Hello beautiful souls! I send you all much love and the warmest of greetings. I have been wanting to share these amazing photos with you for a very long time, but so many things have happened in the first two months of 2018 including moving home and travelling that I have been postponing the release and waiting for the right moment. Well now is that moment and together with the photos are some heartfelt messages for you all, so please read till the end!
These photos have been photographed in South Tenerife in the Canary islands with photographer Christoffer Staar and his team from Staar Productions. Truth be told, I actually risked my life to take the dance shots on that isolated rock, and chipped my toes too to achieve these beautiful shots, but I will treasure them forever and they were worth every second. I wish my daughter Luna (currently 3.5 years old) to grow up to see these photos when she is curious to read some of her mummy’s blogs – and I hope to make her proud!
Wearing: GUESS Spain – Photography by Christoffer Staar
I am so blessed to be doing what I love. In the last 10 years of my life, I have found happiness, pride and fulfilment by choosing a career and a business that I enjoy very much and I get to choose projects that have given me a new life purpose. I love to be creative, to communicate my thoughts, to spread joy and empowerment and I enjoy an entrepreneurial life in marketing, PR, video productions and blogging blended with skills acquired throughout my entire life. Until that day you will bid farewell to me in my grave, at my funeral, I will keep saying this to you and to everyone who asks my opinion.
“Follow your passions. Follow Your Dreams. No matter how young or old you are, do so passionately and without apologies. Always remember that even though society will oppose you sometimes and tell you otherwise, they will tell you you are not good enough and that you do not have the skills, you have to follow your heart and prove them wrong. Bring out the fire inside you and follow your dreams. You have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars and to change the world”. Grazielle
What was my idea behind this dramatic photoshoot?
Inspired by the series “Game of Thrones” and blended with both my passions to dance and to blog, I came up with this idea to shoot this fiery outfit by GUESS Spain and become a modern version of a Mediterranean Dragon Queen, a goddess if you will . I have the power to create baby dragons ( that represent dreams) and I can give them fire and energy to make them grow into big dragons (when the dreams do come true.)
Our experience during the photoshoot that day
That beautiful day in Tenerife, on this volcanic mountain, believe me if I tell you that I felt so happy to be doing this that I kept crying with happiness during the shoot along the way and I had to stop shooting to wipe my tears quite a few times. I had a mix of blocked emotions that I think got released in that open space, in that untrodden ground in the mountains. That day, something came over me. I felt invincible, I felt I could conquer all my fears and I could literally feel the fire energy beneath my feet and huge dragons flying around me that day high above me.
The camera team drove for hours to get to the scenic spot on the Teide mountain, the weather was slightly overcast and the wind was cold but when we found the perfect spot for these dramatic dance shots, the wind blew the few clouds away and the sun came out in its full glory almost as if to give us her blessing to do this more comfortably. For that half hour or so, the sunlight, the temperature and the entire atmosphere around us was simply inexplicably magical.
Despite our enthusiasm and excitement, I, Grazielle had to remain calm and very focused on the task at hand because there was a very steep drop some hundreds of feet beneath me and this beautiful rock. Although my action moves look light and carefree, I was fighting worries of falling over and prayed that I would get out of this alive and that we would achieve good results. When you are being photographed you cannot see yourself so you do all in good faith.
In this half hour, we also inadvertently drew a curious crowd of some hundred people who were there on a touristic tour of some sort and I could see some were filming the making of on their social media feeds, which was an unusual scenario for me!
In the end, this long day was all worth the energy and the risks. Some photos as a result have appeared in PINK, Malta’s top fashion magazine this January with an interview about dreams and my daily activities. Other images from this photoshoot, with other outfits, which I have only shared on Instagram have appeared in Tenerife Magazine in the February issue with assistance from the brand GUESS in SPAIN. I am obviously very happy and grateful with the outcome and I am committed to keep doing more international collaborations to expand my reach and most importantly my Voice.
Fight the Fears. Bring Out Your FIRE!
This photoshoot is a very very special one for me. It represents the freedom of expression, the daredevil inside me that is constantly fighting her personal fears and challenges. After many years of being told, I am not good enough, I am still following my dreams, creating new ones as we speak and making them turn into reality one by one. Even though I turn 43 years of age this April 7th, although I am married, I am a mother to a beautiful child, I still wish to do the things that excite my soul, things that light my FIRE and I wish to inspire some people out there with my actions to never give up to do what they wish to do. Life is not over when you grow older. It has just begun because it is the time when you really know who you are and how far you have come as a human in this life and if you accept yourself and love yourself just the way you are, then you want to make the best you can of the human years you have left to explore and enjoy and to shine your light! The choice is always yours!
Dreams Do Come True When You Believe
This photoshoot was held in December and it was here that I had starting to think of that video Together is Better and although there are millions of dance videos out there on the internet, I had faith that it would do well and it really did! With over 4 million views worldwide, with a viral reach, it is proof that even a small influencer from Malta can make a difference in the world with my communication, with my thoughts and with my actions. I have touched over 4 million lives with my message, so this means that even you can do the same! Yes?
Everything starts with a thought, a wish, a dream , a vision and then followed by action and perseverance, patience and support, you can achieve anything, if you really want to. Nothing comes easy and you have to put in the hours and the effort but why not think big if you are wasting your energy anyway right!
I, the Dragon Queen salute you with a warm feeling of devotionand respect in my heart. I thank all the strong men and women out there who constantly inspire us to challenge ourselves and to be the best version of human beings we can be. My wish is to keep my fire alive and to keep creating baby and big dragons and I wish nothing but beautiful things for you all too.
I send you love and peace, today and always!
Xxx
Grazielle
Wearing: GUESS, SPAIN
Photography: Christoffer Staar
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands
