BYOB: Days 5 - 9

I've been taking daily photos based on Vivienne's prompts, but haven't been able to share all week until now!  So without any further ado, here are my self-portraits for May 5th through 9th.

May 5th
...pick one part of your body as inspiration and tell a story that feels positive to you... Share something you feel proud of or feel positive about.


Click to embiggify...
This Hand
Once upon a time, this hand drew and colored, cut and glued, created characters, cities & towns, continents, worlds, and whole universes, but somewhere along the way to adulthood, the universes, worlds, and continents melted away; cities & towns and characters vanished; cutting & gluing became too messy and drawing & coloring, the avocation of children.

Then something magical happened.  A tiny voice whispered, draw, and the hand picked up a pencil and began.  Dancing women, unique people, special people, fluffy cats and fat dogs, fantastical beasts and ordinary rabbits...  And the drawing became creating with polymer clay, and the creating with clay became painting, and the painting led to collage, and the collage led to ... Rabbits! 

Kawaii rabbits, sketchy rabbits, scribbly rabbits, cartoon rabbits, colored rabbits, black & white rabbits, rabbits of all kinds!  Wherever will the rabbits lead?  (Down the rabbit hole, I suppose!)

May 6th
...explore taking a reflective self-portrait... Seek out a creative spot to take a self-reflection photo today!


Click to embiggify...
I spent much of the day in the car on Monday, so this photo seemed most appropriate.  Me, reflected off the pollen-covered, bird poop-spattered minivan.  (Heh, behind me you can see why it's pollen-covered and bird poop-spattered.)

May 7th
I'd love for us to get playful with our shadow today! ... Lets let our shadow help us tell our story today!


Click to embiggify...
Today I visited my mother and was lucky enough to see the crabapple in bloom, petals were already showering the ground, so I captured my shadow covered by them.

May 8th
...today lets look ourselves in the eyes... look right into the lens, simply sending ourselves love.

Wow.  I can't believe how hard this one was for me.  I look into the lens all the time!  But at myself???  Sending myself love???  No.  I am usually thinking of others who will be viewing the photo and what messages I want them to receive, and I usually choose times when I am feeling particularly pretty and in a good mood, which I wasn't really feeling on Wednesday.  But I did it, and I managed to get 2 I couldn't choose between.


Click to embiggify...
In this first one, I kind of feel like I'm looking a little bored, perhaps even nervous about the photo; I'm not sure if there is love there.


Click to embiggify...
However, in this one I can see it.  The reminders to be gentle and kind with myself, as much as I am with Jacqueline.  I deserve to love myself, and treat myself as kindly, as I do her.

May 9th
Lets explore how either movement or stillness can be an invitation to be present in our bodies in our photo adventures!

When I read that, I decided I wanted to spin for the camera, barefoot in the yard where all the wild strawberries are in bloom!  So I set the camera on a little stool we have and set the double timer.


Click to embiggify...
The first shot caught me gingerly walking to where I wanted to stand, we have a LOT of poison ivy in our woods, and it is slowly encroaching on the yard, so I wanted to make sure there was none where I wanted to spin.  And it turns out that I like this one better than the spinning one.  I think it more accurately reflects ME, cautiously moving through life.


Click to embiggify...
I like this one too, even though I've cut my head off, my body seems kinda awkward, and I'm off center. It's not perfect, and neither am I. ^-^

Stay tuned for more adventures in self-portraits soon!