Harm None, A Story Of Self Discovery - Seattle Storytelling Photographer

Hey guys! Thank you for being here, sincerely. I am having so much fun with my reinvented blog and I appreciate you reading!

Erin and I have done many shoots together throughout the years. One big connection we have is that we became vegan around the same time. We talk about our love for animals and the planet so much it seeps out into my art, especially in this shoot. Erin did such an amazing job telling this story of her path from cognitive dissonance, to opening her eyes, feeling the pain of knowing what is happening every second of every day, and still staying in the fight. And the ultimate goal, fighting from a place of love. From being blind, to angry, to educated is the path. We will never stop learning from each other. Being angry fueled the fire, but knowledge and love is ultimately the goal of this compassionate deliberate way of living. True story- I challenged Erin to a 30 day vegan challenge way back in the day, and she did it and pretty much never stopped on that path. I was vegetarian, and Erin told me about how the baby cows were taken from their mothers after birth, killed for veal or other terrible fates, and the mother was eventually killed for beef. That was only the beginning of what we learned. So we both started our path to becoming Vegan. My energy shifted. I felt more authentic and less hypocritical- being an “animal lover” and paying for their death and torture. I won’t start on the health benefits. I fucking love animals, and Erin.

I will let Erin tell her story…. keep reading friends.

“What does being vegan mean to me:

I can say with utmost confidence that going vegan is the most important and life changing action I've ever taken. The road was not a solid line for me, but instead, a twisted path around mountains and valleys. There are so many dark days filled with anger, rage, shock and horror at what we do to our fellow non-human animals.

There are so many days of feeling defeated and hanging heavy by humanity. I often feel like I am living in the dark ages of brutal torture and disregard for the innocent that we do not understand or care to know. I feel bound and restricted watching the death and destruction every day of the beings that I love the very most. Other days I feel like I could move mountains through activism for animals, so open and optimistic for the future. Going vegan was the only way for me to lift that veil over my own eyes and it was terrifying to see, and finally acknowledge the horror of what humans are doing to other sentient life on this shared planet of ours.

It might be easier to shut my eyes while everything burns around me, but I can no longer keep them closed, nor do I want to. I have found myself opened up and softened to the beauty of animals for who they are, not how they benefit me. I now have mountains of empathy and compassion for all beings, not just the ones that have a likeness to me. My world has opened up to such wonders and curiosity and awestruck respect for other beings on this planet and the richness and beauty that surrounds me. My hope is that one day, the flame of cognitive dissonance will be blown out and we will look back on these days of animal cruelty with total revulsion. Until that day, harm none.”

Erin Dietz 

“I have found myself opened up and softened to the beauty of animals for who they are, not how they benefit me.” I felt the need to repeat that powerful statement.

I admire you Erin for sharing your story, and for changing your life to protect this planet and all of the wonderous creatures that live here. My heart is always both broken and soaring with love at the same time when it comes to this topic. And if you read this and you are not vegan, we love you too. And we hope a little seed of compassion has been planted and also the knowledge that life’s little decisions, like voting with your fork and how you spend your dollars, can make not only a huge difference to the planet and the lives of these innocent animals, but your health and your energy/spiritual being.

Erin is a very talented acupuncturist in Tacoma, if you need her, she is linked below! Love you Erin!

MUCH LOVE EVERYONE!

Dawndra