Praise for Courtney Tessier

Jacs Fishburne

Courtney is a force of nature regardless of which side of the lens she inhabits, a creative tour de force that infuses everything with possibility. Working with her is a breath of fresh air: her enthusiasm and positivity uplift you in every way and make you feel seen. Not just another body in front of a camera but truly seen as though she can reach deep inside you and guide you out. Her ability to capture vulnerability and share it with the world is inspiring. Courtney’s strength is her ability to be true to herself and her vision. You emerge from the other side feeler stronger, more courageous, and more beautiful after being in her presence.

Luis Sosa

I’ve tried to write this article, piece, ode??? In my head a dozen times trying to find words to describe someone that is so indescribably complex. That sentence would seemingly apply to just about any homosapien but somehow with Courtney it goes a little further. Courtney is motion, shapes, curves, and light, so much light, dancing and playing with her. Like that really good couple on Dances with the Stars that makes the difficult seem fluid and effortless. Courtney takes beauty standards and co-opts them, makes you an accomplice in the rewiring of your own brain, she creeps in and make her beauty so un-fucking-ignorable that at some point you just sort of stop and admire her images. They are indisputably beautiful and in realizing that you also realize that the word “Fat” isn’t a put down. Courtney has also been doing this for so long that she’s really is OG, Original Gangsta, she was kicking ass before “Plus Size” was mainstreamed, so you may know Courtney (or Faye as she was known back then) from the hallowed early days of Tumblr, from her multiple Instagram outings, from her kick ass collaborations with another fiercely awesome and geeky lady, Katie West, from BabeFests gator, from Flickr, From…well…the best parts of the internets. So with that said I have been trying to wrap my head around how to write around Courtney when I can’t even seem to come up with language to describe a single one of her photos. I’ve interview her twice, and talking with her is delightful authentic, she is down to earth and utterly unpretentious. She brings to mind a quote attributed to Ingmar Bergman “Beauty that is unaware of itself is the most beautiful.” So while Courtney is definitely beautiful I find the need to paraphrase Bergman into “Talent that is unaware of itself is the most baffling.” Courtney is grotesquely talented, she has one of the finest eyes for natural light I have ever seen. Somehow in being her own canvas she uses her body, her curves, her movement, and her fatness to catch light, to give it a playground and usually leave us a bit awestruck. But…. But… But… She doesn’t think it’s all that. She really doesn’t. She keeps making things because that is who she is. She keeps making things even as “internet fame” has eluded her post the #tumblrapocalypse She keeps making and draws other talented people to her because talent begets talent. And in a world where social media is increasingly commoditized and utterly devoid of soul Courtney is authentic as fuck. "the fundamental thing you need for courage is vulnerability" - Courtney Tessier.

Craig Young

Courtney is the reason I take photos. The reason I picked up a camera and create myself. She has opened my heart and my mind to not only the beauty in the world but its dark parts. Made me aware of the negativity that surrounds us and fills me with the positivity of her work. Her art makes me want to be a better person and I can't thank her enough for that. Courtney doesn't just capture an image she captures emotion and does what I love about great photography and makes me feel something. She has broken my heart, made me laugh and made me cry. The fact she feels the need to make such beauty in this world makes it a pleasure to be alive. Take care, stay beautiful and keep creating.