The Self-Portrait Challenge | An Artistic Self-Expressive Art Project Community.


 

The Self-Portrait Challenge was a continuous artistic self-expressive art project community.
This was their website.
The edited content is from the site's 2005 -2007 archived pages providing just a glimpse of what this site offered its visitors. The new owner of the domain chose to not post any images from the  site's archived pages.

 

About

The aim of this site is to create a community - an online community of people participating in a continuous artistic self-expressive art project.

  • To give a voice to those who want to speak
  • To encourage self-analysis and self-expression and self-exploration in people who would normally not be able to or don’t have a venue or audience for such.
  • To encourage people to challenge their personal boundaries
  • To free up inhibitions and allow that inner hidden something to be occasionally seen.

Who am I?
Me - Kathreen Ricketson - photo-media artist.

I am interested in self-portraiture not only as a way for artists to express themselves, but also as a venue for ordinary people to express their inner often hidden selves. I want to make it accessible and acceptable for anyone to become involved. I made it a weekly event to give people many chances to experiment and also to see what others are doing - to improve not only their photography skills but also their courage in challenging their own boundaries. I want people to not just do it once and feel satisfied with that, but to continue to experiment and see how it will change their view of themselves and maybe even change their lives a little.



 

03 rules and info

  1. Post your self portrait on your blog each week - or as often as you can.
  2. You must put “self portrait challenge” Or something similar so we can find your self portrait post.
  3. Upload your permanent link
  4. read the particpant guide
  5. You can upload your link from tuesday onwards - links will be archived on the following monday.
  6. You can also email me now at selfportraittuesday [at] gmail [dot] com.
  7. It would be great if you linked back to the self portrait challenge website to share the experience fully.
  8. You may also join the flickr self portrait tuesday group
  9. There are monthly challenges that are interpreted weekly
  10. If you upload a link then that means you give permission for the image to be used on this site

Also here is a code snippet to make it easy to put this badge and link on your site:
You can cut and paste the code below into your site to display the badge link.

How to upload your link

- Take your photograph - read the current challenge.

- Post your photo on your blog - include an SPC badge, or a link back to SPC in your post - good clear photos and a good story will help your post be noticed.

- To enter you need to be a member of this site - if you are not yet a member then you need to register and be logged in before you can upload your link.

- To upload your link you click “ADD YOUR LINK” at the top of the sidebar on the whiplash page, please enter the name of your item and your permanent URL - this is not the URL to your blog main page but to the static page of your whiplash post. If you cannot see this, check if you are logged in.

 

 

participant guide

What You Need
1- complete the challenge - read the current challenge

2- post your challenge with a description on your blog

3- grab the URL to the static post, not the link to your main blog page and upload the link

NOTE: we do not accept direct picture uploads

Also - to post a link you must be be signed up as a member of this site - to do this scroll down the side bar to meta and sign in - get a password emailed to you and update your profile with your information - you only need to do this once - to upload you link you must be signed in to the site - if you are using the same computer then you will be signed in until you sign out.

How It Works
Each month a self portrait challenge is posted, you must interpret the challenge however you like, and then each week in the month there is an opportunity to participate. You can upload only once each week.

The links are archived each monday and the week starts on the tuesday, you may upload you link on any day you wish, but the earlier in the week the better - as soon as monday comes around they will be archived.

About Your Links
Your submitted link must be to a static page that will always show your image or images for the particular Challenge, and not to your website’s main page. Doing this makes it easier for visitors to find your image related to that week’s Challenge.

If you link to a page and we cannot find an image on that page that relates to the Challenge your link will be deleted.

finding your static link - on a weblog, they’re often called the ‘Permalink’ or ‘Individual Entry Archive’ pages. They’re the pages that correspond to an individual post in your weblog. Sometimes it’s linked to the date of your post.

Incorrect:
http://www.mysite.com
CORRECT:
http://www.mysite.com/archive/mypicture.html

Or something like that; your site may have a different structure from this example.

One Link Per Challenge
Please only submit one link per challenge, even if you have several photos for the week’s Challenge. If you need your link changed for whatever reason, contact us and we’ll change it.

Only one link per URL allowed each week - additional links to the same site, even when pointing to different images or pages, may be deleted. When additional links to the same site are found, our practice is to delete the newer link(s).

Please Remember…
We reserve the right to modify or delete any link, or the text associated with any link, for any reason, without notice.

 



2007 Posts

Friday #3 - Food and Me

by overcomeyourfear

October 19, 2007

Hi, this is Cris again! 

I read in the paper the other day a joke about a boy who thought he was a corn, and when he was released from the psichiatric hospital, he saw a chicken and run away scared. His mother asked, but son, your cured, you no longer think you are a corn, do you? His answer: yeah, I know I’m not a corn, but does the chicken know?

