My daughter Neon, was born on February 7th 2018. The most unpredictable, beautiful, longest and happiest day. No single word conveys the magnitude of emotion that pours through you when you bring a child into this world. I think it is one of those special times that you are really in the moment.
A few months after, I met Jared and we talked about an interesting Project for Humanity. He asked me to become a Guest Editor developing the concept of the entire issue. The idea began as a letter to my daughter. I wanted to tell stories that are important to me and that hopefully one day would inspire her. I wanted to use this platform to create awareness about some of the topics that I am most concerned about: education, equality, environment, gun control.
I have always been interested in people: their beginnings, their struggles, and their resilience in the face of opposition and their passion for living. This issue is a collection of many of those concepts.
My journey started in Ohio, meeting the artist Carmen Winant, talking about motherhood and her creative process. I have interviewed and photographed women survivors of gun violence; they became activists after suffering the unrepairable loss of a loved one, choosing to help others to cope with the traumatic experience and fighting to change legislation. I travelled to the Amazon to talked to women leaders defending their families and their land, fighting to preserve the integrity of our Planet. Spent two days in Poland with my friend Anja Rubik who created a movement where young people found a platform to fight for their rights. Delightfully met with Marianela Nunez, the Argentinian first ballerina of the Royal Ballet, where we talked about her career and how she feels privileged that dance has chosen her. I spent a day with Maggie Gyllenhaal in New York, photographing her and talking about navigating between her artistry and being a mother and how it is important to be an example to her children. There’s Noor Tagouri honoring her mother Salwa that inspired her to be who she is today. And then my friend Malena Pichot, an Argentinian feminist and comedian who I talked to and photographed at her home in Buenos Aires, where we unfold the masculine world we live in.
I have profound admiration for the individuals within the pages of this magazine. I am honored to have met them and photographed them, and I am inspired by the lives they are leading.
We are living in a time when more than ever we need to be strong. We don’t need to be perfect, but it’s essential that we are passionate about what we do, and that we give our very best. We need to lead by example and give our children the education that would allow them to think freely and fight for their rights, to be able to express themselves using their imagination and to be able to live with compassion to achieve happiness.
With Love,
Paola Kudacki
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