Sometimes I almost forget what I look like.
I worry that I don't actually look like myself. Like, I don't spend enough time being aware of my physical appearance to be sure that it is representing ME accurately. I suspect it is being sloppy.
I have trouble finding profile pictures for online things. My facebook profile is a photo my two-year-old took of me, in which his finger cuts out half my face. Charming, yes, but not the way I want to represent myself long-term. I don't have a photographer in my life capturing me in a good light. My husband has an inexplicable knack for taking terrible pictures of me.
So. I am going to practice taking pictures of myself.
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| Could use some work. . . |
It is a project of self-redefinition. Of exploring who I am, and expressing it visually. Of building up an image of myself that matches the extraordinary being I know I am inside.
Here is my approach.
I am going to list all the aspects of myself I consider important. Roles I play, my passions, talents, major interests, the things I value most, the things I want to be. I'll compile a list of up to 52 aspects to use as weekly themes. 52 is the number of weeks in a year, so that is my arbitrary maximum. Maybe it will be 30 or 20.
Each week I'll choose a theme to work on, and come up with a self-portrait to express it. Then I'll post it to this facebook page, because I'd love it if you'd join me in this challenge. We can share ideas and techniques, and get a greater perspective on the possibilities of the process.
You may have completely different reasons for embarking on such a project, or maybe some of the same ones.
Whatever your reasons, come up with a list of aspects of yourself you'd like to represent visually, and start snapping photos. Or maybe you'd like to take a totally different approach, capturing where you are each week, or trying different photographic techniques. Design your own challenge however you like!
Every Monday (or whenever you get to it), upload your photo for the week.
My hope is that we will be inspired by sharing in one another's journeys of creative self-expression, and through trying different ideas, learn to see ourselves from a new angle or two.
Will you join in? (On Facebook, or on your own?) What are your reasons?
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