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Welcome to the next movement of the woman to woman transformation for a greater generation of females tomorrow! WEWA (Women Empowering Women in Action) is the art of action from one enlightened, intelligent & beautiful female to another,  working in harmony to shift the perception that society has created on the being a "woman".  

Who is WEWA?

WEWA is every true goddess. She is your sister, she is your mother, she is your friend, she is your mentor and your daughter. She is strong, independent and fearless. She is loving and nurturing and recognizes the importance of inspiring and uplifting other women, young and old. She believes her abilities are not confined to the ideals society has placed on her just because she is a woman, and she encourages other women to defy their dreams and passions without limitation. The WEWA ambassador is a reflection of truth, loyalty and courage sharing her heroism amongst other divine feminines.

What WEWA does?

WEWA stands for the present moment as a social movement towards the paradigm shift to empower and reshape female to female relationships in the workplace, daily life, education, and overall mental and emotional state. WEWA ambassadors work together to positively uplift each other through words of encouragement, actions and love.

How does one be part of WEWA?

Anyone can be part of WEWA starting right now! You can be part of this beautiful revolution by taking a personal vow to honor what WEWA stands for throughout your daily life. There are no fees, no applications to fill out or volunteering...Being part of WEWA is a personal lifestyle choice to take accountability for one's actions, just as one adopts better eating habits to improve their health. WEWA is your own, loving and uplifting practice towards conscious awareness at this very moment. Here are some examples of a WEWA ambassador:

•  Always reminding another female of her courage and strength to stand by her passions. Life often tries to test our limits and sometimes these limits can come across as failures. Through use of words of encouragement and support the WEWA ambassador can help uplift one another during a low point in a woman's journey.
• It is important for every WEWA ambassador to recognize each other in the workplace. By honoring a woman's skills, intelligence and talent as an essential contribution within a team environment. WEWA ambassadors recognize the importance to see one another as non-threatening and embrace what unique abilities each member has to contribute in order to achieve a greater purpose as a team.
• WEWA is a community of women honoring the endless potential of each one of it's members. As a community, WEWA ambassadors stand together representing growth to women of all ages. WEWA is a fully-inclusive social movement thriving on diversity. WEWA is every woman regardless of race, color, age, height, weight or social status. 
• WEWA is authentic in recognizing happiness is a choice. We all have opinions that define us as individuals. Although, WEWA is a collection of amazingly strong women, WEWA also respects that each woman is special and beautiful in her own way.
• Most importantly, As a WEWA ambassador, it is important to spread the word, inspire, educate and embrace other women. Being the change you want to see in the world is strength alone solely as an individual and indefinite as a community. Your actions are formula to re-establish a new generation of incredible females. #WEWA.

WEWA is always growing! Spread the word and share your inspirational story here! Comments of positivity, healing, advice and encouragement are always welcome. Let's grow together!

#WEWA LOVES YOU.

So, when do we tell ourselves enough is enough and throw-in the towel along with our pride? Unfortunately, this decision has always been a challenge for me. Growing-up in a "tough love" household by a single mother I was never allowed to be sick or sense pain. It was always, "take an aspirin! Go to school!". Don't get be wrong in some cases it's was a blessing I was conditioned this way, but in many ways it was also a curse. Being raised to ignore the physical pain allowed me to tap into the reality of a situation and apply my mental strength. But now, as an adult, I find that pride and pain can be a scaring combination, that if not recognized, you are forced to learn from the hard way.

During my recent solo excursion to Ireland, I encountered a handful of roadblocks that kept me from continuing my journey. On the day of my departure from London, the Underground train I was on had a 45 minute standstill delay, leading me to miss my flight and having to pay double to get on the next available one. Then, when arriving in Dublin, the $8/day car rental I had booked for 4 days to drive around Ireland ended up having massive amounts of hidden costs, like needing full insurance for being a foreign driver, leading my total rental cost to $330.00. The cost of this trip deeply started to eat away at my pockets as if they were a free buffet for a family of five. I questioned the cost of the journey. I clearly did not budget the additional costs and l had to make the decision, that If I were going to continue I was going to have to strictly monitor my expenses. Being an avid solo traveler, expenses (hotel, gas, car rental) tend to add up faster then sharing them with a travel buddy, but I was on a mission! The 'tough girl' voice in my head reminded me I wasn't going to give-up... and so I had to listen.

By day three, along with my penny pinching, gas station-snack dinners and a very uncomfortable night sleeping in my car rental  wrapped-up in a pile of clothes on a pillow constructed of my camera bag...I had made it to one of my long desired destinations, Cliffs of Moher, located on the stunning Southern West-Coast of Ireland. I had decided to book myself a comfy stay in a $20/night highly rated hostel in Doolin, a cute little town a few miles North of the Cliffs (NOTE: Hostels in the country where there are mass amounts of exploration and adventure are always the way to go. You make friends with people who are there to do the same adventure as you are and swap advice and information with those who have already returned from your yet to come anticipated excursion). I only had a day to hike the rough and risky trail, The Burren Way, A two hour hike along the steep and unprotected cliff edge from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher historical center. Unlike many of my other excursions, I came to Ireland to explore my roots very unprepared. Or shall I say, Ireland was unprepared for 'Kirgie'!

After dropping off my bag at the hostel I was ecstatic to get on the trail and start my solo excursion. About fifteen minutes into the trail the clouds started to swallow over the majestic Ireland sky and swallow the sun and the sky began to downpour like marshmallows from a box of Lucky Charms . As much as I love the rain (and marshmallows), being from Los Angeles, embracing the beauty of the rain in all forms is like Christmas morning...yet hiking along the edge of a 390 ft cliff wasn't exactly the ideal time to embrace it's beauty, but I gathered on. Battling mud and slush in my very non-waterproof sneakers, I pulled the waterproof cover over my camera bag and kept my eyes wide open at the trail ahead of me. No one was on the trail at that time and I clearly knew why. Conditions as I hiked higher along the trail gradually began to get worse. The rain started to feel like pellets flicking across my face and any attempt to take a photograph left my lens coated in raindrops. This was clearly NOT the adventure I had hoped for, although I can admit it was quite thrilling tackling all the elements in the moment. Even a slight close-call slip along the trail, where for a second I thought I may have twisted my ankle, couldn't stop me. I felt like I was in an action movie! And then, reality set in as I came across a divide in the trail. I stood at a stand-still, with my socks drenched with rain and my shoes sloshed with mud. To the left of me, a barbwire fence (clearly not a safety rail), to my right a 390ft plunge off the beautiful Ireland coast into the crashing waves of the Atlantic and in front of me a 3 foot gap. Now, I know 3 feet doesn't sound that big of a leap, but add the elements of rain and mud and you have the voice of reason shouting in my head "holy shit, maybe this is why there were so many hurdles to get here! Maybe this is my death? Maybe all those hurdles were signs to stop me from this moment? Maybe all these nasty conditions are happening to stop me from continuing? I should turn around. Maybe I should listen to all the signs." I was faced with the reality of making a big decision for the future of my solo journey. Cold, wet, muddy, alone, no one to hear me if I fall. I remember thinking, If I don't continue, what do I loose other then my silly pride and if I do continue, I risk my life. In that moment, as I looked down at the gap, a fire came over me. I raised my head to look up at the rain-soaked heavens, and I pointed my finger up at the sky shouting in my people-would-think-I'm-crazy-if-they-heard-me-talk-like-this-aloud voice, "I'm going to do this! I've come this far! And when I get to the top, you better bring that sun out so I can get a good picture!". And so, instead of forfeiting, found the slightest opening in the barbwire fence to the left of me that was just enough room for my hand, gripped it tightly, and with all the childhood dance class memories, I gracefully did my best ballet leap. Light as a feather, I made it! My whole body filled quickly with adrenaline, I knew my mission was not over, but it was a close call. Perhaps, it can also be classified as a "stupid decision", But I had a will and made a way. The rest of my hike was fueled with stunning cliff side beauty, crazy goats grazing along the steep edge and the constant sound of the ancient Gaelic waves crashing against one of the Earth's most beautiful masterpieces. As I reached my destination, I looked out over the ocean with a huge grin of accomplishment and there in the sky the clouds began to part so that the sun could shine through. It was magic, although the sunshine only lasted 5 minutes, I couldn't be more grateful for the experience.

Clearly, if it wasn't for my conditioning, I would have given up. But deep down inside I think it's because I genuinely love what I do and with that I must adopt all the glory and all the faults. You make the sacrifices and you swallow your wounds. Just as a musician needs to earn their calluses, just as a new doctor has to deal with loosing their first patient, just as baring a child scars a woman's body ... If you love it, It's worth fighting for.

I'm not going to tell you to risk your life for something, but I am going to share that everyone has a passion whether you know what that passion is or not. And if you do know, then do whatever it takes to fuel your passion.

So, before you feel like you are ready to forfeit your journey, ask yourself "Is this something I am passionate about?" ...and there you will find your answer.

Please follow my Instagram for more photos from my trip @kkirgan or by clicking here: http://instagram.com/kkirgan

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST A LIST OF POINTERS, NOT A HANDBOOK. ONLY YOU CAN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF.***

1. RESEARCH. Before you ever enter into an unfamiliar territory make sure you jump online and do your research. Make yourself as familiar as possible with the customs of the local people. Look-up the crime rate and try to see if you can find anything online that might be evidence of the dangers that may lie ahead by going into this environment... Our generation is blessed with the amazing gift called the information highway...get to a computer and exorcise it.

2. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM. Nothing screams adventure more then the power of two. Think about it... we have two hands, two eyeballs, two feet, two ears...a lot of things just function better when they are in pairs and in most cases so do people. Make it a group activity. Of course a dope friend willing to journey with you into foreign territory is always a easy thing to find, so it's not always the best solution, but put the word out there and who knows, you may just found yourself an awesome new travel partner.

3. LEAVE THE EXPENSIVE GEAR AT HOME. No matter how securely we think we have a $3000 camera (aka our baby) wrapped around our neck, it's never worth the risk of getting stolen. Yes, there are many things you can do to conceal the camera, but thankfully we have always lived in a time of options. Camera phones these days are beyond blowing my mind with clarity and pixels. If you feel like your camera phone is still living in the cave ages, then go the film route. Simple film cameras carry the vintage persona that people want to respect and they tend to keep under the radar. Your images don't always have to look like they popped out of Natgeo. Challenge your perspective by scouting the area out first before bringing out the big guns and embrace using other camera mediums.

4. PREPARE FOR THE WORST. Not a day goes by that I'm sure you don't ask yourself "what if" at least once. "What if I drink coffee instead of tea?", "What if I don't take my dog for a walk today?", "What if I tell my best friend I'm in love with him?" ...Life is full of these types of questions. Maybe we ask ourselves these "what if" questions because we have doubts about a parting time in our lives or maybe because we want to challenge our choices as individuals. So why not prepare yourself with answers to "what if" questions when it comes to traveling in new environments. "What if I drop my camera, is there a place I can get it repaired in this foreign city?", "What if someone threatens me to hand over my camera, how will I respond? What are the consequences of my response?". Trust me as an artist, I love to live in the moment and believe everything and everyone is perfect, but that's not reality and we need to be responsible for ourselves and for the best interest of our "babies". 

5. KEEP AN OPEN MIND.  Aside from using good judgement when the circumstance calls for it, make sure you leave your bad judgement at home. The more you travel the more you will come face to face with different customs from cultures all around the world. Everywhere you go in this world, I guarantee you are going to experience life differently then you are used to at home. Be open to learning the customs of the locals, they might not have a place in your world, but the whole reason you are traveling is for the experience, so be open to cherishing the moment.

6. GET EXCITED. Congratulate yourself. All your research is about to pay off! Remember its not about the destination as much as it is more about the journey.

Here are some photos I took with my Iphone when I was traveling out in the unknown, For more photo updates on my journeys follow me on Instagram HERE http://instagram.com/kkirgan

"Kick Start" La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Abandon Ship" Puerto Natales, Chile

"Calling Ben" Big Ben, London, England

"Blending In" Self Portrait, Joshua Tree, California

"Flip Side" Bangkok, Thailand

"Boca Dreams" La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This year, I decided to throw most of that universal garbage out the window. After all change shouldn't be limited to being re-evaluated when you are being trampled-over by holiday shoppers and getting fat over your accepting indulgence to consume carbs and sugar all while your family sits around and judges you on your decision to become an artist and why you're not having babies yet...yeah, no thank you. Thankfully, in this case it's always important to remember that we (meaning you and I) are in fact the only ones in charge of our own destiny. That is why I made the decision to celebrate the holidays the only way that felt right...by doing what I love and traveling. I figured what more of a gift it would be to wake-up on Christmas morning already content with no expectations except for the one's I wanted to create for myself. So, I decided to set forth my dreams by trekking Torres Del Paine in Patagonia, Chile.

Ever since I was a child I have dreamed of visiting Patagonia. I knew it wasn't an easy place to reach, but I am a firm believer that its not so much about the destination as much as it is more about the journey and I couldn't be more ready.

