Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Forney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jeff, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I’m not totally sure. As an adoptee it could be that I’m just living in a space of gratitude that I get to have this human experinece (that very well could not have happened). It could also be my parents and the way they raised my sister and I. Always looking for the good in people and approaching life with a sense of wonder.
Perhaps its a combination of the both?
I find that my relationships in life keep the love and humor flowing, and I love to laugh.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a photographer here in Los Angeles and during a photo shoot with Ray Liotta, I discovered he was adopted as well. (RIP) We got to talking, sharing our stories of reunion (finding our biological roots) and that was the impetus for the ‘Innocent People Project’. I take photos of fellow adoptees and share their photos and stories to Instagram. Some of the subjects have been filmed as well and I’m looking to create a docu-series on the subject. Adoptees want to be seen and heard and there is more to being adopted than the narrative that is currently pushed by society as a whole.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back and looking presently, listening to adoptees without judgement has been key. Understanding each story is valid and giving space for those to share their experience has been crucial to this project. I’m not looking to turn one adoptee’s journey into a stereotype, rather allow all the experiences to share the same space and air. Adoptees grow up quite oftern being told they are lucky to be adopted. And that could be true, but we must recognize there is loss of one family in order to form another through adoption. That trauma needs to be acknowledged. My advice is to stay open to what inspires you and be willing to share your truths and vulnerabilites, because that is what resonates and connects us.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
With The Innocent People Project I am continually looking to photograph and share the stories of adoptees. The truths we seek may be difficult and the healing we do may be ongoing, but I believe in the power of human stories and the healing it can create. I believe we are all worthy of love. A non-adoptee’s view on adoption is not an adoptee’s view on adoption. And in between is a gap I hope to fill. Adoptees carry burdens. Some being the burden of explanation, the burden to be affirming and the burden of loyalty. An adoptees ‘book of life’ starts on chapter two. How often does one purchase a book and start on chapter two??
We are a global community of disconnect that is finding it’s voice, in real time. A minority hidden in plain site, often (but not always) covered in guilt, shame and self worth issues as well as potentially a whole host of others. Some adoptees fall out of the ‘Adoption Issues Tree’ and hit only one branch, and some hit every single one of them. It’s different for everyone, yet we all have a common thread. Stay curious…and be grateful. Gratitude loosens the grip of inadequacy. Gratitude is liberating.
Anyone interested in participating in the project can reach out to me through my website JeffForney.com or through IG @JeffForney.
Contact Info:
- Website: JeffForney.com
- Instagram: JeffForney
Image Credits
All images by @JeffForney
