Identity Exploration through Valued Objects.

Yesterday I had a very well-deserved and much needed day off with my best friend. Well, I did factor in part two of my thesis content collecting (which IMO was extremely successful and very rewarding.) This part of my thesis project is the investigation through photography of objects that hold value, thus becoming a part of the Self. Aline Smithson's artist statement really sums up what a lot of my research on the multifaceted 'Self' (and by the by, a huge thanks to Mary Schelfo for talking with me so much and giving me the tipoff to such an amazing artist!)

"I take photographs to allow myself and the viewer to linger a little longer within an image. I try to look for or create moments that are at once familiar, yet unexpected. The odd juxtapositions that we find in life are worth exploring, whether it is with humor, compassion, or by simply taking the time to see them.
I have been greatly influenced by the Japanese concept of celebrating a singular object. I tend to isolate subject matter and look for complexity in simple images, providing an opportunity for telling a story in which all is not what it appears to be. The poignancy of childhood, aging, relationships, family, and moments of introspection or contemplation continue to draw my interest. I want to create pictures that evoke a universal memory." - Aline Smithson

Trying to embody Self in photography is difficult work. Trying to master a macro lens doesn't make it any easier but I am getting much better at it with practice and time, a tripod and wireless shutter release help out a bit too. As my thesis content is coming together I am getting more and more excited. The ideas keep coming and changing, I have talked with Ken Meier and have made the decision as of now that I am confining my idea too much by limiting myself to making just books. We both think if I took an element, especially something like the memory drawing, and blew them up and hung them on the walls in my corner, that would present them greater than it would in a 'dinky' ten page book. It is safe to say I need to reformulate a plan quickly and by the end of February when I proposed to have all of my content collected and ready to be utilized into whatever form I choose. Wish me luck!!