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Emotional Aesthetics

by Ashley Klassen

$39.99
$39.99
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About the book

Emotional Aesthetics is a photography collection created by Ashley Klassen. Deeply influenced by her desire to communicate through character and emotion, Klassen’s photography in Emotional Aesthetics is wholly an expression of sensual beauty, vulnerability, and honest feelings—effortlessly weaved within a modern bohème aesthetic.

Paired with writing by contemporary inspirational poet Bianca Sparacino, Emotional Aesthetics is a bold and beautiful body of work destined to awaken and inspire.

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Meet The Author

Ashley Klassen

Ashley Klassen is a professional photographer and creative director based in Montreal and Toronto.

Read a sample of Emotional Aesthetics

A sample of Emotional Aesthetics

Emotional Aesthetics

A Symbol of a Soul

Thought Catalog Books — thoughtcatalog.com — New York • Los Angeles

Introduction

When vulnerability is harnessed, an inherent vitality and sensibility is conveyed. Emotional Aesthetics is less about wanting to look good and more about being unapologetic with how you feel and who you are.

Most of these photos were captured before the idea of this publication came to be. My only objective was to simply capture people being themselves. With that freedom, a deeply personal narrative came through each muse. Guided by emotion and intuition, a sensual language is expressed.

I get emotional flipping through these pages as I see some of my dearest friends and fellow inspiring artists. I feel so proud and in awe of their beauty and the ways they show up in this world. They are the emblems of Emotional Aesthetics—an identity steeped in honest, visceral expression. This collection is an imprint of their essence.

It is an absolute privilege to have Bianca Sparacino weave her poetry into this work. While her art honors the authentic sentiment of the imagery, it carries an overarching theme celebrating the courage, conflict, passion, power, and vulnerability of transformation—one of the most beautiful and challenging powers. The verbal and visual poetry coalesce in a way that’s simple, sincere, and soulful. It is my hope that the unfiltered presence in these pages moves something in you.

—Ashley Klassen

Contents

  • You Have Not Lived Until You Have Died — 4
  • The Things We Feel in the Shadows — 44
  • Symbols of Love — 109
  • Finding a Way Back Into Your Soul — 153

You Have Not Lived Until You Have Died.

Black-and-white portrait of a woman with closed eyes and crossed arms, her hands resting beside her neck. Black-and-white portrait of a woman in a black top and jeans, one arm across her torso and the other hand partly covering her face.

Molting is the process by which a snake routinely casts off its skin to facilitate new growth, and you are no different. See, the human body sheds its cells each and every day—you are in a perpetual state of transformation; you are at all times turning over new parts of yourself and replacing the tired aspects of your soul that you have outgrown. When you feel like you are not the same person you were a year ago, when you feel like you have evolved into someone you do not recognize, maybe that is something to honor. You have transitioned, you have rebuilt, and life will ask you to do so time and time again as you journey through it. Do not fear your evolution. Claim it.

Black-and-white portrait of a woman looking down at a flower held near her chest. Black-and-white portrait of a reclining woman holding a flower beside her head, her hair spread out behind her. Black-and-white close-up of a woman with closed eyes and both hands pressed to the top of her head. Black-and-white portrait of a woman looking toward the camera while holding a flower beside one eye. Black-and-white portrait of a woman with closed eyes, flower petals arranged beneath one eye and a hand touching her neck. Black-and-white close-up of a reclining woman holding a flower near her nose, her eyes closed. Black-and-white portrait of a woman looking directly toward the camera, both hands framing her head. Back to book options