"I spend a majority of my nights trying to escape nightmares. I refuse to allow PTSD to make me into a shell of a person. This is why I've created a sanctuary in my bedroom to help lull me into dreams. I meditate as I fall asleep and Panton sleeps on my pillow with me every night. There's nothing better than the comfort of a loving cat when you wake up thinking you're being cut open. Sometimes I wake up wanting to scream and he gently hugs my head. It's so fucking cute and tragic." - Danielle

"My phone is by my side all day and night. I’m balancing reading about feminism, finding photography inspirations and collecting cats on Neko Atsume." - Danielle

"No amount of xanax and meditation has the calming effect my cats do on me. During the most troubling times my cats have a undeniable sense of tranquility that immediately makes everything okay." - Danielle

"A while back, I had to spend a few months in the hospital in a different state, away from my cats. I took a locket with my cats’ photos in it. I never took it off. It was my only lifeline to my real life. " - Danielle

"I never thought I’d live with a man. I loved eating cereal in my underwear and watching infomercials before bed and I didn’t want to share my space with anyone. Now that I do, I have to be okay with my partner seeing me not look my best. It’s been trying for me... And I don’t get to eat cereal for dinner anymore." - Danielle

"I read recently that people who have nightmares are more creative than people that don’t. Because we carry those visions with us throughout the day. They generally give me a sense of meaningless, but I do find I put elements of these nightmares in my photography. I truly wish I could embrace them instead of running from them." - Danielle

"Being such a social person also means I covet my alone time. Quality time alone grounds me. I can go into some deep introspective wormholes while watching reruns of Night Court." - Danielle

"It’s a true accomplishment that I moved in with my partner. He really makes me the best person I can be. I’ve never felt uncompleted, like I need a partner to be my second half. What I found is someone that takes me to another level, that compliments my strengths. He’s like the icing on a cake." - Danielle

"Suffering is a reminder that you are alone in life. No friend, no partner, no parent, no doctor and no spiritual belief will stop suffering. At a young age I realized I was an atheist, and suffering was just a byproduct of natural selection being thwarted by medicine." - Danielle

"My two cats, Noguchi and Panton, have really become my best buds. After my 20 yr old Bookles cat died several months ago, my anxieties about the twins leaving me has heightened." - Danielle

"Kill me the day I start wearing padded bras. I’ve never strived for anything bigger than an A cup. I feel like more of a woman than ever with my non-curves." -Danielle

"Until recently, I never felt true bodily autonomy. I always felt like I belonged to someone or something...surgeons, doctors, nurses, disease, depression or men. Working with mindfulness and meditation has helped me regain that bodily autonomy." - Danielle

"I sometimes lose my hair when I have surgeries. A few years ago, I lost a lot of hair...and my hair is my THING. I’ve never been more devastated. Other than the fact that my body was wasting away, MY FUCKING HAIR WAS FALLING OUT IN CLUMPS. I was moments away from shaving it and buying a pink lolita wig." - Danielle

"When my neck goes, it's all over." -Danielle

"I love makeup. It’s not something I feel I need to be more of a woman, it’s something I need to feel like a powerful force. There’s so much laughing and cuteness in my life that I feel like I need a bit of dominance. A bold thick eyeliner gives me that." - Danielle

"Women are taught from birth to be agreeable, affable, up for anything kind of girls. That's one of my strong traits, being the kind of girl that'll disagree with you but you'll still want to hang out with. We don't need male approval, we need self-approval." - Danielle

"The day I’m too old for bangs is the day I give up on life." - Danielle

"I spend so much time hating myself and so much self-critique. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little bit of self love, and making a point of it, and also sharing it with everyone else, because why the fuck not. They’re your friends, they should love that you actually like yourself every once in a while.”. -Danielle

"Why does it feel so uncomfortable to see yourself as attractive? Women are taught to constantly criticize themselves and compare their bodies to unrealistic body standards. Well fuck that, my ass looks nice as hell." - Danielle

"As a teenager and young adult, I often found myself, even as a radical feminist, submitting to men. I felt badass when I got that male affirmation. I was lying to myself when I said I was cool with all of it...Now I just straight up say fuck no. It wasn’t on a massive scale, more like ignoring bad behavior or red flags. On the other side, I’ve never conceded to anyone’s opinions on my style, my art or my feminism. I made it out alive." -Danielle