selfie noun, informal
(also selfy; plural selfies)
a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website
Why Selfies?
What do you think about the proliferation of selfies? I love them. Although “selfie” was the Oxford dictionaries international word of the year in 2013 (see definition above), it’s just another form of self-portraiture. I love that the popularity of the “selfie” has encouraged people to take pictures all the time and everywhere. So many photos are now unplanned and spontaneous. This is when you can get quirks, surprises, capturing just a moment in time. It’s so easy to take a photo and it’s not intimidating. People don’t think of themselves as artists and don’t think of selfies as self-portraiture. This leaves so much room for quirkiness and serendipity. That’s what’s so great about them and why I love them!
About The Project
I’m asking you - my friends, family, co-workers and others who hold a significant place in my life - to share with me your favorite selfie. Define “favorite” however you would like. It could document an important event in your life, express a passion that you have, highlight an important relationship (yes, you can have other people in your selfie), or simply make you look damn good.
This is the part where we collaborate. You take the picture, you pick the picture, and you share it with me. What comes next? I’ll take the picture you send me and make a drawing or painting based on it. Although I’ll incorporate a little bit of my style and expression into the piece, my goal is to keep the integrity of the original photo. When it’s completed, I’ll give you the finished product - an original drawing or painting for you to keep!
My Goals
I have a few goals with this project. The most basic goal is simply to continue working on my drawing skills. I also want to branch out from the nature drawings and paintings that I’ve been doing for, oh, the past ten years or so. I’m looking for a project that has personal meaning to me, which is why I’m only asking people I know to participate. I’m hoping that I’ll learn something about you in the process. Finally, I simply want to give back to everyone who has touched my life in some way. The best way I know how to do that is through my art.
What I’m Asking From You
I really hope you’ll help me out with this project. Some of you may be reluctant and I understand why. Making a self-portrait is a vulnerable process. You’re telling the world, "this is who I think I am. This is me telling you something about me". That casual selfie morphs into something more formal once you choose it over all the others. Taking a casual photo and translating it into “art” attaches a significance to the photo that it didn’t have before.
I’m asking you to trust in the process. By turning the process over to me to create a finished product, you’re ceding a certain amount of control over how you present yourself to the world. I respect that and am grateful for the faith you’re placing in me.
If you choose to take part in this process, I’m asking you to agree to the possibility of your portrait being displayed in a gallery, show, or other venue. Art is meant to be shared and my goal would be to display the portraits as a group at some point. I'll also be documenting this project on this blog.
