and far. I hope to continue doing this meaningful work and connecting with more courageous women as this journey continues to surprise me with the most fulfilling work.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a creative that is trying to change society’s narrative on nudity and what it means to be a woman in her power is never an easy task, but I take pride in knowing that these very challenges and obstacles is what propelled me to keep on going. I have always had a rebellious tendency within me, where if someone told me it was impossible, I would do everything within my ability to try and prove them wrong.
I had pushback from my family. Due to their own experience and projections, they always told me that it was a waste of time to pursue my artistry. Society’s view of nudity has always been sexual objectification, from men and women alike, and I remember distinctly all the terrible things that were said about me and to me when I chose to embrace my sensuality/sexuality publicly by posting the work I was doing online in 2014. I think the hardest struggle was being constantly misunderstood for seeking attention when I was merely sharing the work as a form of expression.
Regardless of what anyone said, whether they were family, friends, or partners of mine, I knew the work I was doing ran deeper than what was seen on the surface level. It’s an honor to now be able to say that I am doing this on a professional level, becoming the anchor and grounding source for other women who couldn’t find a safe space to express themselves without being misjudged prior. It’s an incredible feeling to know that I am not alone in my desires.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My name is Cynthia. I am a fine art photographer, specializing in capturing nudity in nature, specifically pertaining to women’s empowerment and embodiment. My passion lies in utilizing my visual artistry to capture the most intimate and vulnerable moments in our everyday lives. My main goal with my work is to continue spreading awareness in naturalizing the human form, to draw the connect between nudity and nature, as well as to create a sacred container for every individual to realize their inherent value, simply by existing.
I’m most proud of the beautiful community I have been able to draw forth by pursuing what once felt like a dream, that has now become a reality due to everyone’s ongoing support and trust for my vision. I truly believe in art as a form of healing, and I also believe what sets me apart from others is my intuitive ability to hold space for every person I get the opportunity to work with, helping them express themselves in ways they otherwise wouldn’t be comfortable to share in other settings.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I can’t complain too much about Austin. The food is great, there is an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life, and the creative community is booming here, as well, inspiring me to continue to improve my craft. I love the mixture of nature and city life within the area. I can’t say I love the traffic too much though, I mean, who does? Otherwise, such a beautiful town to explore and create in!
Pricing:
- Upcoming Retreat in Taos, NM: $3,500
- Base Rate for Photo Sessions: $500
- 1:1 Photography Mentorship: $350
- 1:1 Virtual Self Portrait Workshop: $75
- 1:1 Embodiment Coaching: $350
Contact Info:
- Website: http://cynthiadtran.com/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/cynthiadtran OR http://instagram.com/womenandwildlife
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/cynthiadtran
