Hi everyone - new members might be temporarily suspended but the challenges go on. And for new members desperate to join in - please do - and feel free to post your link as a comment for others to browse through.
There is still one week to go with the “all of me” challenge - I wanted to let you all know how much I am enjoying reading and viewing everyones brave posts in this month.
Time marches on and we are up to March - so I thought for march we would explore time.
why:
{Taken from Marc Tasman - he takes a polaroid image everyday:}
“There are few rational reasons for doing this. One is to document and observe my own face and body and its features as they bulge and shrivel; as hair grows and recedes. This work is a visual diary of my moods. A means of telling stories (my own, as well as others’). A sketchbook of sorts, from which ideas for paintings, performances, videos, animations, digital images, writing and websites spring. Proof that I existed. A desperate swipe at corporal immortality. A mystical jab at salable art in the gallery system. It is a discourse on identity. A way to process and digest reality and memory. A linear, unedited memoir in nonlinear times.”
I all these amazing links to share with you, but first let me explain the challenge.
For one month I would like you to document time - in order to …
- document and observe physical changes in yourself
- create a discourse on identity
- keep a visual diary of moods
- tell stories
I would also encourage you to read this essay by Andy Walker who documented himself for 1 year in polaroids. An extract you may find helpful:
“I didn’t know what might happen next. What would transpire and what would I capture? I put myself in front of the camera whether content, frustrated, drunk, tired, victorious, unhappy, flat, shy, injured, alone, exuberant, at home, travelling, nervous, vulnerable, busy, distracted or sick. The result is a sequence of responses; an aspect of my past as I saw myself through a series of frames. … The complete set of photos narrates both my movement through time and my physical changes in place. … A large part of my interest in this project was in doing it and finishing it, always applying rigor and integrity. I believe it only holds together if the observer understands the program and believes it was executed honestly.”
You may do this in a number of ways some - some ideas I have thought up - feel free to interpret this yourself.
photograph yourself at the same time everyday - no matter what you are doing.
photograph an event you participate in everyday - for example meal time - you may want to document breakfast or yourself eating breakfast - or your coffee ritual. - every day though or even 3 times a day - how about everytime you sit down for a cup of tea you photograph your plate or your hand holding the cup or your face drinking the tea or …
photograph the clothes you wear - document every change of clothes - your shoes, your morning hair ritual.
you could take a photo of yourself every time you are happy or annoyed - document your moods - or your actions or events.
you could document body changes - get a new hair colour every day - new lipstick or the healing of a wound …
format: you may want to be a bit adventurous with format with this one - use a polaroid camera and scan the images at the end of the week (if you have these facilities). go to your local photobooth at the same time everyday and then scan the results at the end of the week. A digital camera is going to be easiest with this one - as I want at least 7 photos each week - more is fine of course.
Ellie Harrison needs a section to herself - she many projects going on:
list of webbased project here - a couple of interesting ones listed below: eat22 - documented all her meals over a 1 year period project x - a weightloss project with herself and her mother
Day to day data - a travelling exhibtion curated by Ellie Harrison - “Day-to-Day Data exhibits the work artists who seek inspiration from insignificant details in their own or the publics’ everyday lives – artists who use daily experience as research material from which to obtain their data.”
Due to the demand of new join ups I am temporarily suspending adding new people to the list while I work on an automated system for doing this.
An automated system you say - you mean you were doing this by hand all this time?
Yes I certainly was - checking each and every new person joining, and adding them to the bloglines and posting about them on this site. While I loved doing this - love seeing who is joining and reading everyones posts, this was and is taking up way too much time.
What does this mean for self portrait tuesday?
Well this means a new look, a new website, an updated system for adding new poeple. There will be new features too like a members gallery and participation area, and public forum. This will be a community site.
Why didn’t you do all this in the first place?
When I set up this blogspot blog I didn’t anticipate how popular this would become, I am amazed and excited about how many new people are joining each week and the wonderfully brave and beautiful images and personal and intimate posts you are all working on in our self portrait community.
