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?
A Pile of Yarn
Who doesn’t love a big pile of yarn sitting on their desk?
From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Reywa Fibers “Bloom” (50%/50& yak/silk) colorway ‘Wild Orchid’
2. Koigu “Lace Merino” (100% merino) colorway ‘L3667’
3. Julie Asselin “Merletto” (75% merino/15% cashmere/10% silk) colorway ‘Dapple Grey’
4. Sweet Georgia “Merino Silk Lace” (50%/50% wool/silk) colorway ‘autumn flame’
5. Cascade Yarns “Forest Hills” (51% silk, 49% wool) colorway ’16’ (I did a review of this yarn a couple months ago)
6. Fiberspates “Scrumptious Lace” (45% silk, 55% merino) colorway ‘80502’
I agreed to knit a some lace swatches for my LYS, so I have this pile of lace weight sitting on my desk waiting for me to swatch and play with. yay!
Introducing the Self-Made Wardrobe
I want to tell you about a kind of crazypants, new project I’m doing. I mentioned it in Friday’s finished object post, but I want to tell you more about it.
I am going to wear an entirely self-made wardrobe for an entire year. That means, for a year, I’m going to only be wearing clothes I’ve made.
Yea, only clothes I’ve made. For an entire year.
I said it was a little crazypants, didn’t I?
The project is called The Self-Made Wardrobe, and it’s got it’s own blog over at SelfMadeWardrobe.com, where I’ll be posting all about making clothes, loving your wardrobe, fashion, identity, and wearing things we love, along with the clothes I make, and the clothes I wear. All focused around building a wardrobe to house the world that is me, and all written in a non-shallow, non-fussy way. I’ll also be writing a serial book, all about helping you build a wardrobe to house the world that is you.
I’ll still be here knitting my crazy shawls, writing patterns, writing books, but I’ll also be posting some sweater knitting as well, and maybe only working on one or two shawls at any one time (instead, oh say, five.)
I’ll also be pulling out some seriously old works in progress.
Like this sweater. And this one. (which I last blogged about in June of 2012…)
You can read more about the project here.
And get self-made wardrobe blog updates straight in your inbox here.
Come over and check it out, or at least look at the oodles of fabric I picked up this weekend.
