Ode to Self Portraits

One of my favorite types of photographs/visual art forms is the almighty Self Portrait. I like taking them, and I'm fascinated when looking at other people's. ⁣

⁣I've been taking self portraits since high school and I loved being able to explore, experiment, and express myself in a new and creative way. Self portraits are also quite therapeutic and make self-reflection much easier. I love being able to look back on a specific image and remember how I was feeling or who I was at that time.⁣

Heraclitus couldn’t have said it better, “ No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Each moment we live, we are having new experiences and make decisions that shape and change who we are. I see my self portraits as documentation of the evolution of myself. Am I becoming more or less into myself? Why do I cringe at some of them? How do I view my current self vs my past self vs my future self?

I'm also intrigued with the idea of nonself, a Buddhist concept. When we think of ourselves, we are actually thinking of a bunch of different things that make up ourselves. Our memories, experiences, personality, body, mind, spirit, relationships with those around us, preferences, habits, career, hobbies. If we take one of these away, are we still ourselves? How many would you have to take away to still say it’s you?

As I've explored this concept of nonself, I've started to take myself less seriously and in turn, my self portraits are more playful. I used to always convey a specific emotion or message in my self portraits, but now I take them whenever I feel like it, which over the past couple of years has been often.

I can’t wait to grow old and create more!!