This kept me thinking on what to write for today on the subject. The relationship people have with food is, to me, a cultural construction, mainly, changed by the personal experiences each one have through out life. You learn how to relate with food - and, why not, what is food - from your parents and family, on your early years, and it changes as you grow and acquire new tastes, new desires, new hungers.

It’s important to understand what is a real need for nourishment, what is a desire and what is a hunger based on envy, lust or another reason.

As I look at the pictures, in order to choose which one to publish, I saw, in most of the pictures, a portrait of the western civilization, and our need to accomplish several tasks at the same time, to become more than ourselves in order to make things work with our multiple social groups.

Some of the pictures reminded me of the time I lived in US, and all the different tasts and flavours I tried, and how it has helped me understand how different was, from my own, the culture I was experiencing. In Brasil, offering you food (and lots of it, and all the time) is a way of showing that you’re welcomed, you’re liked. We like to show off our cultural differences (this is a big country too, and with regions so distinct, one could think it’s a whole new country, with new language and all) by offering all kinds of food (meat, vegetables, salads, soups, loafs and baked stuff, not to mention desserts, candies, puddings) at the same time! It’s a way of reassuring the richness of our cultural backgrounds, and a far more interesting, in my opinion, than Carnaval or soccer (ok, ok, that’s a whole new subject to talk about. Maybe later, then).

So the first picture that caught my attention was this one below, where the girl explains what is, for her, as an Italian girl, to be invited to twirl.

Coconutannies

The second has a girl eating a fruit right from the tree, and how she desired it as saw the fruit was ripen and colorful (by the way, I don’t think it will taste good to eat the pomegranate like that, I suggest you stick with the seeds only!)

Katcoyle

And the last, which I think sums up what I’ve tried to say with these few words, is the one where the girl sees herself in the reflection of the meal she was about to have.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

PS: I tried to make the picture copy-and-paste to work, if not, please understand and forgive me. I promise to learn for the next time.

 

Every Picture Tells a Story: Food and Me 3 (Holli’s Pick)

by holli

October 18, 2007

The pictures this week were amazing - simply amazing. I literally had to call Faith in to break a tie, or I would have been here forever, with my ridiculously indecisive nature. So… between Faith’s excellent eye for art and her reluctant generosity (I’m using her computer, as mine bit the dust day before yesterday - which is why I couldn’t post my own SPC this week) I feel like this post is a team effort.

There were a few pictures that instantly screamed “FOOD!!” and a few that I couldn’t figure out to save my life. I couldn’t find the food anywhere in the shot.

The picture I chose for my selection this week fell somewhere in the middle. When I first saw it, I thought “wow, that’s a beautiful self portrait. I don’t really get the food connection, but I do love the picture.” Then I spotted the highchair, softly blurred in the background.

I love the light here, I love that the focus is on Candice’s face - I love the emotion, and the lack of food. She looks beautiful, a little tired (I don’t mean that as an insult at all… I could just be projecting) and it all tells a story.

I’m right there myself, in the middle of that story. Food is not fun, it’s not something I enjoy creating. I don’t love cooking the way I used to - it’s a chore. I remember the days of being single - when cooking was something I did for fun.

Now it’s something I have to do. It’s one of the “have to’s” of life.

What I want to know from someone who’s been there and done that - is will I ever get back to the place where it becomes a desire again?

It’s all point of view - and I know there are people with huge families who love cooking. I’m infinitely jealous. For now, I identify more with Candice. Despite the reality, there is beauty. I love this self portrait.

I give a gold star for completing chores.
Image courtesy of Lucky Candice.

until next week,

Holli

 



 

2006 Posts

2006 CURRENT CHALLENGE

Lets ditch those imperfections and go all out GLAM for November. Yes lets glam it up with some disco, diamonds and glitter.

I suggest some gorgeous shots - really over do it on the posing and makeup and dressups and show us the extrovert you. The sexy mama in the kitchen with the peek-a-boo apron or how about some diamontes on those dungarees, stillettos, feathers and lycra. Looking for ideas then go no further than Glam Rock as your inspiration, KISS, David Bowie, and Queen and Garry Glitter. Glam means dressing androgynously in make up and glittery, florid costumes such as David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust phase or The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Get Glam everyone!

 

++++

Thanks Kim Carney for this idea - link to breakfast

Food food glorious food. What is your relationship with food. Is it a constant battle for you between dieting and indulging. Or you are rigorous and can avoid temptation. Do you love to cook and feed others or are you a health nut eating only nuts and fruit. Whatever and however - you need to communication your relationship to food in a visual way.

here are some ideas - also the link above is excellent as is this time life visual documentary - what the world eats.

How do you eat your main meal - are you sitting down with your extended family enjoying good food and conversation or are you sitting on the couch with your food on your lap. Do you eat outside in the garden with friends or are you holed up in your flat on your own? What about lunch at work do you eat at your desk, or do you go for a walk, do you bring your lunch in or eat an unhealthy pie and chips (or pizza) from the local greasy takeaway, or do you have a big long lunch and a siesta afterwards? And breakfast - are you a hot filling breakfast family with eggs and porridge or is it a coffee on the run? Tell all your food secrets visually.

