by: daniel vallejo
Showcasing how a snake sheds its skin to represent themes of rebirth, change, & growth. We attempted to create a silhouette that looks like a translucent shell by layering a long white lace robe over a black bodysuit. Most reptiles that shed their skin leave behind a shell of their former self. This process can be seen as the “death” of one’s old self, while simultaneously entering the beginning stages of a brand new life. Embracing change is very on theme this year.
Second, we wanted to reference the Legend of the White Snake: the story of Bai Suzhen, a spirit who has a natural snake form, but disguises herself as a human. She falls in love with and marries a man named Xu Xian, who for several years is unaware of her true form. As a Buddhist monk endeavors to expose her, you learn of the great lengths she takes to protect her love, as well as the pain she inflicts onto those around her in the process. We felt that this story was important to reference for this year specifically. There are many different versions of ourselves that we subdue out of fear of retaliation from others. How often do we hide our true selves? & for who are we willing to do that for? It’s time to look in the mirror & find out who you truly are.
The legend is considered one of China’s “Four Great Folktales” and it was so fun to bring Bai Suzhen to life.
You can learn more about the legend of the white snake by going into my mood board.
2025 is the year of the wood snake specifically, & like many other colors, Green has significance in Chinese culture for being associated with the element “wood.” Since the year of the wood snake is also referred to as the year of the green snake, we thought it would be important to incorporate different shades of green in the rest of our looks. Nature has many evolutionary themes to pull from visually, and in this case, we are continuing to shed that old skin. That is why we reinterpreted the white lace, (the old shell), by having it draped around the body to show that an evolution is in fact taking place. A blossoming, a resurgence!
This look was also inspired by the beautifully striking green pit vipers that are found in many different parts of Asia. These green snakes also reside in trees, making it really easy for them to reach new heights while staying perfectly camouflaged within the leaves. Long green sleeves to represent the snakes’ great size, paired with a toxic green body suit for contrast was our way of bringing the green pit viper to life
Going along with tying in creationist folklore with various snake themes, we were reminded of one of the oldest stories about an encounter with a serpent. The Garden of Eden, where Eve was coaxed into eating the forbidden fruit by THEE snake where our creation began. We often hear this story as a cautionary tale, how we should be vigilant and not give into temptation, whatever that may look like in its various forms, however, this is a notion disproportionately applied to women. I believe this is because of the patriarchal history that has existed throughout time. In most iterations of this story, Eve is accused by Adam of instigating him to eat the fruit with her when questioned by God, making her to blame for Adam’s decision. There are iterations where the blame is shared equally, such as in the Quran, but in most of the versions we hear, Eve is the sole defiler, thus perpetually vilified & mischaracterized. Snake lore goes deep, & this is one major example of why they have this reputation of being treacherous. We also wanted to have a garden setting to represent both the Garden of Eden aesthetic & wood snake themes.
Then of course there’s NÜWA, (also read Nügua), a Chinese mother goddess from ancient matriarchal Chinese society, and a member of the 3 Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. Like many deities throughout history, she (shé 蛇), was often depicted as having a snake body. She is credited with creating humanity by molding humans out of clay, & also with repairing the Pillar of Heaven after a war between other gods caused a cataclysmic rift. When Chinese society shifted to more patriarchal models, Nüwa was paired with a male partner and the credit of human creation was then attributed to their union. This is another example of how a woman’s story was rewritten, her contributions minimized & no longer solely revered. It was only right that we take this folklore as inspiration for our final look.
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bio
My name is Daniel Antonio Vallejo.
I am a Mexican American freelance artist from San Joaquin California, a small farming community in the Central Valley, currently based in Los Angeles.
Despite growing up most of my life in a quiet, rural environment, I’ve managed to thrive in a city environment. It is actually because of my isolated upbringing that I had plenty of time to study and practice my camera skills. I started out photographing my surroundings and anything I could capture beyond my white picket fence with my old smart phone, and the summer before I attended college was when I bought my first DSLR. I was able to make valuable connections through the many shoots I participated in since then, which have helped me further hone my photography skills. Eventually, I became an amateur photographer/videographer for different local events, and gained more experience with actual portrait photography in LA.
I enjoy coming up with complex creative concepts and bringing them to life, and I am always looking for new ways to expand my creativity through photography and film, both in front and behind the camera.
View Daniel’s work on his instagram & website.
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Happy Lunar New Year everyone,
I wish you abundance and solace in the chaos of it all.
-T
