About

A pinch of nerd, a sprinkling of silly, a bushel of neurodiverse, and a whole heaping of empathy mix together over low heat and you have the base recipe for what it is to be Terry Rickman. A queer trans non-binary person based out of Dallas, Texas, Terry has a mission to create an empowering and uplifting portrait experience through their affirming portrait business. Celebrating you for who you are as you are right here and now in your life. You’re not just having your portrait taken, you’re celebrating yourself and maybe even finding a new way to speak and think about your relationship with your body.

You are constantly shown images that celebrate and uplift slim bodies, muscular bodies, bodies that are celebrated for their thinness above everything else. As someone that struggled with weight for much of their life, Terry knows first hand what this is like. With life long battles with anorexia and toxic dieting and exercise they have seen both sides of this coin. Celebrated for losing forty pounds in two months time and not once being asked if they were alright. It was this pursuit of “being attractive” that drove this. Not wanting a body that was fat because of all the fat phobia that is present in the world, and in their own head as a proxy. Terry knows what it is like to succumb to these harmful ways of thinking and living. Because of this they want to make sure that you are able to see yourself as enough as you are. You don’t need to change anything about yourself to be worthy of being documented, photographed, and shown as art pieces for the amazing person that you are.

As a queer non-binary person Terry understands that it can be hard to navigate the world as your true self. The cis-normative nature of society dictates that you dress and present in a way that “makes sense” to people. The way you best portray who you are though may go against and challenge those standards that were put in place. When you come to have portraits taken you are celebrated for who you are. You are encouraged to wear the clothing that is right for you. That makes you feel joy and good about yourself. Affirming portraits are about celebrating who you are as an individual. They are about lifting you up in the way that you are needing. So whether you are dressed in a three piece suit or just your birthday suit your portraits are celebrating you and giving you space to say, “This is me, and I adore this person and this body.”