A GLIMPSE INTO 40 OVER 40 PARTICIPANT: EVE SISEMORE
Life is funny. Sometimes we are smacked with the realization that we are so incredibly small in an infinitely large world. Other times, we realize just how small the world can be through connection.
As many of you know, I’ve been a nurse for over half of my life. That career has led to me to meet some of the most wonderful people that I will forever treasure. Back in the early 2000’s, I worked with a nurse named Tonya. Sound familiar? Tonya and I reconnected long after we both took different jobs in different facilities. Tonya became one of my first boudoir clients. Her rise into the world of TikTok exposed my work with her to an audience far and wide.
One of Tonya’s followers saw my work and felt compelled to participate in the 40 OVER 40 Project, where my goal is to highlight the incredible beauty and fortitude of women over the age of 40; women that are often not shown in media anymore because of perceived lack of value due to age.
Enter Eve…So Eve reached out to me and we had a riveting conversation. She has led an incredible life and wanted to document her yesterdays as well as her present day, to leave a legacy for those that know and love her, long after she may leave this earth. Eve booked a flight from Oklahoma to Louisville, and we spent the day creating some really magical art.
In her words, “I am a native Tulsa girl. Born, raised, and married at 18…In our 50’s it became a time of caregiving for us both and we realized how short and precious this life of ours is. I was barely 58 when my husband of almost 40 years died. He would say “turn the page”, so I did.”
“When I turned 50, I realized that water skiing one last time had become a “usta”. Something I “usta” do. So, to flip the narrative, I decided to experience something new. Sky diving at 50. Been there, done that. At 60, snow skiing maybe for the last time, maybe another “usta”. So the new experience to coincide…I learned to ride a motorcycle.”
“Now, at age 70, I am faced with mortality. That sense of more yesterdays than tomorrows.”
Upon finding me, Eve notes, “I knew she could tell my story. I come from a long line of creative people. I found vintage fashion from my past; the 20s dress from my great-aunt’s vaudeville days, the 30s dress my grandmother knit and another from the 40s. Mom was a seamstress, so a 60s vest paired well with the hippie blue jean bra that I made in 1972. Seemed like I had a wardrobe just waiting to be documented.”
“I will never regret taking time to honor my family and myself with Jessica at the helm”
“Thank you for caring enough to empower all women of all ages” - Evelyn Sisemore
Many thanks to YOU, Eve! To share your story with us, to share your images with us, I could not be more grateful to have worked with such a dynamic person. I am also grateful that sometimes, sometimes this world is small. It’s these experiences that continue to shape me into the photographer that I am and continue to evolve into. I’ve always hoped my work is more than me holding a camera, but instead leaves a mark on the lives of my clients and those that love them.
For more information about the 40 OVER 40 Project, please click HERE
