Today we’d like to introduce you to Briana Hennen.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My life has been a little crazy to say the least. From being adopted to being a single mother at 21. I never thought I would make it in this world. I grew up in a lot of very hostile environments but as I got older the more I wanted a peaceful and happy life.
Being taken from my mom at a very young age and being torn from my siblings was hard growing up. We are making up for lost time but it’s time that we still won’t get back. I still went thru things a child shouldn’t have had to go through. When I was 13, I got adopted to the family that had fostered me for many years before and even though I did love them with whole soul, I didn’t feel like I belonged in their family. At 17, I left to find who I was as a person. I wanted to feel like I belong somewhere.
At 19, my boyfriend at the time asked me to have his baby and as young and naive as we were, we set having a baby together as a life goal for us. We thought we were made for each other. I ended up losing two babies. Going through my miscarriages was the hardest part of my life. I lost two babies back to back within the same year. My doctor told me how hard it would be for me to carry to full-term. I was so heartbroken. I remember breaking down almost everyday. I was watching all my peers having their kids. Giving birth to these beautiful babies and that’s all I wanted. To feel whole, to feel like I real women. I remember telling myself “how are you a women when you can’t do the simple women things” I didn’t know how much deeper I could have gotten in my depression hole until the day I got a positive on my pregnancy test and nine months later I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. My dreams had come true. Unfortunately, her dad and I didn’t work out. I had to take care of our baby alone financial and it was extremely rough but I had such a great support system that now I’m 23 living in a two-bedroom and became a manager and model. I started modeling because I needed something for myself. I had to do something that didn’t involve wiping someone’s butt or having to be someone’s boss. I wasn’t being able to be the person I tried so hard to be. Happy. I meet a model friend Iman at a little get together and she gave me advice on how to start. What Facebook groups I should do. How to get myself out there.
So, I did just that and I ended up meeting a photographer named Frank Jenkins (one of my biggest supporters) he’s worked with me one on one, at meetups and just for advice about anything. He really helps me when it comes to my mental health. Since I have depression, I can go to him and talk about my demons and there’s not one judgmental thought. He’s gotten our work together published which was amazing. He’s also helped me learn how to pose myself. Modeling has been such a great and fun experience and I hope one day I can make it into a career. I hope to be an inspiration to other women who feel alone in life. You’re not alone no matter how you feel and you can do anything you put your mind too. The main person I hope to inspire is my daughter. I want her to keep her head up and know she is strong and she is never going to be alone. That I’ll love her for who she chooses to be. She already loves taking photos and modeling as well. It’s a wonderful feeling to watch her mocking me. Knowing she’s proud of who she calls her “mommy”.
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?
Of course, nothing is a smooth ride and there’s no difference in modeling. One of the things I struggled with was face expressions. I didn’t want to have the same expressions in all my photos so I started practicing in the mirror. I started watching other models and the faces they made in their videos or photos. Its helped so far. Another one that is a main struggle is self-doubt. I doubted my work. I doubted I was any good at modeling. Self-doubt is still a struggle to this day but I have to remember I’ve come so far in the short time I’ve done this.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
What sets me aside for others is the way I like to bend and twist my body in my photos. I love to see how creative I can get with my body.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My childhood wasn’t the best. I was torn from my family at a very young age and had to be jumped from foster home to foster home. There’s not many things I remember but I do remember one foster parent taking me to the Bahamas with them. I was young so the memory isn’t the best but I remember swimming and kissing a dolphin. I remember the feeling I had that day and it was the best time of my childhood.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 3463040873
- Email: hennen.briana15@gmail.com
- Instagram: Thebrianahennen_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrianahennen/
Image Credit:
Frank Jenkins, Ty Pickett, Jovanny Zuniga, Quintail Brooks, Bethanie Lege, Scoot Brumbaugh, Jack Navarro
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