Several long ass flights, a boat and many bus rides later I had arrived. I made the decision this trip I was not going to over plan as I generally tend to do with my past journeys. I only had me, myself and I; therefore, I had the time and freedom to embrace what the universe had in store for me. Within the first hour of my trek to Torres Del Paine National Park I made friends with two Dutch gentleman that just so happened to be on a similar journey to catch Christmas morning sunrise at Las Torres. We decided to journey together along with another female solo traveler who was looking to make a friend. Somehow these three beautiful people came into my life last minute, I could have decided to make the 8 hour hike on my own, but I wasn't in the head space to question the gift, only to embrace it. And embrace it I did. After the long trek that day battling severe drastic climate changes and steep rocky inclines all while carrying 13 lbs on my back, we reached our destination for the day, set-up camp, shared my can of tuna with my new mountain family and stayed warm that Christmas Eve in the freezing cold with a generous bottle of rum being passed around and some local mantequilla de mani and crackers. This was the most unexpected Christmas Eve in my life and I could not have been more content to be sharing the real meaning of Christmas with three generous and wonderful strangers. The next morning, after only about four hours of the most uncomfortable sleep, we all woke at 4am to trek into the dark so we could reach Las Torres for Christmas morning sunrise. With the motivation of my new family as a team, we reached the top moments before sunrise. As I sought out the best location to photograph the dawn basking over the massive rock towers in the freezing snow I started to reflect on the past 24 hours. My whole body was sore from the long journey the day before, I was tired from the lack of sleep and I was unbearably stinky from sweating in my thermals, but I couldn't have more gracious for the present moment. It's amazing when you finally accomplish what you have been wanting for so long and worked so hard for. I could have given up. I could have let my fear of being alone stop me from going on this trip. I could have slept-in on Christmas morning and missed the sunrise....I could have done done all of these things, but I didn't. The universe ended up gifting me everything I needed without knowing. But then again, isn't that the way it always happens. I can detest what they say is always true... The best things come, when you least expect it.

I hope you enjoy this moment with me. Photos will never be able to fully capture the magic of this place rather then seeing it in person for yourself. But I can always try.

December 25th, 2014 Christmas Morning, Sunrise - Las Torres, Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

December 25th, 2014 Post Sunrise - Las Torres, Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

More to come:)

You've been a bitch. Yes, I said "bitch", that's a word I rarely ever use, but you've earned every vowel for how you have been non-stop spinning your wheels on the roller coaster in the amusement park called "LIFE".

Six years ago, slapped by another one of your lows, I set out to re-discover my purpose in life. Who was I? Who did I want to be? What did I want to create? I've always loved photography, the independence of  being alone to dance with the moment. The feeling that no one and nothing could come between the moment and me, knowing that I was the only person who saw the moment and captured it in a little black box only to bring it back to my peers and share with them the magic in which I witnessed. This was the gift my soul wanted to be smothered by like Aunt Jemima to a stack of pancakes. I wanted photography to be poured all over me, all over my soul, all over my mind...I wanted being a photographer to stain my hands and I wanted my right index finger to grow a blister the size of Buddha's belly.

The power of this thought brought me closer to my dream when six years ago, a good friend of mine was leaving town for several months and was looking for a home for their beloved Canon D-SLR Camera. Was this the universes' way of telling me I was on the right path to my destiny? I Jumped on the opportunity like a bull in a China shop (Being that always came natural to me). But more so, because I had found my passion. I had spoke, and the universe started to listen...And so, my journey began.

Since then, It hasn't been an easy road. I struggled...I grew. I cried...I grew. I was broke...but I...ok so i'm still growing that one...but the moral of the story is there is no easy way to accomplish your dreams and goals. You have to stay positive and fight, because life will always give you the opportunities to make your dreams a reality, but it will also give you the opportunities to quit. If it were easy, It wouldn't be worth having. Now, Photography, that always came easy, but becoming a "Photographer" has been a constant annual marathon through the La Brea Tar Pits. I watched as my friend's around me started moving up their corporate ladders, buying fancy cars, buying houses, having kids, buying their kids fancy cars (ok, Power Wheels...but I would have done anything for a Power Wheels car when I was a kid!!!) Yes, it was hard to watch, It was also hard to watch my hard earned money going towards $1000 lenses or for that matter most of ALL my money going towards paying for photography equipment. Do you even know how many times I considered spending that money on a flashy pair of "red bottom shoes" so I could be cool like all the other girls??? But every time, reality stepped in and the quote my Stepfather shared with me when I first made the decision to become a photographer would burn me like a moth to campfire in Florida, he said, " You can make a million dollars being a photographer, but you have to spend a million dollars getting there." I guess I hoped that if you give, you will get double back??? ...still waiting Samy's! In reality, though, I did begin to see all my hard work and dedication begin to blossom. Every year, since planting that little photo seed, I watched as my journey would grow like the Spring time and fade a little in the Fall. But like the repetitive nature of the seasons as long as I continued to water my seed my roots would become stronger and grow bigger then ever before.

Fast forward to our love/hate relationship with our darling 2014. Or as I like to call it "20-DOOR-TEEN", because this year many doors were closed, few were bolted shut never to be opened again and one HUGE magical door was opened. That magical door, we will call the "Gateway". An opportunity to bring me closer to my purpose in life through traveling, photographing, exploring and documenting the moment the way only I see it.

So, this blog, which I revived from my last blog back in 2010's "Girl with a Camera...And Some Balls", will be my black box to share with you my journey, except this time I'm just "A Girl With A Camera"...sans balls. I had learned since then that balls aren't really that strong as everyone thinks, they just sag and have a best friend who's a dick.