Tabitha Bastien- Seattle Actress combines forces with Dawndra Photo
I remember when Tabitha first reached out to me. She was feeling creative while at the same time dealing with the loss of her mother. When she read that I lost my mom too, she reached out and asked if I was interested in making art about our mothers would somehow be therapeutic. As you can imagine, our first conversation was very deep. I didn’t know a lot of woman who were going through the same thing-and it was so nice to share these feelings with someone who got it. There were a lot of similarities in our upbringing, we both were working on healing past trauma. We both loved scary movies and animals. My last dog Bruce (rest in peace) joined us on most of these shoots and I can feel him in the photos. Tabitha LOVED Bruce, and the feeling was mutual.
I still drank back then and I was vegetarian so I’m guessing this was 7 years ago when we met. Tabitha did not drink and was vegan, something I admired being an animal lover myself. Quitting drinking and going vegan myself soon after we met- only brought us closer as friends. She inspired me to be a better human.
There were many shoots we did that will not be in this blog -but I had to narrow it down or ya’ll would be here all day.
I want to thank you Tabitha for teaching me so much. I learned so much from all of the shoots we did over those years. Your energy and sense of adventure and love for animals, the planet, and your daughter are inspiring and beautiful. My work would not be what it is without you!
I’m going to let Tabitha take it away from here.
“Here is a little stream of consciousness about my acting career, being vegan, and what life was like during these shoots compared to what it looks like now.
I remember these shoots so well... like they were just yesterday! I was going through a lot of changes in my life during this time. These shoots with Dawndra helped me get a lot of creativity out in between my acting jobs.
We both love telling stories through art and bonded right away! Our road trips, hikes, adventures and long talks got me through so much. I was also trying to make sense of a huge loss of my mother by suicide at that time, in addition to processing my own past trauma. We would talk about our mothers- and how much we miss them every day. These photoshoots were 100% therapeutic for both of us and helped us heal and evolve in a lot of ways! We had each other. We had ART, and it was a beautiful creative space.
Even though I was also doing what I love (acting) around the time of all of these photo trips, I still felt like something was missing in my life. After a lot of soul searching (and therapy), I finally decided that I did in fact want to have a baby. I felt in my heart- that was going to be my next big adventure. I realized that I had so much love to offer- and if I couldn't have a baby of my own, I would continue to share that love with all the kids and people in my life.
I know it sounds cliché, but my life has been forever changed by my daughter Sunny, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to get to spend every day with her! She is the most amazing human I have ever met and watching her grow and learn new things is the greatest gift ever.
I first fell in love with acting in high school and was completely hooked once I started working in film. As soon as one project ended, I couldn't wait to get on to the next set. This kept me motivated and determined, but as someone with a slightly addictive personality (which is the main reason I don't drink alcohol) I would sometimes find myself feeling quite down in between jobs and auditions. I think having my daughter Sunny definitely keeps me in balance. I'm a lot more selective on the roles I accept now since my time with her is so valuable.
Since my daughter was born (at the beginning of the pandemic), I've been able to work on a few film projects and commercials and It feels so good to get back into it! Acting is and always will be a true passion of mine. I can see myself acting in films until the day when my body says "enough." I love so many aspects of film and am forever grateful for all of the connections and good friends I've made in the Seattle film community.
I also try to focus my energy on positive things and pour myself into those areas that are meaningful and fulfilling- like teaching Sunny to be a kind and compassionate human and by continuing to be a vegan role model and animal rights activist. I've been vegan for almost 15 years and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made! I was lucky enough to volunteer for Seattle's Vegan Haven for over 5 years until it's unfortunate closing during the pandemic. I could go on and on about veganism and my love for the animals! Dawndra does such a great job sharing all the vegan things, which I love!!! I'm so proud of her for being outspoken about her veganism and animal rights- it makes a difference and the animals thank you for it!
Here is a fun shoot we did introducing Sunny to the camera! She has been a model since in the womb!
If you'd like to watch a film I've acted in- I'd recommend the slow-burn spy thriller ECCO, which played in over 300 theaters nationwide in 2019 and is now available to watch on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and other streamable platforms.”
You can also follow my acting career online at:
http://www.imdb.me/TabithaBastien
Sunny is like a literal JOY and a just a strait up special little human. -AND, if you want to see the last photo shoot I did with Tabitha and Sunny check out this blog on my other website. Thank you Tabitha, and everyone who is still reading this at the end of my blog today. MUCH LOVE!
