Artist Statement

“Self-esteem is what we think and feel and believe about ourselves. Self-worth is recognizing ‘I am greater than all of those things.’ It is a deep knowing that I am of value, that I am loveable, necessary to this life, and of incomprehensible worth.”

Maintaining positive self-esteem is an ongoing journey, but as I’ve grown into the woman I am today, I’m beginning to realize that the negatives I see within myself are solely my own scrutiny. There’s so much of me to love as I’m a unique human being living in my unique skin—my entire being encompasses more than just defeatist self-talk. I’m smart, I’m reliable, I’m genuine, I’m creative, and I’m me. What’s not to love?

“Self worth is a feeling that you are a good person who deserves to be treated with respect”.

The road to positive self-talk is difficult in its entirety, but overall achievable with a little willpower and discipline. My depicted journey encompasses the three stages of achieving a feeling of self-worth as I have experienced it: beginning with pessimism and despondency, transitioning into the awareness of my mindset and diligence, then embracing self-actualization when it comes to my own potential and love for myself. 

Fleshing out the timeline as to when I started to see myself morphing through these phases helped me come to the realization that creating self portraits not only reflects my newfound self-worth through photography, but it also harnesses the potential to depict my journey in an abstract way. Recognizing conscious vulnerability within myself was never something I could see myself coming to terms with, but empowering myself through vulnerability is an experiment this project has allowed me to test-run.