My name is Yvonne Brown and I am the author of the upcoming novel, Crying Girl. At the onset of the marketing for the novel, a trailer was created and was overwhelmingly successful. One day as I perused the comments, I ran across one response that had a profound effect on me. The comment simply read, “Crying Girl, stop crying.” Then I wondered if a lot of my viewers thought the same - that all I do is cry - but were just silent about it, or just trusting that it would make sense once the book came out. While reading the words, questions came to me:
"Is my message being misinterpreted?”
"Is my approach to my work giving the impression of weakness?”
The story impacted me, because the title embodies my existence. Didn’t this person know the hurdles I’ve had to jump over in this race in which my imminent failure was written in the scrolls of antiquity? No, they didn’t and there in lies the challenge of the creation of a trailer that gives the world a snapshot into my story of resilience. A veritable “sound bite” that invites one to examine, evaluate, and synthesize the road that, although rocky, is the pathway to strength. With this in mind, I set out to refine and redefine the way that my messages were being told.
So I commenced to revising another book trailer. With various sign campaigns circulating the web, I envisioned having a few women take pictures holding a sign explaining a time in which they cried and then another sign describing how that experience empowered them in some way. Initially, I reached out to a handful of women that I knew were courageous enough to be aboard publicly with my mission. I enlisted the help of Brandon Gerald, a photographer with a history of capturing the essence of his subjects by revealing their souls through still images. After taking pictures of the first woman, I witnessed a magical transformation take place. Their aura was like an instant healing, resignation, and observance of their courage had overtaken them. The type of healing that typically occurs after years of therapy happened upon the shutter closing and the flash illuminating. This magic only intensified with the next woman and then the next. Before I knew it, more and more women wanted to be involved and participated; too many to personally set up photo shoots, so I allowed photo submissions through my website.
Women began to submit their photos from all corners of the world that I hadn’t anticipated and, before I knew it, the original goal that I'd once had in mind for a book trailer evolved into something I couldn’t imagine, the Crying Girl Movement. I thought it would be awesome to give women a platform to visually express their voice. So many women in our generation and in generations before us do not have a space to release what plagues them. It is my hope that we, as the human race, view tears and crying, not as a weakness, but as a means to express what we as people (especially women) seek to transform into positives in our lives. The Crying Girl Movement challenges women to identify and utilize their source of inner strength. It's an affirmation of the infinite possibilities that exist when we speak our truth. It's an assertion of who we are and a recognition that we can face adversity, overcome, and heal through love.
"Is my message being misinterpreted?”
"Is my approach to my work giving the impression of weakness?”
The story impacted me, because the title embodies my existence. Didn’t this person know the hurdles I’ve had to jump over in this race in which my imminent failure was written in the scrolls of antiquity? No, they didn’t and there in lies the challenge of the creation of a trailer that gives the world a snapshot into my story of resilience. A veritable “sound bite” that invites one to examine, evaluate, and synthesize the road that, although rocky, is the pathway to strength. With this in mind, I set out to refine and redefine the way that my messages were being told.
So I commenced to revising another book trailer. With various sign campaigns circulating the web, I envisioned having a few women take pictures holding a sign explaining a time in which they cried and then another sign describing how that experience empowered them in some way. Initially, I reached out to a handful of women that I knew were courageous enough to be aboard publicly with my mission. I enlisted the help of Brandon Gerald, a photographer with a history of capturing the essence of his subjects by revealing their souls through still images. After taking pictures of the first woman, I witnessed a magical transformation take place. Their aura was like an instant healing, resignation, and observance of their courage had overtaken them. The type of healing that typically occurs after years of therapy happened upon the shutter closing and the flash illuminating. This magic only intensified with the next woman and then the next. Before I knew it, more and more women wanted to be involved and participated; too many to personally set up photo shoots, so I allowed photo submissions through my website.
Women began to submit their photos from all corners of the world that I hadn’t anticipated and, before I knew it, the original goal that I'd once had in mind for a book trailer evolved into something I couldn’t imagine, the Crying Girl Movement. I thought it would be awesome to give women a platform to visually express their voice. So many women in our generation and in generations before us do not have a space to release what plagues them. It is my hope that we, as the human race, view tears and crying, not as a weakness, but as a means to express what we as people (especially women) seek to transform into positives in our lives. The Crying Girl Movement challenges women to identify and utilize their source of inner strength. It's an affirmation of the infinite possibilities that exist when we speak our truth. It's an assertion of who we are and a recognition that we can face adversity, overcome, and heal through love.