¨Self-understanding is the necessary condition of a sense of self-identity¨

— J. C. Murray

Self identity is the recognition of one's own traits and qualities, but why is this important? The way that one acts, the decisions they make, the way they present themselves -- they're all representative of who they are. But the inability to look deep within yourself can cause uncertainty and doubt, and can make you uncomfortable in your own skin. Self identity builds character, and makes a person more confident but just the same, the lack there of will do the opposite. It's crucial to look at yourself from a bird's eye view to see the big picture, and to capture the essence of you. 

January 28, 2021

The day I felt my first experience with truly understanding what losing someone felt like. This portfolio is the art I pulled from my journey with grief and how it interrupts our everyday lives. How our bodies react to heartbreak can be an extremely long and exhausting process, and these pieces represent my journey to acceptance. Starting with “The Beginning Moments”, this piece is meant to represent the start of this time, a moment in which I first heard the news of a loved one's passing. “A New Self” shows the deconstruction of my self-perception through the events of grief, “318 Strangers” represents society through my eyes, showing how I became careless to people surrounding me and how my brain slowly alienated those I loved. “Fading” is the sister piece, however, it is focused on the missing puzzle piece, someone ripped from our hands, their place in our hearts permanently stained with a dark void, growing deeper as our minds learn to forget. “Ask Later” represents the effects grief has taken on my ability to think and make a decision, all the while clinging to advice from an inanimate object to ease the stress of uncertainty. Finally, “The Climb” shows my slow ascent to acceptance and the realization of who I had become through the process. This portfolio is extremely personal to me, and this work is a product of my coping process. In a sense, this art is a representation of my journey into becoming a new, stronger person.

Sydney Short

What exactly is this egg guy that I’ve created? How do I connect to it personally?

My small egg creation started out as a mere joke, a 10 second sketch on a homework assignment, or a stupid doodle to grief a friend’s paper. But what does it really mean? On the surface, absolutely nothing. It’s really just an egg with a face. So, the question can’t be “what is it?”, but instead, “what can it become?” What potential does this little egg man hold? What can I pour into it that brings it to life? What emotions does this character bring out? Me and this egg man have been on friendly terms for a while, but now it’s time to get more personal. I want to explore this concept and dig deep to find the answer “what truly is this egg man?”

There isn’t an exact answer on how to be a good person. Not only does it include the aspects of taking care of other people and things, but it also includes something deeper. I believe that being a good person means also being kind to yourself. Being good to yourself means taking time to destress when life is tough. It means forgiving yourself when you’ve tried your best and still did not get the outcome that you wanted. It means that it’s ok to not reflect sunshine all of the time. It means being truthful with yourself and others. Being kind to yourself is reflecting on how much you’ve accomplished and being proud of that, no matter how big or small the victory was. Reminding myself of these statements is how I’ve learned to become a better person. When I focus on self-care and giving grace, I become the best version of myself. That goodness will spread to those around me.

How do you define love? How is love shown?

 How does mental illness affect us?

Mental illnesses are different for everyone, and when left untreated, they can fester and take hold of you. Like, how anxiety makes you feel as though you can’t breathe; How depression makes you lose interest in things you used to love; How Body dysphoria changes the way you see yourself; Voices feeding you lies. Though, you can’t help but believe them, for what can you do when your own mind turns against you? It doesn’t matter your background or how you grew up, mental illness can still affect you. Parts of society still think Mental illness is a hoax and don’t accept it, leaving many people untreated. This is why Society needs to recognize its severity and get educated on the topic before we lose more people to these Mental illnesses.

Being lonely and being alone are often thought to be the same thing. But people forget that you can feel lonely while being surrounded by people. The feeling of being lonely is so entirely consuming that it can lead people to feel helpless. People look to media, music, and the people around them to help fill this void that is loneliness.