Creative Insights:
My Artistic
Self-expression

I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE'S STORIES THROUGH RESEARCH,
AND I UTILIZE ART TO EXPLORE MY OWN STORIES.

‘You’, ‘Me’, and ‘Her’ are a collection of 3 paintings of 3 different self portraits from 3 angles of my face, representing the different perspectives on my self identity. These paintings, with their common motifs of the portraits, portrayal of hair (or lack thereof) and more, along with the difference in color use and mediums, tell a story of how I see myself, how I think others see me and how I would want to be seen.

"YOU"

30x40cm Acrylic on canvas.

A self portrait depicting my side profile facing left, depicting how I see myself. The blue border represents a feeling of loss and confusion along with the faint red spiral. The blank background and visible pencil sketch lines give a feeling of unpolishness. The main portrait consists of many other portraits, which are torn up and puzzled together messily. Overall, gives a feeling of disorganization and unease, not yet knowing who I am and how my pieces put together form my identity. Hair is strung up to evoke the image of chains, and being tied down.

"ME"

30x40cm Acrylic on canvas

A self portrait depicting my front facing profile, depicting how I think others see me. Colors are muted with uses of browns and beige. 3 of the 4 depicted faces wear expressions inspired by the ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Comedy’ masks. Around others, I feel like I cannot express my true self at times. The exposed face is center, but small and hidden behind the others. Overall, displays my fear of vulnerability around others, choosing to hide behind masks instead. The masks also give a feeling of putting on a performance. Hair of multiple portraits is merged into one mass, giving mystique as the hair hides the full picture.

"HER"

30x40 Acrylic on canvas.


A self portrait depicting my side profile facing right, depicting how I want to be. The green overlay on top of a brown base are colors of nature, hinting at my desire to be my natural self. The portrait smiles warmly. The smaller self portraits from ‘You’ are reutilized and organized neatly in the headspace of ‘Her’, representing my desire to put the pieces of my identity together to form a bigger picture of myself. The lack of hair shows lightness and freedom. Conveys that I want to be someone who is assured in myself and knows who I am.