To Stage Oneself

These shots happened randomly during a fun weekend at a festival. Self portraits are a strange thing. They try to capture the perception that we got of ourselves... So the way we present ourselves mostly reveals the way we view ourselves - if it is an accurate view can only be found out by knowing the person. So I wonder if we know ourselves as well as we assume. It seems that self portraits easily become more of an evaluation of our perception or beliefs about ourselves rather than our true identity. A princess clothed in rags does not lose her identity but she does not quite live accordingly to her identity. So the question is: Do we know who we really are? Or did we lose ourselves somewhere along the way? I find that that happens fairly often to me. But the great thing about it is that being lost implies the opportunity to be found again - story of my life. To be lost does not have to become my identity, but I need to cease hiding.

 I found that making up my own identity doesn't quite work, it cannot stand the pressures from all the stuff going on round me. Pretty much everyone I met seeks for identity outside himself, so there must be something to it. Some people look for it in the realms of beauty or success, some people try to find it in persons and relationships, some in pets and others in talents or lofty ideas, this list can be continued as long as you fancy. So where lies my identity? To be really honest, if Jesus Christ would not be my identity, if His definition of me would not have started to become my identity I'd be screwed. I know what it means to be a mess - as does almost everybody else. We don't have it all together and on our own we never will.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.