Karina Boissonnier: Therapeutic selfportraits

So, I thought about talking about selfportraits today. More precisely about

therapeutic selfportraits

What does it mean ?

Well, it fixes you as soon as you take it ! :) No, not really, at least it depends on you and your problems.

But let's say it's like talking about your problem to a good friend of yours. You feel a lot better and released.

But I can't talk about it like it would work for everyone, and every person has its one way of getting better and forgetting problems.

Mine is taking a selfportrait. Why ? Because I can put my feelings on the table. "This is how it is." and I even use them to get a better image. (That's actually kind of fun," hey, i'm sad, that's so awesome i'll take a picture!") But yes when you use all of your feelings to take an image, it gets stronger. Because I think this is how arts work. With feelings.

Why take a selfportrait ? Personally it's because the picture is getting so personal I would never use a model who could never know how I really feel so it's damn hard to get a great picture.

I don't know if therapeutic selfportrait is the right name to give to what I really want to talk about. It works only for sad or angry feelings, but not happy.

But yeah, of course, I also use my happy feelings to take some pictures, it's an awesome way to show the world I'm happy, and also get all the feelings out of me, like exploding. Because when I'm happy, I'm so happy I want to do crazy things, and taking a picture is a perfect way of "exploding".

Argh what the hell am I even writting.

The point is, taking personal selfportrait, therapeutic ones and "showing the world I'm happy" ones is something I have done for like one year, and I noticed it two months ago and decided to make a complete project of it. The most personal project I can think of. Revealing the pictures' meaning would mean I reveal my deepest secrets. :) But I thought I could name the project "My story" or something like that. That's something I could do all my life long like a diary.

And when I'll be old I'll look at all the pictures smiling and remembering everything. :D

But really, I love taking this kind of selfportraits when I'm down. I think it has something to do with my love for photography. I mean I think I'm a little crazy and I feel like photography is my best friend. Taking a therapeutic selfportrait makes me feel like I'm telling to photography my problems, and he listens to me and tells me everything is okay and offers me a picture I can be proud of.

Hey!

What the ..! That's my fever speaking, don't listen to it.

I can't deny these pictures are the ones I like to take the most. Even if I'm under the stress, sad, sick, happy, busy, anything, I always take a pleasure shooting. And it never takes much. Usually I get the idea like *boum* suddenly, and then 5minutes later I'm taking the picture and then I photoshop it, aaand it's ready.

Weirdly all my best pictures are taken like this. Not prepared and fast.

Anyways, being sick made me some good. I'm even more motivated for stuff and I really can't wait to get healthy. I'm gonna do so muchh ! School stuff, clean my room, personal projects, shopping, party hard and shit :D

And I got so much new ideas for the future. New awesome goals.

I started to feel sad about myself, I'm full of ambitious and ideas but I don't do anything to make them come true.

Then I realized I'm 18 years old. And I still study.

So I have to calm down.

Why the hell am I always on a rush.

And why the hell am I writting stuff that doesn't make any sense, again ?

Doesn't matter. I kept you informed about what's going on. What I'm doing in photography right now.

Actually i haven't said everything. I started a portrait series one week ago. I'm going to take a picture of all my friends, and my family. :) I'll print and put them on my wall.

I'll make an article about it when I'll have at least 10 pictures.