Inspired by a personal moment shared with my mother, Things She Will Leave Behind explores the interactions between memory, material inheritance, and the passage of time. This project was born during a trip to Paris for her 60th birthday, where she stood getting ready in the hotel bathroom; I said I loved the necklace that she was wearing at the time, and she responded, “Just think one day soon you will have all my jewelry.” As an only child, I found myself left with the question: what is the meaning of the things left behind when the person who gave them their significance is no longer here?
At its core, this series is a dialogue, between myself and my mother, between the past and the present, and between the emotional and material. While it initially began as a fashion editorial using her wardrobe and jewelry, the project evolved into something far more layered. Through the process of selecting items and hearing her stories, I uncovered a profound difference in how we view these possessions. For her, each item is filled with history and meaning, while for me, they often remain objects, until they aren’t.
Visually, the work reflects a collaboration between my mother’s artistic legacy and my artistic evolution. Together, we painted the abstract backdrops featured in the images, a process that became an extension of the project’s themes of connection and continuity. Her earlier works, characterized by paint drippings, were a major influence in this series.
This series also examines the emotional burden of inheritance and how items we once admired can become overwhelming reminders of those we’ve lost. Each photograph focuses on elements of material inheritance—jewelry, clothing, and accessories—highlighting their dual role as objects of beauty and carriers of stories. Through techniques like long exposure and light painting, the images evoke the brief yet enduring nature of memory, capturing the tension between permanence and impermanence.
Things She Will Leave Behind is also my attempt to transform the fashion photography industry into a more artistic space by blending fine art elements with personal storytelling. By merging fashion editorial imagery with conceptual depth, I aim to create a unique visual language that challenges the boundaries of traditional fashion photography. This project not only redefines the relationship between art and fashion but also invites viewers to engage with universal themes of memory, loss, and the inescapable passage of time. Through this fusion of genres, I aim to inspire a deeper appreciation for the emotional narratives behind the visual beauty.
Izzy Nastic grew up surrounded by art, which shaped her creative vision from an early age. A soon-to-be graduate of the Photography Media Arts program at Toronto Metropolitan University, she has collaborated with numerous young designers, helping to amplify their voices through her powerful imagery. A passionate advocate for women in the industry, Izzy has built a strong network and is dedicated to supporting female talent. Her work explores themes of the passage of time, the fading of memories, and the inevitability of death, often playing with light and movement to evoke emotion and narrative. As a fashion photographer, she captures not only the aesthetic beauty of clothing but also the deeper, more abstract elements of the human experience. Izzy’s goal is to transform the fashion photography industry into one that draws on deeper emotional narratives. She believes that fashion can be a carrier for far more profound stories than what is typically seen in mainstream media.