some thoughts on selfies and self portraits
People have been turning the camera on themselves since the 1800s (Robert Cornelius took possibly the first photographic self-portrait in 1838).
And before that, there were self portraits made of charcoal and oil paints.
Selfies and self portraits certainly aren’t new.
I don’t know what the definitive difference between the two is.
(I don’t think anyone knows.)
And there’s certainly a lot of middle ground between, a selfie taken in the bathroom mirror, and a self portrait of/by Frida Kahlo.
But here are some off-the-cuff thoughts from someone who is
a) terrified to cameras & having her picture taken,
b) has taken a picture of herself every day for 45 days and plans to continue for another 320 days,
and c) still can’t decide if she’s taking selfies or self portraits.
Thought 1: A selfie says “look at me, look at what I’m doing/where I am/who I’m with.” A self portrait says “this is who I am.”
Thought 2: A selfie is a picture designed for other people to see. No one takes a selfie for themselves. A self portrait is you creating an image of yourself for yourself. The process of creating the image is part of the point.
Thought 3: A selfie tries to erase or minimize “flaws.” Some self portraits try to minimize or erase flaws, but some don’t, and some embrace them.
Thought 4: A selfie is disposable, it gains no depth from a second viewing. A self portrait (at least a good one) has layers that can be explored and uncovered, through multiple viewings.
Thought 5: You “take” selfies. You “create” self portraits.
But can a selfie become a self portrait?
And when is a self portrait really a selfie?
sweater weather, rainstorms, and a sassy-tinkerbell-mug
Each Wednesday I post little snippets about the projects I’m working on.
You can see all of the Wednesday posts here.
I cut the waistband & hem band to the skirt I was working on last week, while catching up on podcasts. Then attached them Thursday morning, before wearing it for the rest of the day. You can see the finished skirt in last Friday’s Self-Made Wardrobe update.
The solo lace shawl of my needles is getting worked on, but I need to remember to set myself time to work on it. Otherwise I’d just keep knitting my sweater.
I did end up running out of the black Forest Hills yarn I’m using in my Versio sweater, and had to pick up another ball. But this time I’m remembering to wind it before trying to knit from both ends of the skein.
The beginning of fall mean the return of sweater knitting weather (yay!) and drinking tea from my sassy-Tinkerbell-mug. Although August is throwing us a swelter-y farewell, complete with rainstorms and humidity.
I love the fabric you get when you hold multiple strands of lace weight yarn together. The fabric is soft and supple, but you can use a larger needle than you normally would for lace weight yarns. It’s a technique I call for in the Xylia, Yuki, and Idril, to create interesting stockinette shawl that don’t take an age and a half to knit.
8 clothing related reminders from Month One of The Self-Made Wardrobe. Because reinventing the wheel every time sucks.
It’s the beginning of Day 32 of The Self-Made Wardrobe Project.
Yesterday was the end of Month 1, today is the beginning of Month 2, and I’m beginning to maybe believe that this project might not be as crazy as it feels.
At the very least I know I can come up with something to wear every day – freezing when the weather finally gets cold is a whole other thing though.
Since I’ve been doing this for over a month, I’ve learned some things, about what I like, and what I don’t.
So I’d like to write myself some clothing related reminders.
They’re not rules. Or even guidelines.
They’re just reminders.
Things I’ve learned, and would rather not have to re-learn.
Because reinventing the wheel every time sucks.
(Of course, these work for me and my wardrobe. You can have whatever wardrobe reminders/guidelines/rules work for you and your wardrobe.)
I want a reminder that…
: crew-neck T-shirts never fit in any dimension. If you love it, buy an XL and cut it down.
: you don’t have big feet. You’re a 7 or a 7.5. I don’t know where this big footed idea came from.
: go for fuller skirts – not pencil skirts. You like walking, and don’t work in an office, so not having pencil skirts is really ok.
: you prefer cardigans to pullovers. So knit some damn cardigans already.
: blouses aren’t really your thing. If there’s one you love – excellent! Otherwise don’t beat yourself up over sticking to tank tops – just make some interesting over-shirts.
: you don’t really like dresses. Don’t get sucked up into blogland’s need for all the cute flirty dresses. You prefer separates – and that’s ok.
: go for the dropped waist or at your hips. You don’t really like things at your natural waist.
: buy black fabric. And grey fabric. And blue fabric. And other solid fabrics. I know the prints are more fun to buy. But the solids make the prints more fun to wear & style.
And let me repeat that last one.
: buy the solid fabrics.
These reminders are things I’ve found work – for me.
Sometimes I go against them (most of the time I go against the fabric reminder – but this project is changing that).
But when I remember to remember these things about myself, how I wear my clothing, and how I interact with my wardrobe – things go a little more smoothly.
And who doesn’t like things to go a little more smoothly.
