The Creative Self Portrait – All About About (The Result)

Our first project brief for Media 1 involved producing a creative self portrait which would act as a “poetic” symbol for our identity. After many days which included me crying on my couch for several hours as I didn’t know what I was meant to construct, I was finally able to make something that I am actually quite satisfied with.

This is my Creative Self Portrait:

Photo #1: DRAW

• Ever since I was a child, art (more specifically drawing) has been a major part of my life. Illustration, the ability to release my frustrations and struggles on a major art project, investing time into a piece of work, has been one of the core elements of my existence.
• This passing year (2015) I went through major personal struggles where the only outlet I was allowed to have was my art, I was isolated in many ways from my friends and family, and having the opportunity to express my inner feelings was so important to me.
• During year 12, art was also one of my favourite classes, I would go into the studio and generate neo expressionistic paintings where I would attack the canvases and paper provided for me, it was a release, an escape, and one of the largest parts of my identity. The pink like which radiates the left side of the image is a emblem for the love which radiates through the darkness when I draw.

Photo #2: POOH KISS

• Over the years I’ve had many changes in friendships but one guy has stayed stationary by my side throughout my whole life, and that’s my teddy bear: Pooh Bear, affectionately known as “Special Pooh”.
• This bear has gone everywhere with me. I only received him a few months after I was born, and ever since I knocked him off the shelf by accident in the Disney store he has always been there for me.
• The Adventures of Winnie The Pooh was my favourite show as a kid, I remember having a stuffed toys collection of all the different characters, in fact, I had one of each, except Pooh, I had 11 different Poohs: Big Pooh, Fluffy Pooh, Tiny Pooh, ect. but Special Pooh was always my favourite.
• As I grew up I never really grew apart from him, and he has undergone many harsh conditions of tears, being thrown across the room, grasped tightly in frustration and passed out on, but there’s just something about him that I can’t let go of.
• Youth is a strange thing, and a lot of people expect you to lose sight of the innocence which once brought you so much joy, but I think it’s important to keep hold of the things which make you feel as hopeful as you were as a child.
• The red lipstick in this image represents my willingness to grow older whilst still having appreciation for youthful comforts.

Photo #3: MESS

• My room is a mess, this photo portrays that exactly, though not exclusively; I’ve always thought of myself as kind of a blank slate, I don’t really open up about my creative endeavours right away.
• This image is a symbol of me, you never know whats inside though sometimes you can catch a glimpse of my inner imagination.
• The crazy sock juxtaposed against the plain cupboard is i trope suggesting that you never really get to know a person until they open up. My brain might be just as messy as my room, though if you sift through it, you’ll actually find it’s kind of fun.

Photo #4: DIET

• I’m a big fan of 2min noodles, always have been, always will be, and as it’d the staple diet of many uni students around the world, I thought it would be appropriate for me to include this image.
• The tiny shopping trolley (yet I do own a tiny shopping trolley, I don’t actually know why don’t ask), becomes an analogy for the tiny budget students, like myself, have to spend on food, and the microwave also, in that respect, becomes one of the only pieces of equipment in the kitchen which I actually know how to use.
• Most mornings before uni I’ll have 2min noodles for breakfast (I know it’s problematic) , because I was stupid and timetabled almost all my classes for 8:30am and since my train takes 1 hour to get into the city, cooking toast isn’t really what I want to do.
• Food has always been something which is close to my heart, so having a photo which included food was a must when expressing my identity.

Photo #5: PETS

• I was named after a cat, most people laugh when they here that, but it’s true; I was named after my mum’s tiny brown Persian kitten who died in surgery, Amber. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it, but I’ve always had an affinity with animals of all kinds, more specifically my pets.
• My first pets were two cats: Electra, and Zachary, my two favourite animals in the whole world, I used to chase them around the house and attempt to teach them tricks (Electra was 20 years old and hated my so much), succeeding them was Princess (I named her when I was 7, I actually wanted her name to be Teffiny with an E, so it could’ve been worse), who is still alive and kicking but did not want to be in this photo because she’s horrible, even though I love her.
• The two dogs you see in this image are the best canines you’ll ever meet. Coco, to the left is the light of my life, she is living sunshine. She enjoys walks, playing, and also playing and walks. She also has no idea what’s going on 24/7.
• Daisy is to the left, she’s incredibly intelligent and fat, her favourite things include, pretending she’s a cat, socialising with Princess (Princess hates her so much), lying on the floor, and food.
• These two angels bring me so much happiness and have become such a huge part of my life it would be a crime not to include them.

Photo #6:

• Montmorency: My home town, and my favourite place has many cafes and cool places to have lunch
• I love this cafe in particular because it’s pretty knew and has a great vibe
• As I come across this place on a regular basis it has become a part of my identity
• The bottles are one of the first things you spot when you walk into the cafe, so I thought I would use that to express the establishment as a whole.

Video #1: MEMORY

• Memories are a vital part of anyones life
• This is a photo album I made myself when I was around 6 years old
• I have many albums which my mum made though this one I thought was more special and personal
• I keep this album in my room and flick through it from time to time, most pictures are of my cats.

Video #2: GREEN

• I have always lived among nature and the suburbs which I spend most of my time (Montmorency, Eltham, ect.) are very close to bush land
• I love wildlife and animals are one of my favourite things
• This video was shot in a place where I walk my dogs most morning when I don’t have uni
• I under to go roller blading/swimming/dancing across the road, which connects this particular spot to my past and my identity

Video #3: AMBER LIGHT

• This video is connected to my name, as well as my personality
• The amber light is a warning sign
• As I am quite a hazardous being (I fall over alot) the name Amber is pretty appropriate
• This video is also shot in my hometown, I went to school near this set of traffic lights and see them mostly everyday.

Audio #1: TRAIN

• I catch the Hurstbridge line train from Montmorency, this is what I hear everyday
• I recorded this audio during a trip back from my 1hr journey from RMIT which I take 3 times a week
• This is a vital audio clip which represents my identity because this station is where I spend a considerable portion of my mornings and afternoons

Audio #2: TYPE

• This audio clip is of my in my natural habitat, in my living room, listening to some quality tunes and typing some posts on the internet.
• The clip also features some outdoors winds and the quiet background murmur of my TV
• This is a crucial part of my identity as relaxing like this is very important to my functioning and not going completely insane, it’s also what I’m doing right now.

Audio #3: HOME ALONE

• Being home alone is a really exciting thing to me still, I know I sound like I’m 12 years old, but since my mum has always been a stay-at-home mum, I never really got that much time alone in the house
• During this audio clip I crack my neck pretty loudly (I always crack my neck but my family hates it oops) and heating up some food in the microwave
• This audio clip is an expression of my free self, without being conscious of my demeanor or the way I present myself; me in my natural realm.

50 WORDS:

A small town

Dictating all the people we get around

What a familiar face.

Do you get what I mean now?

I’m so fixated on the girl with the soft sound

I’m in transit

floating stranded on this boat

And I pledge myself allegiance

To a better night sleep at home

• These fifty words are two extracts from two of my favourite songs.
• The first thirty are from Settle down by the 1975, my favourite band which always brings me joys and aids me in a time of need, their songs have surrounded me for the past 3 years and this song in particular is my favourite.
• The second 20 are from a song which I appreciate a lot, and thats Fader y the Temper Trap, this song reminds me of long car rides to the beach and walking home from high school in year 7, it’s just an altogether feel good track and makes me feel relaxed whenever I listen to it.