With the popularity of networking sites, so comes the notion of posting an insane amount of photos of oneself to share with family and friends. Photos can be tagged and shared and have connected different generations in communication, in a way that was not possible two decades ago. I own a iPhone and it takes more work to get in and start my car then it does to snap a photo and instantly share it online. Although snapshots are fun to do and share, I have found myself finding a way to connect my photography to a much closer and personal part of my life.
I started a new personal project last month that I have decided to call, 'Self Portraiture to Self Healing'. Here is an excerpt written about the album on Facebook.
"Is it ironic being a TCK, where loss is recurring theme of life, and finding I'm surprised when I keep losing things of my life. The last two years have been the hardest of the total twenty seven. Loss of family and friends. Loss of marriage and love. Loss of support. I find myself very alone and fueled by that I am hoping to find healing this year through self portraiture and expression."
The album is a work in progress and now contains four images, and two unfinished ones still in the works. After a failed start of doing a 'Project 365' which involved taking and sharing one photo every day, I had been on the hunt for something that could help further my growth in my passion for photography. What I had not intended was the additional growth in the confines of self healing from my past and present for a 'brighter future'. In struggles and time of stress or depression I find I cling harder to my past and cherished memories. I have been moving around every two years or less for the last decade in the US, but before that i was moving frequently across Europe. A land so rich in culture and arts, it stands as the foundation of who I am and fueling the creative nature that comes out in my work. One self portrait I have showcased in this project, had been linked in likeness to the self portraiture of german artist, Albrecht Dürer. Although my art is in now way on any level of that painter, but i know what I create stems from a childhood absorbed in art and architecture of European art. I recently myself studying the self portraits of painters and artists from our previous generations, and I was led to quite a few links online about self healing. Although I wish I had started and kept with the 365 project from January 1st, I now felt fueled by something stronger than a daily commitment, but a commitment to self love and harmony. I may not post one image every day, but post a piece that I feel represents a part of me and my emotions that have been lost in the mayhem and chaos of the least two years.
I hope that this project is viewed as it is, a self healing and personal exploration through my love of art.
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