Best Face Forward (part 2)

When one goes to an online dating site they may have certain expectations or preconceived ideas. Maybe we form preconceived ideas and expectations the instant we see the person’s profile picture – maybe in viewing this image we suddenly form an idea of what this person’s personality. 

Online dating is about selling oneself. And that “sale” starts with ones’ profile picture. And here is where my crazy photo project begins…

Today’s suitor is a butch throwing up what appears to be gangsta signs, along with ridiculous facial expressions. I look like a combination of my uncle, Brian, and my cousin, Matt, neither of which have been known to throw up gangsta signs.

It took me an absurd amount of time to edit through all the photos and come up with only three… every photo was so silly, between shots I was laughing and trying not to laugh while posing.

Best Face Forward.

Today I was looking through my journal in search of an “art idea” that I had written down a month or so ago. I eventually found it and remembered why I hadn’t gone through with the idea, because it wasn’t that great. But I did come across this poem that I wrote about online dating. The poem needs serious work, however…

In the poem,  I talk about how one goes to an online dating site with these expectations or preconceived ideas. And it is entirely possible that I or others will not fulfill someone’s grand expectations.  Maybe we form preconceived ideas and expectations the instant we see the person’s profile picture – maybe in viewing this image we suddenly form an idea of what this person is like. We combine this with whatever other information they may or may not provide in their profile. And that is what we go on… do we add information in our heads based on this image and profile information?

Online dating is about selling oneself. And that “sale” starts with ones’ profile picture. May sites just show you this page full of avatars with a brief summary of the person. This is your marketability – does that image sell?

And here is where my crazy photo project begins… I decided to create three different personae. I chose to make myself as unmarketable as possible – because we’ve all seen those profile pictures that make us wonder – what were they thinking posting this?!  We begin with the girl trying to be pouty and sexy. 

I also chose to make some photos slightly out of focus, grainy, underdeveloped and/or have horrible backgrounds… like this set that I shot in my bathroom – I’ve seen it done, I don’t understand why.

Next the girl who is “quirky” and “unique” and wears black framed glasses and makes weird faces.

“Not only am I unique, but I read classic literature…”

Next rockabilly, goth-esque girl. She is probably too cool and sassy for this.

What Once Was.

I used to be envious of those woman that went to Girlspot at Club Gallery. I used to wish I could be cool and go hang out, dance, and get picked up at the local lesbian night. Unfortunately, most of my friends are male, there are few lesbian bars/nights in Providence, and  I can count on one hand how many “ladies nights” I’ve attended. Also, I’ve never been picked up at any of the “ladies nights” I’ve attended, so maybe they are not all I had hoped they would be.

I’m not sure how glamorous Club Gallery was on a Saturday night, but during the week when I would park near it for work, it looked pretty damn creepy even before they began demolishing the building.

After I spent some quality time with the half demolished former night club, I spent some quality time with some vacant properties on Broadway. First stop: Jerothmul B. Barnaby House “Barnaby’s Castle.”

Next stop was: Kendrick-Prentice-Tirocchi House aka “The Wedding Cake House” – not to be confused with the one in in Kennebunk, Maine.

Your Going to Love This.

I seen this sign on the storefront of what used to be the Peck Gallery on Federal Hill. It is definitely an attention grabber. I can’t wait to see what it is that I am allegedly going to love!

The end?

I have decided to create photos of my every day life. The mundane, the not so mundane, the chaos, the lust for it, the loss for it and everything in between. I will interpret this in some way through photography for the next month or so.

I feel I may have gotten to the end of the Stop Making Sense project… the semester has ended, I have time to paint, my life still is not perfect and I am uncertain if the images I created helped me gain any insight. However, I created over 60 images within a month’s time frame.  Not to say I will forever stop creating photos, maybe just stop with this project of recording my every day life, for now.  I’m also kind of sick of looking at photos of myself – how does Cindy Sherman do it?!

today’s images: 5-13-12

I saw these flower petals on the floor in my parents’ garage, I just liked the way they looked.

This last photo was taken using the “vivid” setting on my camera. “Vivid” must imply “artsy” but in many cases it is just “over-exposed.” On the plus side, I didn’t use photoshop to alter this image.

I’m still working on the idea on being frustrated and contained – this time wedging myself between a shelving unit and a bureau.

Frustrated and Contained.

I have decided to create photos of my every day life. The mundane, the not so mundane, the chaos, the lust for it, the loss for it and everything in between. I will interpret this in some way through photography for the next month or so.

I was thinking today: Why am I like those deteriorating house that I love on Broadway (in Providence, RI)? Why am I like every other abandoned building that I coveted and loved? Because I feel like maybe not everyone sees what there is, maybe it’s an eyesore, but I see it for what it could be. Maybe that is why I love the beauty of things but the seemingly ugly as well – I see beyond it, maybe even just for what it is – something that was beautiful that was left to rot and die.

I was feeling frustrated and contained. The instant I realized I was “frustrated and contained” the idea for these photographs emerged… they remind me of this photographer who had started this “hide and seek” photography/video. I forget her name and she encouraged other artists to do the same – well, better late than never right?

By the way, fitting under that desk was not as easy as it looks.

Long days without enough hours.

I managed to take a break from putting together my four art ed portfolios (yes I said four– its total foolishness!) to take a walk in the sunshine. It was glorious! There was fresh air, no computers, and no continuous interruptions by people I live with. It was the highlight of my day —it was kind of the highlight of my weekend– which just makes me a little sad about my weekend.

I was feeling rather moody when I did the next two photos…maybe it was because I was buried in school work.

These photos were not photoshoped, I took pictures of myself in a mirror. This is exactly how I took them and exactly how they came out.

Gloomy Saturday

I have decided to create photos of my every day life. The mundane, the not so mundane, the chaos, the lust for it, the loss for it and everything in between. I will interpret this in some way through photography for the next month or so.

I’m almost done with all the massive amounts of work that needed to be complete by the end of the semester – a.k.a this coming Thursday. Hopefully I do not discover that one more thing I was supposed to do and haven’t–again.

It was a gloomy day, this is the rain splatters on my windshield…

Today’s images: 4-29

I decided to get up nice and early to work in the sculpture studio and this is what I seen before going into the building. At least they waited until after Earth Day, right?

One day this will be a beautiful, up-to-date new art center, but for now its like a post-zombie apocalypse, inside and now out!

When I came home from school, I attempted to take a nap, with two cats. At one point I rolled over in bed and noticed how the afternoon sun was streaming in through my blinds, and it looked kind of cool.