My self-portraiture was born out of a dark place, but over time, has evolved just as we all do.
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As I’m sure you can tell, I’m most drawn to mysterious, dark, dreamlike, and oftentimes weird/creepy imagery. I have an active imagination and I enjoy the process of trying to bring it all to life.
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Did you know I don’t use Photoshop to edit my images?
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I truly enjoy the process of bringing my weird ideas to life. Sometimes it comes with its challenges since I can’t easily add in something during post processing.
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This self-portrait was taken in my backyard. I used a smoke bomb in the woods and wore a vintage dress and hat I found at a local thrift store. I kept my face shadowed to add to the mystery of this ghost-like woman in the woods.
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As an introvert I much prefer shooting my self-portraits in my house or on my property, although I do have a funny story or two about shooting in public places!
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Now that I shared a little about my process, what’s yours like? Do you live for the shoot or the editing process? Does your image come to life before or after editing? Or is it a combination of both? Do you prefer to be out in public or hidden?
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Share in the comments below. Also, I’ll make a post soon for those bloopers I’ve experienced out in public!
The Story Behind the Image
I used a long exposure to create this self-portrait in September of 2016.
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I had reached a point in my life where I almost felt I was in two places at once.
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Part of me was coming out of this dark place I had been in for what felt like so long.
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I could separate myself from that place and look back at that version of me, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure what this newer version of me was all about yet.
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As humans we tend to stay with what feels safe, even if that “safe” isn’t good for us.
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I almost felt as if I were turning my back on myself, which is what led to the concept of this self-portrait.
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You guys, there is one thing I will attest to and that is this-
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Art heals.
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My hope and wish for you is that you allow yourselves the freedom to explore, play, create, make mistakes and know that it’s completely fine.
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Let go of any judgments you have towards your work or yourself. That’s only going to weigh you down and hold you back from all of the greatness that is YOU.
Self-Care
In September 2017 I decided to make a commitment to myself. Up until then I poured my heart and soul into my photography.
Leading up to this past year I felt I needed to create almost as much as I needed air, but then I felt a shift.
Even though I have dedicated so much time to art, I felt like I wasn’t giving myself everything I needed to thrive.
I made a commitment to myself. I wasn’t going to allow guilt to creep in, as we all know it tries to so hard.
I began a daily yoga practice, meditation, journaling, and reading as much I can. I blocked off time in my mornings and hoped the people in my life would understand.
I’m not going to lie. Change scares people! It was an adjustment. It was also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Do you set aside time for you? For the things you love? The things that call to your soul?
I wholeheartedly believe that you will be so much closer to the best version of you if you allow time for yourself.
Guilt free time.
What is it that your heart longs to do that you put off because there just doesn’t seem to be enough time?
When you invest in yourself, not only do you benefit from it, but the people around you and in your life do as well.
{Fears}
I just recently completed Carolyn Mara Borlenghi's The Unapologetic Artist class at The DEFINE School. It was amazing.
Below you will find my project on {Fears} that I created during the course of the class.
Fears. They forebode an uncontrollable feeling of danger and threat whether it be true or not to so many. This project has given me an opportunity to express and work through many of my everyday fears. The fear each image represents was present during the process of each self portrait taken in this series. I feel my art is very deep and personal to me. I find myself drawn to the darker side in photography. Through the use of deep shadows and light in my black and white images I aim to convey a variety of emotions. We all have fears. I believe by viewing and connecting with the fears of others one can begin to face the fears deep within themselves.
Spiders
Bees
Being Seen
Invisible
Alone
Falling
Water
Death
The Unknown
The Chase
Myself
Heartbreak
