Meet Rebecca Tillett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Tillett.

Rebecca, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, I was born and raised an only child in Las Cruces, NM. My mother, originally from Australia, has always been the hardest working person I know and supported us, largely on her own, until I moved out at 17. My father struggled with many demons he often attempted to exorcise through relentless rage and drugs and alcohol.

Because of my environment as a child, I was painfully shy at times, incredibly sensitive and felt the most at ease within the confines of my imagination. It was so often my only means of escape. However, I grew up in Married Student Housing on the New Mexico State campus in the 80s, a decade in which so many of us kids were outside from morning until long after dark on weekends and during the summer, so I found refuge in my family of neighborhood kids too, as well as the time I got to spend with my grandmother.

I became a very depressed and suicidal teenager who fell victim to relentless self-mutilation (I still bear the scars as a reminder) and when my dad committed suicide in our home in 1998, when I was 16, the complexities of my despair only seemed to grow.

In 1999, at 16, I met the man who would later become my husband—and then ex-husband—and also around that time, I turned to photography as an outlet. I have always been drawn to the nude female body, like a magnet I could never resist. I couldn’t articulate these things then, but looking back I think it’s because I am in awe of women; their beauty, their strength, their enduring capacity for abuse. I was surrounded by so many women who shared their lives with difficult, angry, unreliable, abusive, broken men, yet never complained, carried the weight of these burdens and moved forward. These things may break us too but unlike so many men, we become stronger as a result. Women create life and ensure its survival against all odds. That is our role.

So I was around 17 when I began shooting nude photography which I know is bit scandalous looking back now. But at the time my age didn’t stop me from pursuing what was calling out to me. My work became my savior, my creative outlet, the thing that saved my life and kept me going. I tended to recruit friends because I was (and still am) such an introvert, I felt most comfortable shooting those I knew best, and I was lucky to have brave, agreeable friends. I was also one of those teenagers who became addicted to the internet and chatrooms when both were so new in our lives, so I was very comfortable on a computer in those early www days.

So when I started shooting nude photography it felt very natural for me to get a scanner (I was obviously shooting film at the time as this was pre-digital days), scan my work, and find online platforms to share it on. Because of this exposure in the early-aughts, I got a lot of eyes on my work I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. And from there, my following grew and grew. I started getting offered magazine features and collaborative exhibitions, and invitations into beautiful book volumes alongside some of the most talented and notable nude photographers at the time (who, funnily enough, but not so surprising, were often middle-aged men).

I was also capable of building and updating my own website because in 2003 I earned my A.A.S. in Digital Graphics and Design from NMSU. (I have worked as a graphic designer ever since, pursuing my photography on the side). My husband and I left NM and moved up to Colorado Springs in 2006 for his job. My first solo exhibition was in Colorado Springs in 2008, my second in Rome in 2010. I have had a few others as well as participated in many other group shows and festivals both in this area and abroad ever since.

In 2013 I separated from my husband and moved from Colorado Springs up to Denver. I was living as a freelance graphic designer and photographer prior to our separation, something I couldn’t support myself on and found a good graphic design gig up here to help me survive. My ex and I later divorced and not long afterward I married a wonderful man, a friend, confidante, and soulmate who had been in my life since the mid-’90s. Soon after, we bought our first home in this area and our baby girl was born in October of 2018. Life has been a whirlwind ever since and I haven’t had as much time for my work these days as I wish I did.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest obstacles and challenges have been, discussed in the question above, my family of origin, the history of depression and alcoholism in my family, the former I seemed to have inherited at a very young age but have proudly defeated, sometimes my own insecurities, and money (specifically, the lack of it). It can be hard to stay creative and ambitious when there are bills to pay and mouths to feed, and the day job absolutely comes first.

However, my biggest obstacle now seems to be a lack of time. Working full time as a graphic designer (which, let me add, I’m entirely grateful for to be able to work as a creative) in addition to caring for our 1-year-old-daughter has temporarily turned my personal creative endeavors into a thing of luxury, but I have found new, easier ways to exercise my creative muscle until I can make time to shoot again. I’m collaging and journaling a lot these days. I’ve found that it keeps me sane until I can pick up my camera again. It’s actually been a nice change, broadening my circle of creativity even further, so I’m grateful for the circumstances that have led me to this point.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a graphic designer by day, working in the tech industry in the River North area of Denver. But my work as a nude photographer is what I’m most known for.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
If anyone reading this is into the Enneagram, let me just say that I’m a four, and being a four is what has been most important to my vision and my success. I find beauty in many things but tend to seek it out most in darkness. I think in some subtle way, this is apparent in my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebeccatillett.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccatillett

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