It's one of those questions that seems so obvious you never ask. But the more you think about it, the weirder it gets.
I looked it up. Way back, it meant "original," like something that originates from you.
But authorship is baked into it, like being "authentic" means writing your own story. And what does that mean? Novelists all say their characters talk to them, tell them what they'll do, fight choices that don't fit them. We feel it when a character does something… out of character.
But what's the "authentic" choice? Psychologists say it's aligning your behavior with your values. But when I'm scared am I being "authentically" me by running or pushing through? Does it depend on the situation, or the feeling? What does it really mean to "stay in the moment"?
I use the self-portrait to navigate the questions
Being authentic isn't a fixed thing, so I make pictures that express the between-ness.
Sometimes I need to document an insight, or a feeling I can barely name. I want to bring them to you, like a cool rock I found on a hike, or an overlook at the edge of the city. Sometimes they're less something I bring back, more like a pin on the map. A way for us to trace our way back.
Other times it's not that deep. I just wanna look at myself and say, "Damn, that guy's hot."
We all contain multitudes.
These are some of mine.
