Four Hours of Sleep and Half Naked Hanging from a Doorframe
A Conversation Between Asana and Audri
The Space Between Yes and Fear
Asana:
This photo always makes me laugh, because people see fearlessness, but they don’t see the backstory. You had driven four hours to dance all night. What time did you actually get to my house?
Audri:
Around four in the morning. I remember collapsing into sleep almost immediately. It wasn’t graceful, it was survival.
Asana:
And then… I woke you up.
Audri:
You definitely woke me up. I think I had slept maybe three, four hours? And suddenly there was noise. Movement. Energy. You were already wide awake and fully in creation mode.
Asana:
I couldn’t help it. The light was good. The space felt alive. And I had already been jumping on my doorframe, hanging upside down like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Audri:
You were completely fearless. Or maybe just completely unbothered by gravity.
Asana:
I remember thinking, Audri’s a pole dancer, she’ll be totally fearless too. So I asked you to do it.
Audri:
And I said yes… but I was absolutely nervous. You mean asked or insisted?
Asana:
That’s the part people don’t expect. From the outside, you look calm, strong, composed. What was happening internally?
Audri:
I trusted you, but I didn’t trust the door.
I was exhausted. Hanging upside down from a doorframe isn’t exactly a controlled environment like a studio or a pole. There was this moment of hesitation where I had to decide whether to listen to fear or curiosity.
Curiosity won.
Asana self portrait
Asana:
I remember how carefully you climbed up, how you tested your grip before committing.
Audri:
Yes. That pause mattered. Once I was upside down, something shifted. The fear didn’t disappear, but it softened. I could feel my body organizing itself and stabilizing.
That’s something movement teaches you: fear doesn’t mean stop. It means pay attention.
Asana:
From behind the camera, I wasn’t thinking about danger. I was thinking about lines. The way your hair fell. The contrast between effort and ease. It felt like a moment suspended between sleep and wakefulness.
Audri:
That’s exactly how it felt inside. Like I was still half dreaming, but fully present. No plan. Just a quiet agreement: let’s see what happens.
Asana:
This image became one of our earliest collaborations. Do you feel like it says something about how we create together?
Audri:
Completely.
You bring fearless ideas into the room. I bring the willingness to meet them, even when I’m tired, even when I’m unsure. Somewhere in between, art happens. It’s not about being reckless. It’s about trust. In the body. In each other.
In the moment.
Asana:
If you could describe this image in one word now, what would it be?
Audri:
Committed. Not perfect. Not effortless. But fully there.
Asana:
That’s what I love about it. People see strength and play, but underneath is choice. Exhaustion. Courage. And a little bit of madness.
Audri:
Mostly yours.
Asana:
Fair.
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Captured in the early morning hours after a night of travel and dance, this photograph reflects the raw intersection of fatigue, trust, and creative impulse. A moment where fear met curiosity and stayed.
