For my first self portrait, I wanted to really look at the things that I see in myself. Two important factors in my life have been my love of art and my religion. For my project, I wanted to show how these things have affected my life.
My concept was to take Michelangelo's’ David, and incorporate my own personal struggles into it, like David facing Goliath.
Unlike David, my challenges seem to come from inside me, making up my DNA in a way. Fear of disappointing others, stepping on toes, and lack of self confidence. I chose to change David's fight from an outside burden, into what I must face in myself, using blood vessels to help portray the essence of who someone truly is.
“if goliath is in your blood, turn to stone.” Personal struggles have sometime left me bitter and hard, like stone. But in the story of David and Goliath, God instructs David to collect stones to defeat Goliath. I have learned to listen as well, and turn to using my own stones such as art, family and religion to destroy my Goliaths as well.
