Creating this self-portrait was similar to the ‘noticing’ activity we did a few weeks ago, but this time I was ‘noticing’ myself; it became an opportunity for me to be reminded of who really I am.
My distracted nature is one of the first things people notice about me, hence why it is presented at the beginning. I layered my portrait with rippling water, as water is quite symbolic in my life. Not only does it add a sense of fluidity, but it represents an important remedy in my life- I immerse myself in water when I get too emotional or afraid; a cleansing mechanism. Blue is the colour of Aquarius- my star sign and it ‘reflects my tendency to fly into blue skies of dreams’ further representing my daydreaming tendencies. Water also represents a flow and sense of balance, which is also explored through the photo of my hand holding up an open book. The image isn’t just representative of my openness; it is an artistic choice to not have two hands holding up the book, as I use one hand to support others and the other hand to keep myself and my emotions steady.
The image of the cliff and bend represents of my fear of the unknown whilst the Fleetwood Mac album placed onto of the map highlights my fear of becoming a ‘follower’- I would rather “Go [My] Own Way”.
“I refuse to follow, I refuse to be a reflection” is an expression of my wishes to be my own self and to not conform to the expectations of society. I chose to edit “I refuse to be a reflection” repetitively so it could become a mantra. The sound of the flipping book and writing in a notebook in conjunction with the time-lapse communicates that I will write my own book, a new page each day.
I felt that the overall aesthetic of my portrait could have been cleaner, but I was really pleased with the way the time-lapse turned out, as it was my first time exploring the feature in its full form.
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