When will this all happen?
I have the ‘tech team’ working on it as we speak and I hope to get it up and running within the next couple of weeks.
What about people who are on the list already?
I am afraid there will be no automatic transfer. If you are still participating regularly then you will have to submit your link to the new site.
I would love to hear your feedback on this.
More info to come closer to the changeover.
What about us new people who are posting spt’s and not on the list - how will anybody know we are out there?
I would love it if you left a comment here with your permalink url to the exact post and others can explore new people here while the new site is set up.
What is a permlink?
A permalink - or permanent link to your post url - is an extended url address that included information to enable the person clicking on the link to go to a specific post in your blog and not just the latest post - it should look something like this
http://selfportraittuesday.blogspot.com/2006/02/new-join-ups-suspended.html
to get this permalink you can either click on the title of the post, or the date at the bottom of the post or permalink or sometimes there is a # - every blog has a permalink structure.
February 22, 2006 at 3:21 pm · Filed under 06 all of me
This evening after I spent a long day teaching and still struggling with neck and muscle pain I rolled through all of your pictures, and I began to think how funny it is how easy it is for us all to pick ourselves apart. How easily we can tear ourselves apart, how we know all about our hidden insecurities, or “ugly” parts, parts that many times are unseen or unnoticed my the general public. How we all look SO DIFFERENT and then I wonder what really makes anyone of us more beautiful then another, because if beauty is bones and skin stretched over them like in the magazines in books stores then we all have some issues.
The scares of love, of birth, or life Interesting story, about challenged faced.
How we change. Hidden pain, hidden struggle the unseen of “all of me” Here see an uncovering, showing the natural aging of live, showing our “gray” showing our underbellies, delicate and important. Our battles from childhood to adult, what does it really matter how we look?
Those things we only know about ourselves
I made a horrible mistake and lost the link to this photo that seems to be my trend for one of picks. This photo of a beautiful fragile teen, here she speaks of physical and psychological abuse by a man she thought loved her. The broken safety of love the fragileness of teen hood, broken, all of me –The UNSEEN
My OWNER has been found thanks to our readers!
This is beautiful! Her face “unmasked” flawless, natural raw beauty
I love this for the natural state of relaxation it created, not exposing more then simple natural sleep fading from her face.
You people were busy making out on Tuesday instead of taking pictures, huh?
Yeah, I had a heck of a time finding SPTs. But the ones I did find were worth all the trouble.
Best Picture:
Chez Meb. I love that, upon first glance, it looks like the toe’s a victim of a close-up. Nope, her toe is really just that giant.
Creative Interpretation:
And Down With Tin Ham. Seriously, great vulnerability. Doesn’t exactly fit in with the “Creative Interpretation” theme, but remember our conversation about me being the boss? That’s right.
Great Story:
TWO GREAT STORIES!
Straight off the Discovery Health Channel. Thanks, Tricotta.
And then this…
Great history of a smile. Makes me want to punch her third grade teacher in the ovaries.
Hottest Picture:
I tend to avoid the photoshopped stuff, but this is spectacular. Thanks, bugheart.
do you see a pattern here? I love feet and hands; the good the bad and the ugly! I think that its interesting how many people don’t like their feet and hands! Thus their appearance in so many people’s “All of Me”
I think it was especially hard to talk about ALL of ME on Valentine’s day…the day where everything is suposed to be pink hearts and candy dreams! Bravo to you all!
frequently wrong but never in doubt
Oddly this is from a “Golden Period” in my life, but one of those moments that makes you think about friendships and how people feel about you.
cheaky beaks
Oh no! Now I have to deal with the wrinkles around my eyes that actually show my age.
love green dog
I paint, I am the housekeeper, the diaper changer, the gardener, the mum
solistella
Me and my brother Kevin. We spent many a day sitting on the shore with saltwater in our hair, sand in our buttcracks and seaweed between our toes. One of our favorite things to do was to sit near the break line with our legs up in the air. When the waves would come in, they’d smack us on the ass and we’d roll backwards up the beach.
behold my brilliance
There’s me at Vintage Vinyl (the coolest record store evah), right after I dropped off Glenn Zimmerman’s Groundhog’s Day gifties at the Station. Don’t I look fetching?
