3 Reasons I’m Doing a Self Portrait Challenge in 2022
Hi Friends!
Today I’m gonna tell you a bit about my 2022 Self Portrait challenge.
Basically, I’m challenging myself to try and do one self-portrait session each month of this year. I’ve got three main reasons for doing this so keep reading cause I’m gonna talk all about them below!
1. Be the change you want to see.
I am not the most comfortable in front of a camera.
In fact, that’s kinda an understatement.
I feel awkward and unsure a lot of the time, and I find myself listening to some inner chatter that isn’t necessarily the kindest.
I know… we are the hardest on ourselves!!
As someone who loves photographing others, one of my main goals is to make sure my clients feel seen, authentic, and beautiful for exactly who and everything they are.
I want to capture their personal essence because everyone’s is so unique and special!
So I thought to myself…
How am i going to convince other people they can (and do) look bomb and authentic in photos if I have not convinced myself?
How am I going to help my clients see that what they perceive to be annoying imperfections are actually the most adorable and endearing qualities about them?!
Well, the answer I came to was that if I wanted to make others feel comfortable, seen, and stunning in their photos, then I would have to make myself feel like that, too.
By challenging myself to get outside of my comfort zone, I’ll be better able to confidently help others do the same, or at very least understand what it is like to be on the other side of the lens.
Empathy is key!
2. Prioritize mental health through cultivating creativity.
Living in Edmonton Alberta, where it’s freezing cold for almost half the year, it can be hard to find the time, space, and energy to prioritize our creative and confident sides.
More often than not, those winter months feel heavy and sluggish for me.
I’m usually wrapped up in sweatpants and a sweater, AND I have my electric blanket around me.
I’m also in bed at 7 pm a lot of the time.
When you’re at that level of cosy, it’s a push just to get yourself in some clothes you feel good in, let alone getting in front of a camera.
But I’d spend hours each week scrolling on Instagram, looking at all the cool and creative things people are doing out there, feeling inspired from so many creators.
I’d think to myself, “wow that looks so cool”, or “what a great idea”, or “how did they do that”?!
I wondered - what would I look like if I were to have tried something similar?
I’d imagine my own set-up and style, visualizing how it would all turn out…then I’d roll over and fall asleep.
This stifling cycle began to frustrate me. I felt like there was no release.
My own laziness and excuses were getting in the way of allowing these late-night visualizations to come to life.
I knew something as simple as doing my hair or make-up and just getting in front of my camera would do wonders for my mental health.
So one day, I just went for it.
I even had to clean my room to do it! An added bonus for my mental health.
And yeah, - I was right. It DID feel good!
It gave me a release, it taught me some lessons, and I got to spend hours designing and editing my OWN creative project instead of staring at someone else’s.
That was when I knew I wanted to set myself a goal - one that was achievable and challenging, but that wouldn’t feel overwhelming.
3. You get to define (and redefine) yourself.
These past three years have been a “bit” of a warp, to say the absolute least.
I am not the same person I was circa 2019, and I definitely don’t feel like it either.
But the ways that we insist on keeping ourselves restrained by others perceptions of our past selves? Oof.
It is not easy.
It’s not easy to release ourselves from whatever image we think we know others have of us.
It’s not easy to go inward and figure out what assumptions and fears we have in ourselves.
It’s not easy to let go of the need to be liked, to be accepted, to be palatable to others.
I guess that’s the thing about growth though, right?
It’s not easy. It is a RIDE.
But, it’s our own ride.
We get to choose who we let on it.
We get to choose what it’s called.
We get to choose what colours we paint it, how it’s designed, and where the destination is.
The point is - we are the only ones who can create and embody the person we want to be.
Staying quiet or holding ourselves back because we feel too young or dumb, too inexperienced, too scared, or too different is only doing a disservice to ourselves and our own ride!
Our life is the space that we will exist in forever.
It’s the only ride we will never get off of.
We are tied to it intrinsically.
I am still learning this, and learning myself.
In many ways, this challenge is giving me space and freedom to explore how I present myself to the world.
It’s a sort of shedding of old layers after feeling like I’ve lived in a cocoon these past few years.
It’s a form of communication - representing how I have changed and who I am becoming. The woman I want to embody and the life I want to live. One that is bold, creative and confident.
We are allowed to grow up and grow out of our old and younger selves. We are allowed to enter new chapters of our lives and decide we’d like to redecorate and redefine what our “ride” looks and feels like.
All in all, this challenge is meant to be fun and exploratory.
To energize and inspire me, and in doing so hopefully inspire others, too.
So - if you’re feeling like you’re not the same person as you were three years ago - welcome.
Congratulations.
And while you’re meeting and discovering this new you…
I’d like to challenge you to listen to that voice in your head
- but not the one that’s telling you the mean and nit-picky untrue things.
Listen to the voice that is trying to push you to grow, to get outside your comfort zone, and to be fully you - even if you have to figure it out along the way.
I promise - it’s gonna feel a lot better than comparing yourself to others and wondering “what if”.
As always, thank you for reading.
Taylor
