A Self-Portrait

        “I don’t see anything wrong with being alone, it feels great to be me.”, reflected Andy Warhol on personal love and space. Finding an icon that reflects my experiences was initially challenging. “What do I want to represent me?”, I thought to myself. And it was not until I stopped looking for outside image sources, and reflected from within that I found my stencil. My phone is filled with images that can easily be turned into a stencil. The project suddenly became more exciting. I chose an image of myself.

         After all, I feel great being me and my sketchbook is ALL about me. In light of Mr Warhol’s notion of self, I reflected on a recent trip I took to Italy. The image I am using for my stencil is my passport photo. In selecting this image I thought about the time I spent alone while abroad. Solitude scared me at first, I was used to having people around me constantly. After a while, I slowly became accustomed with being alone. I began to write in a journal, and reflect on the experiences that led me to that point in my life. It was liberating. I hope this journal will be an extension of those ideas. I certainly learned that I have underestimated the power of family (cat included), the comfort of language, and of course, food. Andy Warhol painted celebrities, and in a way, those around me are my own pseudocelebrities.