Now & Then
I used to always tell myself that
I never want to grow up, unfortunately I can’t control that and it happens no
matter what. “Now and Then” are diptychs of images that I recreated from my
childhood and teenage years. They’re of memorable moments with my friends and
family, and even different looks of myself throughout the years. As I get older,
I try to hold on to those moments and realize that I will never stop changing,
but inside, I still never want to grow up. When looking through old photographs
its comforting to know that I’m still the same in most ways. I am always being told that I will need to
change the way I am in order to get a job and live an adult life, but I always fight
against it. The way I look and act is part of who I am, and it really isn’t
“just a phase”, as some would call it. For a while I lost that fighting part of
me. This project was my way of introducing myself to me again, and to be able
to see that those times in life are what helped mold me into the girl you see
today.
When I first started the project in 2012, it
was about me trying to figure out whom I am—now it’s about me not letting
people say whom I should be. Through most of my life I’ve had a lot of people,
mainly friends and family, which have influenced me. Whether it’s the way I
dress or act, or the way I view certain things, they are always a part of why I
am who I have become—so they are included in the project as well.
I feel it’s unfair that finally
after all these years I have myself figured out and now I’m being told I need
to change all over again. This project is a way for me to show that this is who
I am, and I’m basically saying, “If you don’t like it, too bad”.
I’m sure we all those times where
we look back at ourselves and ask “What was I thinking?” but without going
through those moments, who would we be today? This project explores the idea of
fighting for who you are and appreciating the moments that helped you get
there.
