Hi hi hello
I’ve been out and about taking photos on my new polaroid camera in my afternoons recently – it’s been a way of getting back out there after a summer spent mostly worrying and/or in a car driving between home and a hospital 2 hours away, and the last few weeks getting my schedule back to relative normality. I’ve joined a new gym, and have been doing Body Combat (see Training Montage to learn more) again, following directions on my phone. I use the boxing gym part of the gym, but do not hit the punching bags (not intentionally anyway). Every time I go back to exercise, I remember how good it is for my mental health, for my sleep, for my feelings about my own body. I’m bigger at the moment than I have been in a long time, although the difference isn’t really much, and watching myself head-on in the mirror at the gym last week, punching and kicking and sweaty in my too-tight sports kit, the thought floated into my mind about how good I look. I don’t think it’s because I’m vain, I think it’s because I was moving, enjoying it, feeling euphoric. I find myself taking off my shirt because I’m too hot, exercising in my sports bra and shorts, because I feel more comfortable cooler than covered up. Nobody at the gym is there to look at other people anyway. At least I’m not; I’m there staring myself in the eye in the mirror and punching the air with an intense look on my face. Maybe it is because I’m vain, who knows. Maybe all artists who do self-portraiture are, and that’s all there is to the selfie. Hmm. Possibly not. Whatever. Maybe I should have studied fine art at university instead of design and would have known the answer. Maybe I’ll learn by finding out.
I’m not sure why I’ve started taking self-portraits with the polaroid, but like with a lot of things around image that I can’t quite sort out sensible reasonings for, it feels important, so that’s good enough for me. I think I’m going to carry on with them, see what happens. For now, I’m titling this series as Progress Pics. Here’s today’s effort:
The colours weren’t intentional.
See the rest (so far) here!
I’ve just updated the Words, Books, Photographs page on here and remembered again I want to get on with putting together the book design for Spring, so I’ll have something to share when I eventually get organised and start a kickstarter to fund the print run. Watch this space while I go and check my diary……..
Jessie x
Jessie Growden 