+++

 

You Make Me Feel Like…

by Shelba
August 31, 2006

Nobody Cares What You Ate For BreakfastWhen I look at this picture I feel scared and tense. I’ve watched my share of Cold Case Files and Unsolved Mysteries to know that a man in a skimask is a man to be feared. Know what I mean? But then I read the post that goes with this picture and it turns out he is not a heartless killer, but rather a man who feels like he “just wants to hide.” But still….he makes me feel like making sure the windows and doors are locked tight.

Looney Tunes
Another masked person. Only she is not scary. She must look like a movie star under that ninja-like mask of hers because those are some amazing eyes. She makes me feel like asking for her autograph.

Guilty As Charged
This guy is wearing a Batman hoodie, but the hoodie is taking over the photo and it looks like the human is just the prop for the hoodie. His expression is one that suggests that he's guilty of robbing the hoodie store for Batman fans and the fans are after him! He's kind of the opposite of Batman.

Bogi Bell
It looks like she tripped and fell into the tub. I love that you can see her legs in motion. She makes me feel like asking her if she is okay.

She is enclosed in a season and it is breathtaking. The red of the leaves and her red hair are an amazing combination. Even though it is hot as an oven where I am, when I look at this photograph I can almost feel the crisp autumn air. Ahhhh, it feels good. She makes me long for the fall.

Persnickety Me

Enclosed on a plane. I like this photo a lot. Maybe because come this Saturday I will be eclosed on a plane just she is. She makes me feel like I was sitting next to her going home.

See you next week!

September Challenge - with someone

by kricketson

August 28, 2006

A bit of a looser theme for September - but still some restrictions. - Begins September 1.

September is ‘with someone‘ month - that means you must include someone else in your self portrait. Someone meaningful to your life or to the moment or to a specific event that you wish to document.

Guidelines:
1. each week in the month use a different person in your self portait.
2. either talk about that person or illustrate in the photograph why you have included them and how they are meaningful.

 

woman of mystery

by bekka

August 27, 2006
Sari lives in Finland and works in an office. Sometimes she sneaks photos while at work and tells her colleagues that she is pretending to do something important with her shots of paper clips and magnets.

She has a son and husband. Her photos are luminous and provocative. But, she doesn’t reveal much about her motivation: Why she does self-portrait challenge.

I need my space, I need invisible walls around - just for a moment.

It is not easy to breathe, not easy to move.

 



 

2005 Posts

About self portrait tuesday

by kricketson

September 16, 2005

How it got started:
Self-portrait Tuesday (SPT) started a few months back when I posted a self-portrait on my personal/craft/art weblog. I wrote a little about why I take self-portraits and this seemed to spark something in some of my readers. A few of them started to post Self-portraits too ( bird in the hand, port2port, scrapalicious and Nikkishell were enthusiastic) So self-portrait Tuesday was started. After a few weeks it had started to become quite popular, so I put a list together for everyone to check out each other’s SPT’s. Soon a self-portrait Tuesday flickr group was created (by Joy at scrapalicious) and more people joined.

Some people started asking for themes, for ideas, for reasons and explanations. So recently I started a weblog for Self-portrait Tuesday. This site is a community hub, where I post a monthly challenge, ideas and how to’s for first timers, information and links to known and not so well known self-portrait artists. There is a blogroll for participants; people can send me their link via email to be added to the blogroll. I choose a few each week to post on the site, images that fit the theme, which are experimental or interesting or creative in some way.

What is the ultimate aim?
To create a community - an online community of people participating in a continuous artistic self-expressive art project

  • To give a voice to those who want to speak
  • To encourage self-analysis and self-expression and self-exploration in people who would normally not be able to or don’t have a venue or audience for such.
  • To encourage people to challenge their personal boundaries
  • To free up inhibitions and allow that inner hidden something to be occasionally seen.

Who am I do start something like this anyway?
I am a photographer and artist, I did Post graduate work at university in self-portraiture and co-ordinated a self-portrait community project and exhibition that involved women who would not ordinarily even think about taking a self-portrait. Giving them a voice and a space to express themselves was not only satisfying to me and to them but made for a really interesting viewing experience for the audience.

I am interested in self-portraiture not only as a way for artists to express themselves, but also as a venue for ordinary people to express their inner often hidden selves. I want to make it accessible and acceptable for anyone to become involved. I made it a weekly event to give people many chances to experiment and also to see what others are doing - to improve not only their photography skills but also their courage in challenging their own boundaries. I want people to not just do it once and feel satisfied with that, but to continue to experiment and see how it will change their view of themselves and maybe even change their lives a little.

SelfPortraitChallenge.net