ARTIST STATEMENT
The NEST Project began as an inspiration in artist Debbie Baxter’s backyard as a way for her to make sense of and express her personal childhood experiences. After gathering sticks and building the very first nest with her son, the artist removed her clothes and entered. Finding the experience transformation, the artist began a journey to help others face their own personal stories. To date over 400 people have gotten into The NEST and had their own experiences of healing, acceptance and growth.
It is an interactive healing modality that invites people to strip down to their truest selves and get into human sized nests to be photographed at their most vulnerable and powerful. Following in the footsteps of the birds, the womb-like nests are built by the artist out of natural found materials. Each nest is built with the intention of providing a safe space for participants to return to a state of innocence and peace as a way to transform their trauma and find acceptance.
The artist acts as a guide and witness for each journey, holding a safe space to allow people to tell their story free of judgment and expectation. The NEST experience allows each participant a chance to revisit themselves in their most natural human state and reconnect with a way of being that is often forgotten as we grow and age and as the complications of adulthood and society change us along the way.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Debbie Baxter is a Somatic Art Therapist, Fine Art Photographer, author of NEST, and creator/founder of The Nest Project, Inc. Debbie has traveled to cities worldwide building handmade nests and offering nest experiences. Her mission is to create art that inspires and reminds us to slow down, tend to our wounds, create safe spaces, and reflect on how we treat the vulnerable parts of ourselves and the vulnerable members of our society.
© Debbie Baxter