Belly of the Beast | Jayda Saydam

A series of photographs taken over the year of November 2020 - November 2021.

A year in the Belly of the Beast is a loose documentation of my experience living in a van and discovering resilience through the fog and rain, loneliness, discomfort, warmth in friendship, community, happiness, adventure and indescribably more.

This journey was originally an experiment to gain more perspective of the transient vehicle dwelling community but ended up turning into an emotional undertaking of discovering self amongst the process of finding stability in an ever changing environment. Within this year, there has been such a diverse, yet consistent set of challenges that came with facing the elements of the west coast all the while of trying to sustain myself financially, physically and mentally. It is hard to describe the way we can adapt to such circumstances but I discovered a resilience and stubbornness in myself to pursue growth in my mind.

This time was an invaluable opportunity to heal and reflect on my previous life so that going forward there would be a foundation to build back upon.