Project 1: Self Portrait
The following pieces of Media are artifacts I have collected for Project 1 in Media 1. I chose each of these artifacts to specifically show how I identify and label my self. There is a brief explanation below each piece. The text I have included at the end is the “TL;DR” of this project! As I previously blogged about, I initially struggled with this task quite a bit. In the end once I stopped trying/thinking so hard about how to be creative I was able to create honest pieces that reflect how I view myself.
6 Pictures
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/hillary_zpscvmnqtf5.jpg
This first photo is a picture of me in my brand new ‘Hillary 2016’ sweater. I chose to include a picture of this as being an active citizen is something that has become very important to me. Even now being away from home it is extremely important for me to stay involved in the political process.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/IMG_5110_zpsukuxkdwn.jpg
I’ve included this picture of my friends as they have been a driving force in my life. My friends back home have encouraged me to do the things I wanted but may have been iffy on. As well as picking up the slack when family support has failed or not been enough. The above picture are friends I have made this past year in Australia. The friendships I have built here are one of the main reasons I have decided to commit to living here for the next 3 years.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/IMG_0683_zpsspacxdhm.jpg
They say you are what you eat. If that is true then sugar is what I am. Glorious North American maple syrup ( I unfortunately did not tap this myself). A couple bricks of dark chocolate that were on special. An avocado, usually spread upon toast with some feta – I have Australia to thank for this obsession). Terribly sugary energy/ice coffee drinks to keep this night owl awake, and of course my favorite banana and peanut butter, yum, yum, yum!
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/IMG_0671_zpsadwjzjkp.jpg
Change and the need for it is a big part of who I am. My boots and my passport are the only things that don’t change. To be able to pack up and go and be thrown into an atmosphere I don’t know is scary. Yet it is also the situation in which I have found myself to be most comfortable.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/IMG_0685_zps5yuul7xn.jpg
My shelf holds my hobbies, the ways I like to spend my free time. Reading, Rock climbing, finding a place to hang my hammock (my happy place), and in the corner you will see a microphone for the occasional moment when I get the urge to podcast rather than just listen to one.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/Hannah_Tepoorten/IMG_0556_zpspe2deqim.jpg
Me! This is how I see myself messy, happy, and trying to create while usually failing and occasionally succeeding. The vegan blondies I made in the picture were definitely a success!
Audio
- This first audio is me (very quickly) retelling The Legend of Sleeping Bear. The legend of sleeping bear is a Native American Legend about the origin of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes – a national park in my home of Michigan and where I have spent my summers since I was a baby. I also have a tattoo of a sleeping bear to signify the importance of the land to me.
- In this second audio I read a passage from my favorite book The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and relate it to myself and how I identify myself as not only one thing.
- This third audio is how I spend my mornings – singing in the shower. My truest desire is to be a tony award winning broadway star but I was unfortunately not gifted with the proper pipes. My only way to live out this dream is in the shower – where my voice is drowned out by pouring water. Video
https://vimeo.com/158134049
This first Video shows the beginning to a facetime between my cousin and I. As my family is across the ocean I spend a good deal of my time online with them. My family is my main support system and have obviously contributed to my upbringing and who I am today in enormous ways.
https://vimeo.com/158134314
This second video, is a video of me during my yoga practice. Though my physical practice has certainly slowed as of recent. Living a mindful life is something I try achieve everyday. To stay present and to not allow my anxieties of the future or the past effect the now.
https://vimeo.com/158142648
This third video is me at RMIT. The label of student in the literal sense of someone going to a school or institution is not something I have identified myself as in the recent past. I am excited to begin to identify myself as such and during the process see what other kinds of identities I may try on.
Text
Labels are things people identify you as. Others have labeled me by my relation to them: a sister, daughter, friend or by how they perceive me loud, messy, goofy. But what is most important is how I identify/perceive myself: a woman, a citizen, a student, flawed, independent, and resilient.
