The BE Project | Brooke and “Rooted”

Every year, The BE Project invites people into my studio to pause, reflect, and choose a word that will guide the next chapter of their lives. It is not about perfection or reinvention overnight. It is about honesty. Courage. Becoming.

This year, when I stepped in front of my own camera, my word came quietly but firmly.

“Rooted.”

It followed one of the hardest seasons of my life.

The BE Project exists because I believe that we are all evolving and every person deserves to see themselves as art while they are becoming the person they are meant to be.

Why I Chose “Rooted”

Last year tested me in ways I did not expect. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually.

I am a natural caregiver, but that season stretched me to my absolute limit. There were moments when I was not sure how I was going to make it out the other side.

But I did.

We are healthy. Healing. Standing at the beginning of a new chapter.

When I started thinking about what word I wanted for this year, I knew I did not want something that only reflected survival. I wanted something that honored strength and faith, but also left room for growth.

Rooted became that word.

I wanted to stand firm in what I believe, grounded in my faith, steady in who I am, while still reaching toward the light and allowing myself to grow in the places that need it most.

“I want to be rooted in where I stand but still reach for the light.”

What I Am Working Toward This Year

This year, my focus is bold.

I want to grow the boudoir side of my business in a big way.

That means dreaming large and backing those dreams with action. Marketing smarter. Finding new ways to reach women who are ready for this experience. Being direct about what I want. Trusting the possibilities in front of me.

It is a season of expansion.

And I am ready for it.

What Grounds Me

When my nervous system is overloaded and the world feels too loud, I disappear into books.

Reading has always been my reset.

It is not uncommon for me to have one story going on Kindle and another playing through my headphones. Slipping into someone else’s world for a while quiets my mind and brings me back to center.

Stories ground me.

They always have.

What I Am Learning About Myself

Recently, I learned two things.

One… I probably need therapy.

Real therapy.

The kind that helps untangle the wildness in your head and make sense of the parts of yourself you have been avoiding.

The second?

Apparently, I am Type A.

This revelation shocked exactly no one except me.

In my head, I am a messy creative procrastinator. The kind of person who works best under pressure and surrounded by half-finished ideas.

Turns out… that is just Type A in creative packaging.

I am still negotiating with that information.

Photographing “Rooted”

Standing in front of my own camera felt different this year.

Rooted showed up in my posture.

In my breath.

In the steadiness I have fought hard to rebuild.

Not hardened.

Not closed.

Anchored.

My portraits felt like a woman who survived something heavy and decided to grow anyway.

A Final Reflection

Rooted is not about staying still.

It is about knowing who you are when the storm passes.

About trusting the ground beneath your feet again.

About choosing growth without abandoning your foundation.

What word would you choose for this season of your life?
What are you stepping into this year?

Get added to the waitlist for The BE Project at Beautiful Evolutions Photography in Burleson, Texas.

The BE Project is a black-and-white portrait series by Beautiful Evolutions Photography honoring growth, courage, and the beauty of becoming.