The EE
I had an eating disorder that began when I was about twelve and continued to haunt me through my teens into my early twenties. I think I have a pretty good handle on it now, I’m still obsessive about what I eat but in a more “controlled” manner. I run as much as I do because it helps me feel “in control” and sane.
ninkip cafe
Sometimes I wonder, considering how much has changed since this pic, if what I went through in 97/98… the big D… did a lot more to me emotionally then I’m willing to admit.
unringing the bell
it captures an expression that I initially found amusing only to realize afterwards is profoundly sad. Terrified even. Tired, raw and exposed.
bugheart
i usually only allow release of photos
that show my good side,
but here is my bad side
public musing of a mama
This beautiful pink blouse I bought at the Gap, X-Large, no longer buttons over my boobs. On the flip side, you can click on the picture to enlarge ~ I’ve got some big boobies!!! LOL.
from my treehouse
Although I don’t like to admit it, I often feel chaotic and disorganized
little messes
there are moments in one’s history that are sometimes difficult to look back on, but these roads have such important value in a life. almost three years ago i was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. sort of a bad day that one.
four little birds
This picture also does double-duty in that it’s right before bedtime so I am looking very tired. It’s not a picture that I would post normally. It’s not beautiful. It’s not flattering. My hair is a mess. My eyes are wonky. You can definitely see my forehead. Still, I kind of like it for the bemused expression on my face.
no apathy allowed
Most of the photos from that vacation that I chose to send to family and friends were happy and triumphant — but this photograph was not one of those.
down the rabbit hole
I have never taken pictures of myself and I tend to be so private - it would be good for me. However, what a month to start! All of me - embrace your mistakes, love the ugly bits. Eek - Well this is my first one ever so I think I have to start slow with a first thing in the morning photo preparing to look away before it gets ugly.
wow, you got real this week. I found myself swimming in fantastic (and honest) images at 3 am. wish I could post them all, really I do. so many great words too. I applaud your bravery, folks. we’re off and running.
adoption and fire
I decided to post this picture because it is a picture of me acting in a training film about me and my history as a firefighter.
mais qu’est-ce que c’est que ces bidouilles?
And in the passing, admire the elegant transition between the topic January and that of February!
Et au passage, admirez l’élégante transition entre le thème du mois de janvier et celui de février !
may seek life
this past summer in italy. our reflection as we peered into an altar for the virgin mary summed up the reality that i was looking hard for any help i could get in strengthening our mother/daughter relationship.
the paper doll
let me just say-it’s hard to take a picture of yourself. first there’s the contorting. how to get your head in the frame without your arm that’s holding the camera blocking the shot. and let’s face it NO ONE looks good in that two handed camera in front big ass face shot. trust me internet i tried it. it was ugly. wide eyed prison shot ugly.
pijije
I was born when my dad was 60 years old. He died when I was 19.
woodmoor village
In all seriousness these pictures show my kids — the love of my life, and my pet companions, long since gone, but held lovingly always.
Cate Anevski -
I forgot until I saw this picture how scared I used to be of Santa.
geena’s mind
My son almost died that night. Had it not been for the doctors from Sick kids he would have…and this would be the only photo i had of him and me…and i hadn’t even been able to hold him yet. My son is a miracle…in his conception, in his birth, in his survival.
mexican curious
glimmer flimmer
My mother’s face is hurting so we decided that she has to stay at home because it’s very cold outside.
sorry sold out
I love how this picture makes me feel when I look at it: special, wanted, loved. The treasure of someone’s life.
